TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10955, 3 May 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

"I have seen a smiling vilA Worker's lage of prosperity and Paradise." content—a worker's para-

disc," was the commentary of a representative of the "Daily News," after visiting Messrs Cadbury's model village at Bournviile, England. We have already given some particulars of this great experiment, initiated by Mr G. Cadbury with the object of ameliorating the condition of the working classes _n and around Birmingham and elsewhere in Great Britain. The idea is to provide improved dwellings, with gardens and open spaces, and to give the people facilities, where deemed desirable, for purchasing or acquiring the necessaries of life. To this end Mr G. Cadbury has made a gift valued at from £170,000 to £180,000. The estategiven by the founder foi* tlie purpose of carrying out his wishes, consists of about 416 acres, with 439 cottages erected upon it, and t_ie description of the place, given by the visiting pressman, is thickly besprinkled with terms expressive of eulogistic appreciation. The village is, of course, near to the firm's factory, but the factory buildings are declared to be the least unpleasing group of factories the writer has ever seen. Walking from these buildings up the wide, winding road, planted with trees, toward, the settlement, th. pedestrian saw large red- brick houses, with ample gardens. These, the guide explained, were the cottages of some of the workmen who lived near the factories in case of an outbreak of fire. "Cottages, I almost blushed at the word," writes the visitor. "In the suburbs of London such dwellings would be advertised as commodious, high-class residences." Through a gateway to the left a beautiful copse was entered, with winding patlhs and sheltered seats, with rooks cawing melodiously in the lofty elms, with primroses in bloom upon the .mossy gr<ass. This was the factory girls' garden, and further on was a beautiful lawn where the girls played tennis and croquet. In the near distance was the men's recreation ground —eleven acres of grass—while in another direction was aai open air swimming bath, and in yet another a pavilion and gymnasium under course of construction. Rambling on, the visitor came to a fine old mansion standing in extensive grounds that included an orchard, kitchen gardens, vineries, greenhouses, conservatories, etc. These gardens have a special use. They provide grapes and delicacies for any of the factory hands who may (be ill. The house itself is the home jf a number of happy girls—orphans who are employed at the works and who pay a small sum for their board and lodging. In another building bright faced boys were playing bagatelle, while companions were borrowing books, reading magazines, or otherwise profitably spending their time in other parts of the building. This was the Lads' Institute. Alms houses are also there, but very few of the firm _ employees find places in them, far the old hands are all pensioned off.

The. rwriter grows quite What has been enthusiastic over tlie! Done there. dwellings provided for th_ residents in this I paradise. "Picture broad roads,' planted on either side with trees, and picture semidetached houses, all well designed, and no twx> designed ab'ke. Green doors of beautiful suo-ace; porticoes supported by massive oak, untouched by stain or varnish, simple white window casings, red bricks and rod roofs, no graining and no .tawdry tiles—these are among the positive and negative virtues of these so called 'cottages.'" Each double house is surrounded by ample space, the minimum proportion boing three parts garden to one of building sit?. At t'hio rear of every house is an orchard of apple, pear, and plum trees, e-rving the twofold purpose of larder and screen. Within a ten minutes' toddle of every houso is a children's recreation ground and gymnasium. Considerably over one-third of the houses on the estate have been sold to the occupiers at cost price cm leases for 999 years, while the remainder are let to weekly tenants. With regard to sale*, the trustees who havo the control of tho estate advance money at 3 per cent, to persons who require to borrow the full ..mount of purchase money, and tat 2J_ per cent, to persons who can themselves provide half the sum. At the present time the annual rental derived by the trustees is £5246, which, minus current e-xpensss, is applicable for building further 'houses. Thus tho estate will continue to develop automatically, until at last, the whole of the remaining two-thirds of the area is built over and laid out, by which time £15,000 will, it is anticipated, flow yearly into the coffers of the Trust. This revenue is then to be applied to the acquisition of estates elsewhere. In the course of an interview on the subject, Mr Cadbury stated that the idea of pro riding homes and recreation ,as describsd above had been a dream from his boyhood. "Persons who spend their days in a factory," he said, "and their evenings in the public house or club, are bound to deteriorate physically. . . , The main idi-a, in-deed, that underlies the trust, is the necessity for kefeping up the physique of the English raco." As to the success of tho experiment from the point of view of the worker, the position is summed up by the "Daily News" representative as follows:—"Never have I made my way among mo large a raustor iof men, women, and children—working people in the main —upon whose faces content and happiness were more legibly written." Mr Cadbury hopes to see an extension of his idea in other quarters, and all must heartily wish him success in his project.

The fortifications for the Fortifying defence of the Legations the Legations, in Pekin, which, it is stated, have just been finished, were described by Dr. Morrison, the correspondent of "The Times," as an international fortress in themselves, constructed alongside the Imperial PaJace. Tlie fact that such elaborate defensive works should have been thought necessary, speaks volumes, as Dr. Morrison points out, for the courage and alertness of the 400 marines and volunteers who -iifiiced to protect the Legations during the siege, and it shows also that the recent upheavals in China have added much to foreign respect for her strength. In the construction of the fortress the Pekin wall was breached at the water-gate, two towers have been levelled, and the ramparts giving access to these dismantled. A space has been made from 150 to 300 yards wide, swept clear round the entire. Legation area, barbed wire defences, moats, glacis, and walls have been constructed, with siege guns and Maxims, beside. barracks capable of holding 2000 troops, with equipment and stores sufficient to lust them for three months ii besieged. All public buildings, boards, and civil offices between the Legations and the Imperial w r alls were levelled, and it was reckoned that tlie station - ing oi 11,000 troops to hold the communications between Pekin and the sea would prevent all Chinese from visiting the Imperial City from that direction, without tho knowledge of the foreign military authorities. The erection of the defences is to begin at once, remarks Dr. Morrison, before the return of the Court to Pekin.' "They are no doubt devised, he adds, with a mild sarcasm, "to encourage the Court to return to Pekin, it being apparently the b-Bef of the foreign Ministers that an Imperial Court governing an independent empire are eager to place themselves under the tutelage of foreign soldiers and within the reach of foreign Maxims." It is alleged that various acts of spoilation o fland and property have occurred in making room for the defences, and others with even less excuse. Many owners who acquired land in the vicinity of the Legations some years ago, for purposes of protection, have been dispossessed without mention of compensation, and "annexations" of a quiet nature have taken place in many instahces with no other intention on the part of those making them than that of selling profitably in the future. The rapacity of the Italians, perhaps because they are least important numerically, their Legation staff consisting only of ths Minister, an attache, and a Chinese secretary, aroused the greatest indignation. They propose, reported Dr. Morrison, to appropriate the Imperial Maritime Cutoms gardens and buildings. These for many years have been occupTed by Sir Robert Hart, the staff of whose department fought so bravely in defence of the Legations. As Chinese employees, the Customs staff are compelled to live beyond the diplomatic area, but as foreigners who have taken also a distinguished part in the recent troubles, they are eminently deserving of the protection of the International Citadel. The Germans have contrived to save the remaining buildings of the Customs, and the French also have shown no ordinary ability in the art of general annexation. It is suggested that the outcome of the defence scheme which has just resulted in the completion of the Legation fortifications will be the building of similar fortresses at most of the treaty ports.