11 OCTOBER 1873, Page 3

Mr. T. Brassey, M.P., delivered- an excellent address on Economy

and Trade on Tuesday at Norwich, in which he said that he thought coal must fall in price in about two years, though it would probably never be sold again at the pit's mouth at less than 16s. a ton, or, say, 32s. for London household coal. He believed, however, that economy would relieve the house- -keeper, having himself' seen a yacht cooking-stove which measured only 1 ft. 9 in. by 1 ft. 4 in., and 1 ft. 9 in. height, -which cooked all the food required for 9 guests and 13 of the crew, or 22 in all, and used up only 47 pounds of coke, at 20s. a ton. The total cost, therefore, of a day's cooking for 24 persons was only a farthing. The economy in the consumption of coal in iron manufactures was nearly as great, Bessemer's steel rail needing 1 ton 5 cwt., against 2 tons needed for common iron rails. The exports of our machinery increased- enormously, and though he feared the wages difficulty, he believed that could be met by ,co-operative labour, which would, develop itself, if the workmen would only use their present wonderful opportunity to lay by, and their new leisure to educate themselves. All these are almost truisms, but they were supported by a great mass of facts, and put forward in a tone of kimiliness for the workmen seldom .showy, by 1prge employers of labour.