On Tuesday, the House of Commons, in Committee of Supply,
after listening to the usual stream of complaints in regard to the Ordnance Survey and its maps, passed to votes on harbours and lighthouses. In the course of the discussion Mr. A. 0. Morton declared that, if Mr. Mundella "was afraid of hearing the word ' job' used, he would not get on very well with the Radicals of the future." Mr. A. C. Morton, no doubt, meant well by the remark ; but it has an uncomfort- able, double-edged sound about it. In regard to the vote for Peterhead Harbour, there was an ugly discussion in regard to the use of convict labour. For example, though Mr. Burnie wished to see provision made for pushing on the harbours both at Peterhead and Galway, he protested against the work being done by convict labour "whilst there were thousands of honest and capable workmen unemployed." It was by no means a satisfactory sign that no one had the courage to point out the absurdity of taxing the working men to keep convicts in idle- nese when their labour might be usefully employed. The cry against the use of convict labour is simply a form of Protection.
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