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THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF PLUMBERS.
1547 No one can, of course, deny that expense is a major consideration in most things, but it is nevertheless regrettable that human lives should have to be sacrificed on account of a little "filthy lucre." At Amoy Dr. Yersin’s death-rate was only 7’6 per cent., or not much more than half his best results in Bombay, and nearly one-fifth of his average mortality in the latter city. The course adopted by the Indian authorities for the suppression of the plague seems to have met with Dr. Yersin’s unqualified approval, for he gives it as his opinion that precisely similar measures strictly applied would suffice with the aid of preventive inoculation for the rapid extinction of an epidemic of the disease in any French territory. With regard to prophylaxis Dr. Yersin found that a small injection of serum (ten cubic centimetres) protected a healthy person from the plague during a period of between ten and fifteen daysand that a second injection would then prolong the immune condition for the same length of time. On his return to Nhatrang the distinguished French investigator was fated to experience the truth of the proverb that misfortunes never come singly. In addition to the irreparable loss already mentioned an epidemic of anthrax had broken out among the laboratory horses, but happily the officer in charge, M. Fraimbault, proved himself capable of dealing with the emergency.
method.
THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF PLUMBERS.
SPEAKING at the recent annual banquet given by the
Worshipful Company of Plumbers at the Saddlers’ Hall the Lord Mayor (Lieutenant-Colonel H. D, Davies, M.P.) dwelt upon the grave responsibility that devolved upon the plumber in that the lives of so many of his fellow creatures depend upon the conscientious execution of his work. He also warmly supported the Plumbers Registration Bill and deplored that such a useful measure should become involved in party strife. In his reference to the opposition offered to it by trade unionism and in the remarks made later by the Lord Provost of Glasgow on the iniquity of accepting tenders for work of this nature only because they were cheap the source of much bad plumbing The Lord Provost justly held that such was revealed. tenders had proved to be the very dearest that could be got. He said : When I speak of the dearest I do not refer only to money but to human lives. There is nothing cheap in money if the lives of those we love bast and have charge of are endangered." In every trade this mania for so-called competition in order to reduce cost is invariably the parent of one or the other of two grim offspring either of which is fruitful for evil. The first is "the sweating system"; the second "modern trade unionism." The former is an attempt on the part of the employer to secure orders by reducing the cost of production, using all means to this end, legitimate or otherwise, and is prolific of untold misery. Hence come all things cheap and nasty, from jerry buildings to shoddy, slop-made clothes and rickety furniture. The hidden work of the plumber presents a favourable field for operations under this head. The latter, "modern trade unionism,"is the malignant growth of a very natural and proper combination on the part of those employed to resist such oppression and produces tyranny in its worst form, strikes, lock-outs, and increased cost of production, individual freedom and with it all real competition between the actual producers being strangled by the rules of the union. Thus the object aimed at-viz, reduction of costis ultimately defeated by the very means used for its attainment. Competition is productive only of good up to the point where individuals exercise their ability in contending to produce an improved article at the lowest possible price. It ceases to be aught but evil directly falsehood is somewhere introduced into the struggle. Ignoring its often too obvious presence will not relieve us from the
penalty attached to it. The Plumbers’ Company is certainly doing a good work. The Master, Alderman Richard Hind, himself a plumber, stated that in 1884 classes for scientific, practical, and technical instruction only amounted to 6ve’ establishments with some two hundred students. There were in 1896 two hundred classes established and over three thousand students. The meeting together of the masters’ and men in connexion with this subject of education under the auspices of the Plumbers’ Company should also do much, to promote a better understanding throughout the trade. THE DANGERS OF CHRISTENING. AT the conclusion of a series of inquests held at theSt. Pancras coroner’s court a juryman remarked that in two, of the cases children had died from pneumonia after having; been taken to church to be christened, and he thought that mothers ought to be cautioned against taking very young: children out into the cold for such a purpose. The coronersaid that he did not think that if the children were well, wrapped up taking them out would harm them, but he believed that if the parents chose the clergy would go to. the house to perform the baptism. Of course they would if they were satisfied that it was a case of emergency but otherwise private baptism is forbidden. For the matter of that lay baptism, provided that the right matter and words are used, is perfectly valid, but this again is only to be used z‘
in extreme emergencies. One improvement we might suggest is that the rubric commanding baptisms to be performed in the middle of the office of mattins or evensong should be, done away with so as to shorten the length of time that the child would be out and for the convenience of the godparents, and we would also impress upon the clergy thenecessity of having the water warmed. Baptism it is true is seldom or never administered by immersion but even when affusion is used the contact of cold water with a child’s head might injuriously affect one with an already sufficiently low power of resistance. But if sufficient careas to clothing is taken the mere conveying of the child froms the house to the church should do no harm.
THE DENTAL HOSPITAL OF LONDON. THE staff and present and
past students of this hospital
must have been gratified to be informed authoritatively 011B> the occasion of their annual dinner, which was held in the,
Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Métropole on the 4th inst., of the progress that is being made in connexion with the building of the new hospital. The site is contiguous to theold
building, which, with a deceptively large front, is in. reality utterly inadequate to the needs of both patients and’ students. The old hospital is an extremely narrow building; and affords no convenience or accommodation in accordthe increasing demands upon the energy ance with and skill of the staff or for the educational purposes of theinstitution. Mr. F. A. Bevan, one of the trustees, in his. response to the toast of "The Hospital," stated that somedelay had occurred in clearing away the vested interests in the property in the new site, but now they were within measurable distance of the commencement of building; operations. The plans of the new building showed that when finished it would be an adequate hospital and school fully equipped, and with offices and appointments thoroughly in accordance with modern advance in dentali treatment. Mr. Watson Cheyne referred to the progress which dental surgery had made and congratulated the authorities on having decided upon a step which was to giveincreased facilities to the study of the various scientific subjects such as bacteriology, metallurgy, &c., now of necessity included in the dental curriculum. The chairman, Mr. A. S. Underwood, in proposing the toast of " The Past. and Present Students," expressed the opinion that in view oi
method.
THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF PLUMBERS.
SPEAKING at the recent annual banquet given by the
Worshipful Company of Plumbers at the Saddlers’ Hall the Lord Mayor (Lieutenant-Colonel H. D, Davies, M.P.) dwelt upon the grave responsibility that devolved upon the plumber in that the lives of so many of his fellow creatures depend upon the conscientious execution of his work. He also warmly supported the Plumbers Registration Bill and deplored that such a useful measure should become involved in party strife. In his reference to the opposition offered to it by trade unionism and in the remarks made later by the Lord Provost of Glasgow on the iniquity of accepting tenders for work of this nature only because they were cheap the source of much bad plumbing The Lord Provost justly held that such was revealed. tenders had proved to be the very dearest that could be got. He said : When I speak of the dearest I do not refer only to money but to human lives. There is nothing cheap in money if the lives of those we love bast and have charge of are endangered." In every trade this mania for so-called competition in order to reduce cost is invariably the parent of one or the other of two grim offspring either of which is fruitful for evil. The first is "the sweating system"; the second "modern trade unionism." The former is an attempt on the part of the employer to secure orders by reducing the cost of production, using all means to this end, legitimate or otherwise, and is prolific of untold misery. Hence come all things cheap and nasty, from jerry buildings to shoddy, slop-made clothes and rickety furniture. The hidden work of the plumber presents a favourable field for operations under this head. The latter, "modern trade unionism,"is the malignant growth of a very natural and proper combination on the part of those employed to resist such oppression and produces tyranny in its worst form, strikes, lock-outs, and increased cost of production, individual freedom and with it all real competition between the actual producers being strangled by the rules of the union. Thus the object aimed at-viz, reduction of costis ultimately defeated by the very means used for its attainment. Competition is productive only of good up to the point where individuals exercise their ability in contending to produce an improved article at the lowest possible price. It ceases to be aught but evil directly falsehood is somewhere introduced into the struggle. Ignoring its often too obvious presence will not relieve us from the
penalty attached to it. The Plumbers’ Company is certainly doing a good work. The Master, Alderman Richard Hind, himself a plumber, stated that in 1884 classes for scientific, practical, and technical instruction only amounted to 6ve’ establishments with some two hundred students. There were in 1896 two hundred classes established and over three thousand students. The meeting together of the masters’ and men in connexion with this subject of education under the auspices of the Plumbers’ Company should also do much, to promote a better understanding throughout the trade. THE DANGERS OF CHRISTENING. AT the conclusion of a series of inquests held at theSt. Pancras coroner’s court a juryman remarked that in two, of the cases children had died from pneumonia after having; been taken to church to be christened, and he thought that mothers ought to be cautioned against taking very young: children out into the cold for such a purpose. The coronersaid that he did not think that if the children were well, wrapped up taking them out would harm them, but he believed that if the parents chose the clergy would go to. the house to perform the baptism. Of course they would if they were satisfied that it was a case of emergency but otherwise private baptism is forbidden. For the matter of that lay baptism, provided that the right matter and words are used, is perfectly valid, but this again is only to be used z‘
in extreme emergencies. One improvement we might suggest is that the rubric commanding baptisms to be performed in the middle of the office of mattins or evensong should be, done away with so as to shorten the length of time that the child would be out and for the convenience of the godparents, and we would also impress upon the clergy thenecessity of having the water warmed. Baptism it is true is seldom or never administered by immersion but even when affusion is used the contact of cold water with a child’s head might injuriously affect one with an already sufficiently low power of resistance. But if sufficient careas to clothing is taken the mere conveying of the child froms the house to the church should do no harm.
THE DENTAL HOSPITAL OF LONDON. THE staff and present and
past students of this hospital
must have been gratified to be informed authoritatively 011B> the occasion of their annual dinner, which was held in the,
Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Métropole on the 4th inst., of the progress that is being made in connexion with the building of the new hospital. The site is contiguous to theold
building, which, with a deceptively large front, is in. reality utterly inadequate to the needs of both patients and’ students. The old hospital is an extremely narrow building; and affords no convenience or accommodation in accordthe increasing demands upon the energy ance with and skill of the staff or for the educational purposes of theinstitution. Mr. F. A. Bevan, one of the trustees, in his. response to the toast of "The Hospital," stated that somedelay had occurred in clearing away the vested interests in the property in the new site, but now they were within measurable distance of the commencement of building; operations. The plans of the new building showed that when finished it would be an adequate hospital and school fully equipped, and with offices and appointments thoroughly in accordance with modern advance in dentali treatment. Mr. Watson Cheyne referred to the progress which dental surgery had made and congratulated the authorities on having decided upon a step which was to giveincreased facilities to the study of the various scientific subjects such as bacteriology, metallurgy, &c., now of necessity included in the dental curriculum. The chairman, Mr. A. S. Underwood, in proposing the toast of " The Past. and Present Students," expressed the opinion that in view oi