After reading this I feel that the question of agricultural distress is settled. Mr. Chamberlain must, indeed, be a proud man at having obtained so much valuable information in answer to a question which, as reported, sounds familiar almost to the verge of rashness.
Can pigs be kept at a profit? This was the question which confronted the Devonport Guardians only the other day. The following extract from their proceedings will be read with breathless interest:—
Mr. H. W. Bryant moved "That the Guardians give up pig keeping, either at the house or otherwise."
Mr. Healy seconded.—Mr. Oliver supported, and said they could buy the pork cheaper than keep pigs, and that every pig they had kept cost them 1s. per lb.
Mr. J. Goodman said he was a "piggery man." (Laughter.) He liked the pig, he liked the pork, and he liked the profit that the pig brought. He was surprised to hear Mr. Oliver say that the pigs cost 1s. per lb. He said it did not cost them 2½d. per lb.
Mr. Chew pointed out that the profit on pig keeping last year in the house was £39.
Mr. Penberthy said the master entered in his books that it cost them 6d. per lb., and Mr. J. Moore maintained that they could buy pork at 4½d. per lb. The motion was lost, 8 voting for, and 18 against.
"I'm a piggery man," said Goodman, J., "though pigs are a wee bit squealy;
But I won't sit still to hear pigs denounced by Bryant and scorned by Healy.
Let those who prefer it till the fields, and see what a year's hard dig brings;
I like the pig, and I like the pork, and I like the profit the pig brings."
Then Chew, he chawed Mr. Bryant up, Mr. Healy to dust he ground, Sir;
And Moore maintained you could purchase pork at fourpence halfpenny a pound, Sir.
But the piggery men prevailed by ten, a majority quite on the big side,
Since eighteen voted for pigs that day, and eight on the anti-pig side.
BROWN AND ME.
Me and Brown has bin a having a lot of differences of opinion all about the County Counsellers, which sumhows we carnt get to agree together about em, not by no manner of means. And now, quite lately, we has been a having a lot of quarrells about the members of Parlement in the Citty, and all round about it, and, fortunetly, me and my frends has wun nearly ewery place where there has bin any think like a jolly good fight, and has now wun nearly the hole blooming lot on em! So that the poor County Counsellors has hardly got a single member of Parlement left among the whole blooming lot, and is obliged to have long rambling speeches among theirselves jest to fill up their idle time. How they can manage to keep things agoing jest while they makes their old long speeches, I carnt for the life of me make out; but I am told that they all agrees that its the only means they has of keeping up their old Charter; and altho it isnt werry much to brag about, they all agrees its sumthink better than nothink.
Lots of the poor chaps who has been acustomed to go about different parts of London a braggin about the werry great figgers they cuts, or was used to cut, afore the new changes as took place in making amost everybody members of Parlement, is now obleeged to do their werry best to keep things a going cumfertably, if possibel; but its but poor work for em, and but a werry poor change for things as was afore they was as they is.