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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



sidered. The public good is often the thing 

 least thought of. On the other hand, the 

 predominant general motive is the desire of 

 the party in power to keep the other party 

 out ; and each member of the body has some 

 " axe to grind," either his own, or the axe 

 of his constituents or of some private or 

 corporate interest. The same was the case 

 in England, till the passage in 1848 of the 

 " standing orders," by which a complete sepa- 

 ration was effected in the method of treat- 

 ment of public and of private and local 

 bills. Public bills are now placed under the 

 wing of the Cabinet. Private and local bills 

 are no longer treated as legislation, strictly 

 speaking, but as petitions to Parliament for 

 special immunity or privileges which are 

 conducted by private parties, and are sub- 

 ject to a strict rule of procedure. They are 

 tried as a lawsuit, in which the petition and 

 bill are filed before the beginning of the 

 session, " and opposed at every step, as a 

 whole and in detail, by the Board of Trade 

 and by every private interest which may be 

 menaced or affected thereby. Counter-peti- 

 tions, attorneys, counsel, and a trial, a stand- 

 ing and a day in court to all parties in inter- 

 est before the bill can become a law, pre- 

 vent wrong to individuals ; counsel for the 

 ministry for the public bills, and special 

 counsel for the private bills, committees to 

 aid them in the intelligent discharge of their 

 work, prevent the possibility of working, by 

 collusion, a public wrong." The details of 

 these measures, which we have not space to 

 follow, are carefully adjusted to secure their 

 successful working. The prohibition of spe- 

 cial legislation, which has been incorporated 

 into some of our State Constitutions, is re- 

 garded by Mr. Sterne as unphilosophical ; 

 for there must always be exceptional cases 

 which general legislation can not cover, but 

 for which special provisions are necessary; 

 and it is this need which is recognized in 

 the British system. The prohibition, more- 

 over, defeats itself, for it is evaded, and 

 worse measures are passed for special ends, 

 under the pretense of generality, than could 

 succeed if they were presented in their real 

 character. Mr. Sterne has proposed a de- 

 tailed plan for a system of legislative pro- 

 cedure, modeled after the British " stand- 

 ing orders," which deserves at least to be 

 thought over. 



British Hens and Eggs. By actual count 

 (for a census has been taken), Great Britain 

 and Ireland contain thirty million head of 

 poultry of all kinds, twenty million of which 

 may be classed under the head of " chick- 

 ens." The laying hens, which may be esti- 

 mated to constitute one fourth of the chick- 

 ens, or five million head, may lay from sev- 

 enty to two hundred eggs a year. It is safe 

 to average the number at from eighty to one 

 hundred for each hen. This would give four 

 or five hundred million eggs a year. Be- 

 tween a third and a half of the whole stock 

 of poultry are consumed every year. Some 

 of the English cottages derive as much as 

 twenty-two pounds, or a hundred and ten 

 dollars a year, from their fowls, half of 

 which is profit. The poultry are bought up 

 lean by "higglers" or "hagglers," and are 

 fattened for the market by " crammers," 

 who make this their special business. The 

 feeding is performed by machinery, by a 

 rapid process, and the trade is a growing 

 one. The home supply being estimated at 

 eight million chickens a year, and the fowls 

 being valued at two shillings each, we have 

 an annual market value for this stock of 

 800,000, or $4,000,000. This does not in- 

 clude the turkeys, ducks, and geese, of which 

 eight million are returned in Great Britain 

 and Ireland. If the same proportions of 

 these are brought to market as of chickens, 

 rating them at five shillings a head, we may, 

 by adding the proceeds from them, raise our 

 poultry account to 1,000,000, or $5,000,000. 

 It is impossible to calculate the number of 

 eggs that arc consumed in the United King- 

 dom. If twenty million of the population 

 eat an egg a week, that would be ten hun- 

 dred and forty millions a year. It is known, 

 however, that during 1S83 there were im- 

 ported nine hundred and forty million four 

 hundred and thirty-six thousand one hun- 

 dred and sixty eggs, and they were worth 

 2,732,055, or five times as many dollars ; 

 and up to the end of August, 1884, six hun- 

 dred and eighty-one million six hundred and 

 eighty-three thousand and forty had been 

 received. The home hens are supposed to 

 furnish five hundred million eggs. Adding 

 these to the foreign supply, and valuing the 

 whole at a penny an egg, we have Great 

 Britain's egg bill, 6,250,000, or $31,250,- 

 000. 



