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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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fcich now worts so well , should he thrown open , as ia r ^ n&on to a rush of cpnipetition , involving the needless ^ oKcat ibn of es ^ abhslmients ,, and thusentailing on the r dblic an increase of prices , and on the traders a reduction The 3 e considerationa are jthe inore important , as they onrilV not only to the bread and . book trades , but to retail ^^ 6 vx e ^ ej ^ ' ^^ l B 9 - t ^ i ^^ ^^ - ^ several mil-Eons per aninim are probably wasted oh duplicate retail CS Notwithstanding the , importance here attributed to the eral question of retail trade , you will observe that I pxi > ressly detfer the proposal of anV " plan" for its r ' p * prga * nization , until public opinion shall have been matured by fdrtber preliminary ; discussion of the subject . Meanwhile I would remark , in reply to Mr . Seeley , that Paris ia not renderM ( relatively ) less populous than Lonits its voiaance ot
don nor is development impeaea , Dy a 60 o ' superfluous bakers . Paris has not , on this account , gOO houses standing empty , but only 600 houses inore usefully tenanted than by unnecessary bakers . The population of Paris is to this extent more healthy ( using the term in » social sense ) than it would otherwise be ; the cost of living in Paris is diminished pro tanto by the elimination / of 000 needless establishments ; and this diminution of subsistence-costs , like every other such reduction of charges , renders Paris mpfe attractive as a residence , and go tends to its development . An equally advantageous organization of all Other retail trades in Paris would still further reduce superfluous establishment chai ? ges > so M to tad the of
accelerate the influx of residents , growth the town ; which circumstances , on the other hand , would creat e a legitimate demand for inore retailers , to perform the mcreased distributive service . This , it stiems to liiej wptlld be a far healthier kind of development than our random multiplication of superfluous shops and traders ; limited only by the bankrupt ^< elieck ( which is to trride what the miseri / check is to populatioii ); Instead of dwarfing London to the size of Bristol , such a system wdukV gradually expand Bristol to a healthier kind of London , and set free for useful and pleasurable expenditure the vast sums nowannually absorped in all oui ? towns , by what may be called reciprocal taataiion- ^ ot the charges we unconsciously impose on , each other by oyer-croMrded
trades ., - . ' . ¦ ¦ ¦; : ~ : " " ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ' ¦'" . How these desirable changes may be brought About without injury to existmg interests , is a question of transition , the immediate discussion of which wotild be useless , because premature ; But the solution of the enigma will ultimately be found ( unless I"ammuch mistaken ) in that pregnant formula of the Sanitary Reformers— " Compefcitioa . for , not in , the field of supply . " F . O . Wabd .
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SIR CIIAKLBS NAPIKH AND THE SCINDK 1 'llIZE MONEY . Mn . ^ KitaiUNT iJyxtfs , on Monday , moved tho Court of Quuou ' h Uonch for 11 mandamus against tho East India Company , commanding- them to puy to General Sir Clmrlos Napior tho sum of ¦ 20 , 198 rupees ( 2 , 019 / . 17 * . Gd . ) In tho yeni' 1843 Sir Chiirlos Nnpior wm appointod Coinniiindor-ih-Chief of tho Queen ' s and tho Eiwb India Compiiiiy ' H ibrcOH in Seindo . During tho ensuing campaign a hirgo bpoty wub taken , amounting in tho wholo to botvvoon 4 , 000 , 000 and 6 , 000 , 000 rupees . By ft roynl warrant tho Crown granted tjmt aum to tho Ijlnsfc India Company , in trust , to bo distributed among foho oillcurH ' ttnd soldiers who served in that campaign , Tho pay to wiiich 8 ir Charles was entitled as Commanderin-Chtof wns 1 ^ , 800 Company ' rt rupees u month . It Iihh boon provided by Act of Parliament that her Majesty ' s fci ' oopa In India should generally bo paid by the
Company . The prize money was distributed in two dividends , the first of which was paid in 1848 , and the second in 1849 . But in the following yeaT , the Indian government , finding that certain charges debatable tt > the Scinde prize money had not been deducted t&erefrom , the pay of all the oflicers was stopped to make up the amount / It was on account of the amount so deducted from Sir Charles Napier ' s salary i ; hat the mandcLiritis was applied for .
In May , 1850 , Sir Charles Napier presented a protest to the Indian government , objecting to the deduction , ort the following grounds among others i-HThat the government could not legally make such deduction without giving a detailed and specific account of it . That the prize money had been distributed in confir dence in the correctness of the calculations made by the government . That as a considerable number of the officers who had shared the prize money had since returned to England , and some had died * arid as the government did not venture to apply the same treatment to the Sepoys , tho burden fell unjustly on a portion only of the officers . That such conduct deprived the officers of all security for prize money or pay .
This protest , as well as another application to the Company , was ineffectual . Sir Charles Napier was in ? duced to make this application , less on his own account , than for the sake of other officers who were not in a position to maintain their rights . The questions to be considered were—1 , Whether the Company had any right to recover back any portion of this prize money after it had been distributed . 2 , If the Company had the right , Whether they could stop it out of the officers ' pay ? . 3 , If they could not , was there any other remedy for recovery than by mandamus , and would that writ lie ?
Lord Campbell intimated that the main question being whether the writ would lie , they might assume , for the purpose of the present argument , that the Company had wrongfully withheld the pay . Mr- Sergeant Byles cited the 3 rd and 4 th Victoria , cc 36 , 37 , and the 33 rd George III ., c . 52 , s . 120 ; and after some argument , the Court took time to consider their decision .
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MILITARY INTERFERENCE IN . ELECTIONS . LASt week , Mr . Sharman Crawford brought a charge against General Thomas , of having attempted to intimidate an elector at Enniskillen . In the Northern Whig , we find the following documents : the first from Major Beaufoy , commanding the pensioners at Ennis « killen ; the second from the sergeant alleged to have been intimidated . " Major- General Thomas did not inspect tho enrolled pensioners on the day on which he inspected tho quarters at Enniskillen . Tho general did Hot put his fist into M ' Kinley ' s face , but spoke to all tho men who served with him in the 27 th in l ' eelmga of regard and kindness . There were thirteen pensioners of the 27 th present , and tho
general gavb thorn two sovereigns to drink his health , and which sum amounted to about 3 s . each man . M'Kinloy declared in tho presence of tho general , Major Beaufoy , and others , that ho was coerced and ill-ttfeatea by his own family , and ho had no choioe of his own , Tho Enniskillen enrolled pensioners will not be called out for drill dxetfeiso before tho middlo ot June ; consequently , they could not have Icon inspected by tho genornl on tho day named . Mr . M'Kinloy nover saw a shot fired , having always been employed on tho recruiting service . JIo is a good and respectable man , howovor > and I am sure was always soldierly and brave . "B . Beaufoy . ' May 25 , 1852 , " " Statement of Serjeant M'Kinlei / , late of the 27 th JToot i at present on a pension qf 2 s . 0 $ d . per day .
" That on tho 19 th of May , 1862 , having recoivod directionei from Major Beaufoy , staff-officer of pensioners at Enniskillon , to collect tho pensioners of thd 2 / th llegiment of Foot in tho barrack-squaro of Enniskillon , as General Thomas was to bo in Enniakillcn on his round of inspection , and would bo g lad tp soo them , Serjeant M'Kinloy accordingly collected twolvo ponsionors ot that regiment , and accompanied them to tho barrack- squaro ; when ho received directions in tho squaro to bring them into Majdr Boaufoy ' a omco , which is situate in tho barracks . Ho did so ; ho saw tho general in tho oflice , who was accompanied by Colonel Colo , Captain Corry , adjutant of tho Fermanagh Militia , eovoral officers of tho Olst Regiment , and Major Beaufoy , start-o / Iicor . General Thomas said ho was tflad to boo thorn , and inquirod whoro they had served . After they had informed him , ho ( tho general ) then handed ' two i to t and desired tho
soveregns SerjeanM'Kinley , pensionorfl to drink his health , and thon said that if any of them had votes , ho Would liko thorn to give them to his friend , Mr . Whitemde , afc tho onsuing election , in preference to n common attorney . —Major Beaufoy thon replied , that none of the poiiuionora thon present had a vote oxcopt Serjeant M ' Kinloy . Genorol Thomas then asked Serjeant M'Kirtloy to givo Jiis Yotb to Mr . Whitosido , whon M'Kinloy stated ho had votod for Mr . Collum at tho last election , and from tho treatment he had received for doing ho , having had his family ill-troatdd by a party that broke into hid house , he did not intend to oliango his mind . _ Tho general then , eaid , Would hp not givo it to Mr . Whitesido at the ortflulnjf election , and let by-gonen bo by-gones . To this' M'Kinley juado no roply , wlion Major Boaufoy direotod hint to give th 0 general on andwer ; M'Kinley then said , hd ivM florry ho could not giyo & ( jfttiflftwtory oao . JLmmediwtoly erfter
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THE BETAIL QITESTION . ( TQtheJSditoroftheQlobe ) . Sie , —I have read with much attention your able leader against my view of the Retail question—a view in which lam glad to find myself fortified by the concurrence of Lord Campbell , Dr . Mihiaxij and Mr . ( xrote . Your objections , forcibly pUt as they are , are hardly , I think , quite conclusive ] and , with your permission , I will offer , a brief reply . .. ¦ . , First , however , let me shortly recapitulate the loading facts on which I rely : — 1 . London covers about 100 square miles . 2 . One hundred retail book shops , planted one in the centre of each Square mile , would bring a supply of books within five minutes' average distance of every man ' s door .
9 . Instead of 100 , there are 1000 book shops in London . 4 . These 1000 book shops , even supposing themplanted at equal distances , 10 to each mile throughout London , would only reduce tho five minutes' average distance above-mentioned to about two minutes' average distance ; so that three minutes approximation of tho liouseholdor to the book shop is the maximum distribution-benefit , attainable under tho best topographical arrangements , by a tenfold multiplication of r ' otau establishments . [ 6 . It is worthy ^ perhaps , of passing remark , that this approximation of tho establishments to oaoli othor would incroaso in a much loss rapid rate than their number . Given 100 shops over 100 metropolitan squaro miles , their number must bo multiplied ninefold , that their distance apart may bo diminished to one-third . ' ]
u . Assumin g ( for comparison ' s sake ) tho 1000 existing establishments to cost 5 V 0 L a year each on tho avenge , tiad the 100 hypothetical establishments ( boing larger ) to cost each 10002 , a year , wo have tho difieronco between 600 , 0002 . and 100 , 0002 . —i . o ., 400 , 0002 ., as tho annual sum paid by the London book buyora for tho benefit of having books within two instead of fvoo minutes' walk . ! Paro down thoso figured as much us you will , niako any reasonable allowances for special depots ( as of medical , legal , and other class books ) , and thoro will still r omnin an enormous Hum ( say for argument ' s sake a quartor of a million , winch is oqual to a fivoponny rate on the liouao rental ot J no metropolis ) as the annual payment of tho London jook buyers , in support of ostrd establishments , kopt up wr tho sake of above-mentioned trivial bonofit .
7 . UUfc ovon tma eiig ^ t advantago ^ this reduction ol 1 ireo minutos in our moan avorago diatanco from book HliopH j ia " not in reality gained . , Instoad of boing rocuarly interspaced , so as to afford the u , tmoat uocoinmoda"on to tho houfloholders , the book sjiops aro crowdud u-regul arly in tho main tliorougbfai-os ; nay , flomp stand m couples , next door to one another . 1 am not accurately Acquainted wltli tho retail topography of tho London »»? k trado ; but I have observod ' onough 16 justify mo in uiirnung , that the London book buyors pay thoir annual * iuartor of a million for tho support of tho wwnUw book-K |?* ' . ifcl » o « t Boouring in rotum ovon the trivial bonofit i tho slightly lessono ( f avorago distance . Mi ?* my |) O 8 itlort is , tlmt " so lony as Ha number of n-Mldrs remain * undti / HnMed" those oxtwt cstabliahmont « uargofl nauet contitiUo to Do paid ; that thoy can . como
fxpinno other source than the book buyers * pockets ; and that they must form an element in the retail charge for books . I contend in like manner that , if the 601 bakers' shops now existing at Paris were doubled in number , the total sum paid annually for bread by the Parisians must inevitabl y be raised by the exact amount spent on the 601 added bakers ' establishments . ' ¦¦ ¦• . It is quite true , as you remark , that the price « f , bread is fix e d b y law in " Paris ; but , in computing the profit to be allowed to the bakers , the authorities take into account the number of their establishments and their average sales ; nor couldjiOiey , if they would , enforce so low a tariff on 1202 , as on 601 bakers . The question of establishment
charges , which depends on number , is inextricably mixed Up with the question of price ; and this'by a plain arithmetical law which no human enactment can reverse . My reliance on competition alone to proportion the numbers of each trade to the requirements of the public , and to its own true interestsj is , I confess , less absolute than yours . You admit that there is an excess of hatters in London j yet the retail hatters compete desperately—so desperately that many become bankrupt every year . There is a sharp competition , also , among the publicansyet we have the preposterous number of 5 , 000 publicans in 50 to
London—^ or every square mile—a number exceeding even that of the bakers . Are beer and liquors cheap and good in consequence P On the contrary , they are adulterated and dear . Is the trade thinned by competition P On the contrary , the magistrates are overwhelmed with applications for fresh licenses , though the fact of the existing surplus is proved by incessant bankruptcies . A certain number of the superfluous booksellers will doubtless be eliminated by the same painful process ; but fresh adventurers will constantly be found ready to re-open the closed establishments , to stake their fortunes in the same lottery , and to take their chance of the same blanks .
The London public ^ taken collectively , may be likened , I think , to a private gentleman , burdened with a host of superfluous retainers , and living in consequence at an extravagant rate in a larger house than he needs . The more X'Stucujr this question the more clearl y I perceive its importance , and the vast magnitude of the sums annually squandered on superfluous retail establishments . It is a waste to be reckoned , I am Convinced , Hot by thousands of pounds , but by millions per annum . L believe it to be a strictly preventible waste ; and so soon as public opinion shall appear in some degree awakened to its importance , I will endeavour to show how we may , little by little , check this exhaustive drain on each others resoUrces- ^ which I have Ventured to call Reciprocal Taxation j ^ and which I believe to exceed in its aggregate all other forms of taxatioii put together .
I have the honour to be , Sir , with much deference , your obedient servant , F . O . Wabd .
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EBEE-TBADE versus COMMEBCIA . L ANAECHY . ( To the Editor qfth 6 Olobe . ) " In . commercial as ia political affairs , the true object of Go-Vfefuiiletit is to ihtitesc&e the comlnon enjoyment of liberty , by repressing the reciprocal tyranny oflideribe ; or , in othdr Words , to afford to each individual governed a wider and steadier sphere qf [ Freedom , by restraining , itt his neighbours as well as himself , the disoordant encroachments of fluctuating Caprice . " Sir , —The letter , of which a copy is herewith inclosed , appears in this morning ' s jiera ld / and as my reply to the arguments of that journal meets also incidentally several of your own forcibly urged objections to my views , I venture to ask the favour of its insertion in your columns .
I am , indeed , anxious to lay before as wido an audience as tho favour of tho Press may grant mo , the pornicious effect of spurious as contradistinguished from genuine Competition ; and tho wido difference whioh sopnrates woll-ordered ITroedom of trado from moro commercial Anarchy . . , Whothor measured by its vast and mcossant drain , on tho public resources , or by tho loss and misory it inflicts on tho struggling traders themselves , our present retail distributive system involves evils whereof tho enormous maornitudo has hitherto escaped attention .
Should tho liberal and onlightono 1 Metropolitan Press so far adopt my view as to recognise thoso evils , and to lay them fairly beforo the public , tho question how far thoy may bo susceptible of remedy will como next in order for discussion : and , at tho fitting tirao , I shall bo prepared to submit for consideration remedial measures of a transitional kind , neither incompatible with existing interests , nor involving any suddon or Utopian changes . Meanwhile , I havo tho honour to bo , Sir , with much deference , your obodient servant , F . O . Wakp .
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' Jtfi ^ 'g 0 S 53 . ] : ; ^ . ^ ; ; . ¦ ¦;¦ . : ^ M % i $ . % Afo ' Efe . . . .. . . : .. _ ¦ _ _ _ J& 3
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Leader (1850-1860), June 5, 1852, page 533, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1938/page/9/
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