OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1204, 29 March 1895, Page 31

OUR ENGLISH LETTER.

LORD HERSCHELL AND JUDGE VAUGHAN WILLIAMS. London, February 9. The strange case of Mr Justice Vaughan Williams ended in the House of Lords on Tuesday evening, when Lord Herschell, ■with a passionate vehemence most uncalled for, defended himself against charges of corruption, which neither friends nor enemies had advanced against him. The suspicion was not that the Lord Chancellor from interested motives wished to shelve Vaughan Williams, but that he conscientiously disapproved the Judge's methods, and thought he would be better employed elsewhere. As the public took a different view of the situation they determined Lord Herschell should retain the obnoxious Judge ; and retained he will be. The Lord Chancellor's defence of his " Aristidean virtue " really partook of the nature of a red herring which was drawn across the trail in the hope of obscuring sundry uncomfortable (not to say damaging) admissions. These were as follow : " The expediency of a more permanent transfer of winding-up cases has been under consideration. " I had confidential communications with Mr Justice Vaughan Williams and Mr Justice Romer, but beyond this nothing was done. The change was not definitely determined on, whilst the reasons in its f avour seemed to me, and still seem, to be weighty. I was not unconscious that there were grave arguments on the other side, and before the present controversy arose, and the present articles weie written, and these attacks were made, I had determined, and communicated that tion to my secretary, to leave matters as they were." At an early stage of this controversy some of the papers expressed regret that the Chancellor did not publish a statement saying that Mr Justice Vaughan Williams' removal had never been contemplated. We know now why the challenge was not accepted. The statement was not made, because the learned Judge's removal had been contemplated. The Chancellor decided against it, he says, before the recent discussion, and communicated the fact to his secretary. But as he did not communicate it to the ptiblic or to the press he has nobody but himself to blame

for the anxiety which the public and the press manifested on the subject. However, all's well that ends weil; and the present agitation will at any rate prevent the removal of Mr Justice Vaughan Williams being contemplated again for some time to come.

Lord Herschell also admitted conferences with Judge Williams anent the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company, but denied the " friction" and the alleged " incriminatory correspondence," which he says_ does not exist. Well, as to the possibility of friction, one knows there are often two opinions about such matters. What is a "prize fight" to one man is "a friendly scrap" to another. Judge Williams, I gather from his friends, thought he and the Chancellor differed somewhat seriously. On dit indeed there were what the lower classes call " words " between the dignitaries. Lord Hershell pooh-poohs whatever it was occurred, but Judge Williams has not so far said a single word in confirmation of his chief. The silence is rightly considered most significant. TRADE UNIONS FOR WOMEN. Side by side with an agitation among the German fraus for the suffrage, we read o£ the formation of a Woman's Trade Council at Manchester, which is supported by the Bishop of Manchester and several other clergymen and members of Parliament. It is said that the work of many women in that city, as well as in London, is miserably remunerated, and women workers have been so long without any organisation for mutual support and combined action that the formation of this, union will no doubt be watched with keen interest. NATIONAL UNION OP CLERKS. The trades unions in Australia and New Zealand being almost exclusively confined to artisans and labourers, it will come as a surprise to ma ay of your readers to learn that London can boast of a very strong, numerically as well as financially, union, of clerks. The other day the~e was a wellattended meeting of members of this union who decided to take action against the comparatively low rate of wages paid to clerks in some of the leading clubs. The minimum proposed is 35s a week. THREATENED CAB STRIKE. There seems to be some prospect of a renewal of the struggle between the cab proprietors and the drivers about next April. The men accuse their employers with a dasign to deprive the men of th© advantage they secured by the last strike, and which the men contend are insufficient. Like Oliver, they intend to ask for more, and if this is not conceded, to again .go. out on strike. The award given by the Home Secretary at the close of last year's cab strike is subject to revision next April at the wish of either side, and it is said that the masters are already arranging a combination to revert to the old terms; The Cabdrivers' Union is said to have plenty of the sinews of war. PINES ON SHOP ASSISTANTS. The question of the legality of fines imposed by employers on shop assistants for late arrival or other '. delinquencies was raised the other day before Judge French. A shop assistant, during a period of two years' service, had been mulct in fines altogether amounting to 335, for the recovery of which he now sued. It transpired in Court that he had never signed any printed rules nor time-books, the latter: having been entered up by the commissionaire, who was not present in Court. Defendant's counsel asked for an adjournment, with a view to producing him to prove that the shop assistant had tacitly consented to the deductions, but .the Judge refused this, peremptorily, and gave judgment for the, plaintiff with costs.