Mr. Gladstone has declared himself with some decisiveness against fixing
a legal working day by Act of Parliament. The London Trades' Council asked him to receive a deputation ; but Mr. Gladstone on April 29th sent the Secretary a letter declining to accede to the request:—" There is no likelihood of serious discussion in Parliament of this important subject until the attention of the multitude of classes affected by it shall be thoroughly attracted to it so as to throw light upon the practicability and the consequences of applying a uniform compulsory rule to an almost unbounded number of highly diversified employments. I am certainly of opinion that this question has not yet been sufficiently considered by the classes to which I have referred, to enable me in any manner to advance the consideration of the question by conversing with the deputation at the present time." This letter gave such offence, that one delegate proposed to throw it into the wastepaper-basket ; and a resolution was passed deploring its tone, and that of a letter from Mr. Balfour. The latter, however, only intimated that the Leader of the House could not reply before Lord Salisbury's return, and has since agreed to see a deputation.
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