THE NEW TORYISM. 441 



enables the Education Department to provide school-boards, purchase 

 sites for schools, provide free schools supported by local rates, and 

 enabling school-boards to pay a child's fees, to compel parents to send 

 their children, etc., etc. ; we have a further Factories and Workshops 

 Act, making, among other restrictions, some on the employment of 

 women and children in fruit-preserving and fish-curing works. In 

 1871 we meet with an amended Merchant Shipping Act, directing 

 officers of the Board of Trade to record the draught of sea-going ves- 

 sels leaving port ; there is another Factory and Workshops Act, mak- 

 ing further restrictions ; there is a Peddlers' Act, inflicting penalties 

 for hawking without a certificate, and limiting the police-district with- 

 in which the certificate holds, as well as giving the police power to 

 6earch peddlers' packs ; and there are further measures for enforcing 

 vaccination. The year 1872 had, among other acts, one which makes 

 it illegal to take for hire more than one child to nurse, unless in a 

 house registered by authorities, who prescribe the number of infants 

 to be received ; it had a Licensing Act, interdicting sale of spirits to 

 those under sixteen ; and it had another Merchant Shipping Act, estab- 

 lishing an annual survey of passenger-vessels, as well as an interdict 

 against pilots who are not licensed. Then, in 1875, was passed the 

 Agricultural Children's Act, which made it illegal for a farmer to em- 

 ploy a child who has no certificate of elementary education ; and there 

 was passed a Merchant Shipping Act, requiring, on each vessel, a scale 

 showing draught, requiring examination of officers, and prescribing the 

 number of boats and life-preservers. Turn now to Liberal law-making 

 under the present ministry. We have, in 1880, a law which forbids 

 conditional advance-notes in payment of sailors' wages ; and also a law 

 which dictates certain arrangements for the safe carriage of grain-car- 

 goes. In 1881 comes legislation to prevent* trawling over clam-beds 

 and bait-beds, and an interdict making it impossible to buy a glass of 

 beer on Sunday in Wales. In 1882 corn-factors were required, under 

 a penalty of twenty pounds, to furnish for publication a weekly return 

 of their transactions ; municipal bodies were enabled to levy rates for 

 electric lighting ; further exactions from rate-payers were authorized 

 for facilitating more accessible baths and wash-houses ; and local au- 

 thorities were empowered to make by-laws for securing the decent 

 lodging of persons engaged in hop-picking, or picking fruit and vege- 

 tables. Then, finally, of such legislation during the last session may 

 be named the Cheap Trains Act, which, partly by taxing the nation to 

 the extent of 400,000 a year (in the shape of relinquished passenger 

 duty), and partly at the cost of railway-proprietors, still further cheap- 

 ens traveling for workmen : the Board of Trade, through the Railway 

 Commissioners, being empowered to insure sufficiently good and fre- 

 quent accommodation. Again, there is the act which, under penalty 

 of ten pounds for disobedience, forbids the payment of wages to work- 

 men at or within public-houses ; there is another Factory and Work- 



