Sir J. Gorst is possessed with the idea that the
Conserva- tive Party should take the lead in solving Labour questions, and on Monday addressed a meeting in the Manchester Town Hall on behalf of his view. He maintained that his party had always preferred social reform to political change, and he would, to begin with, plant Boards of Arbitration all over the country. He wouldvote for Local Option as to the Eight-Hours Question, leaving it to be regulated legislatively by each trade in each district. No man had a right to sell himself to a trade in such a way as to be deleterious to health,—a remark which we commend to the attention of all authorities engaged in the removal of sewage, and the management of hospitals for in- fectious disease, the deduction from it being that it is wrong to be a scavenger or a nurse, and positively wicked to make needles or " water " mirrors with quicksilver. He would try the limitation of hours in all Government establishments at once, and the men should use their votes to realise that idea. He would, moreover, substitute a system of pensions to the old for their reception into the workhouse ; that is, in fact, restore for the aged the old system of out-door relief. We have said enough on the subject elsewhere, but may note here that at these "meetings " only one side ever gets a hearing.
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