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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4479, 14 May 1883, Page 3

Mr Labouchere, in the March Fortnightly, thus writes about the House of Lords; This branch of the Legislature is composed of hereditary landowners who collectively own 14,258,257 acres of land, and whose collective incomes are about £15,000,000. They have persistently opposed, so far as they, dared, every measure of reform brought forward during the present century, and more especially pvery measure that has militated against their own class interests. When a Conservative M inistry is in power they are useless, when a Liberal Ministry is in power they are actively pernicious. Not withstanding their wealth they are not independent. They are place hunters, they are clamorous for decorations, and they dip heavily into the public exchequer. In pay, pensions, and salaries, they annually divide among themselves (in eluding the salaries of the bishops) £631,336 per annum. "The Vagabond" is wise in his generation. Before the newspapers of New Zealand said anything of him, he said of them :—" In news, literary matter, and the courage of their opinions, they were far ahead of the newspapers in New South Wales." The young man who drinketh too copiously of firewater and tries to " run a town," will surely come to grief, when in the fulness of time he hath everlastingly hammered the stubborn limestone.