LONDON CHAT.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13098, 24 April 1908, Page 8

LONDON CHAT.

(FROM OUB OWN" CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON. Alarch 13.

Much sa-t is faction is expressed at rhq announcement of the coming vi=it to Fnigland of the President of t:ie_ French Republic, aeeomparcied by Madame Fa.llr..rc_>, in connection with the opening of the Anglo-French Exhibition a-t Shepherd; Bush some time in May, the date for which ceremony has not yet been definite!v fixed. The visit will be oiu. of State, and will extend over several days, in the course of which the President will bo e-i!'t©f-t-ained by the Corporation of the City of London at the Guildhall and be made the recipient of an address of welcome enclosed in a geld casket. Itis understood that King Edward in-v.-ted the French President to come to London when he was in Paris last week on his way to Biarritz.

Tho visit to the Exhibition wii'l Im> hilly Suite, aud u.rraiv_t,<.nu~!i-t_» tor the ri-ev-ption of the King and President are now, it is understood, heing inaae by the Duke of -Argyll, who ii> honorary President of tne Ex.hib.tion. A special Royal Pavilion is to be erected, and not-Vii-g w;.d bo left undone to invent the Oceanian with the dignity befitting its and t>i-_'nili- < a-.ee. During their stay ia Lc_:don t,!u> French President and his wife will occupy York House, St. James's Palace, the date and lull dcU-.i... cf the visit are to he tentatively arranged and submitted for the King's approval by the tinv> of his Majesty's return from abroad. „

SPEED OF TRAMS. After travelling 30,000 miles Li 90 darvs with the object- of studying tho tramway systems of other countries. Sir "Clifton" I lob in.? on, the managing director of the London United Electric Tramway.., returned to Loudon this week. " From a bulky portfolio of

''impressions'' ho ha.-*, evolved three concrete fcicU w-hJth apply directly to London's tramways. These he has tabulated as fellows: — (1) Our tramway cars d«> not travel fast enough; (:_." the "double-deck" tramway-ear is the-cause of much lost- time; (3) the volume of traffic at "rush'' hours could bo handled more s.r.cdv..-u"iiTly were the authorities to remove the present restrictions regarding overcrowding. "In American cities.'' observed Sir -Criifton Robinson. "I saw tramway cars speeding along tho streets at the rate of thirty miles an Jiour. Even in TokTfc, where the congestion in the thoroughfares is worse than in London, they run at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour. In London, considering the powerful electric brakes with which the tramwayears aro now equipped, a speed of twenty miles an hour should bo perfectly safe. To impose a limit of from six to twelve miles an hour seems like harnessing an elephant to a wheelbarrow.'' As regards 'double-deck tramway-cars,"' he added, "scarcely a city outside Great Britain favours such a type. The argument against them is that much time is lest at each halt-ing-place in waiting for passengers on tho top deck to dismount. The ideal pattern, as employed in the great cities of foreign countries, ii> a long, low vehicle, easy both to enter and leave, and with no 'top-deck' at all. Owing to the rapidity with which such tram-way-cars may be handled, it is possible fo run msro of them without fear ot congestion." It remains to be seen whether tho views of this authority will find adoption in I_ondon.

MARTYRS TO SCIENCE. Three heroes in the cause of humanity are at the present time working at tho London Hospital. Tho recent case of Dr. Hall Edwards, of Birmingham, who as the result of his X-ray investigations had to have his arm amputated recently, has drawn attention to three other men who are working m tho Metropolis. Tlie London Hospital was .a pioneer in the enterprise of treating disease by the use of X-rays. During the eleven years its radiographic department has been in operation, hundreds of poor sufferers havo been cured or their cases havo lieen alleviated. In this department are Mr Harnack, Mr Wilson, and Mr Blackball, acting under the direction of the doctors; to-day each of the tihrec is suffering as a result from X-ray derma-titis—-np~incurable disease. The hands of Mr Wilson and Mr Blackball aro said to be coated from the nails to the ki.UK.k_es' with dried cancerous ulcers, which are steadily eating away tho hands and sprendi-nig up the arms. Mr Wilson has recently lost one finger, and another is threatened. ?«lr Blackball, whoso arm is in a sling jus the result of an operation only a few days ago. is, if anything, in a worso state than his colleague. Asked why ho did not take a holiday. ?rlr Black-hall replied :— ;"I really cannot; I have cases of poor sufferers from lupus, rodent ulcers, and cancerous cases, and I am booked up to January next." Such k the spirit which animates these workers for j humanity. Facing and fighting death, they are patiently plodding alike in the interests of science and the public good.

THE SOOTT-BERESFORD INCIDENT. Tho action of Admiral Sir Percy Scott in making tho famous signal about paint work being more important than gunnery, for which he was re-l-roved by Lord Charles Rcrosford, was made the subject of a'question in tho House this week. One M.P. asked for the production of the correspondence between the Admirals and the Admiralty, and also he wanted to know what official action had been taken. Mr George Lambert, the Civil Lord, replied as follows:—''The Admiralty would deprecate publishing official correspondence relating to the discipline of tho fleet, but I am authorised to say that they directed the Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet to convey to the Rear-Admirai commanding the First Cruiser Squadron an expression of thoir Lordships' grave disapprobation of his signal to the Roxburgh on November 4th last.'' This reply sets at rest the ever-recurring rumours go assiduously fostered by certain people that the Admiralty had censured Lord Charles Reresford for having reproved RearAdmiral Scott on hi.i quarter-deck. It will bo noted from the reply that, on the contrary. I_ord Charles Bcrcsford has been directed to inform Sir Percy Seott of the Admiralty's disapprobation of tbo signal which was objected to by Lord Charles. It is understood that an. Admiralty memorandum on. the incident has been ordered to be read by captains of his Majesty's ships to all officers. This document states that the Sea Lords have fully and completely considcred the incident, and that they hold Lord Charles Bero.ford entirely justified in every step he took. It is said to conclude with a statement that Sir Percy Scott's signal fully merited the description betov.ed upon it by Lord Charles Beresford in his general report. "Contemptuous in tone, and insubordinate in character."

OBITUARY. From varying causes, the obituarylist this week is a lengthy one, and contains a number of well-known naraej. One of tho vieti-iis of influenza was Sir Lepel Henry Griffin, a famous Indian administrator who had held many positions of importance under tho British Crown. Much rejret has been expressed at th. dejith ot Mr H. L. BLsehofTsheim. a tinnncier of v.*or!d-wiue rer.own. who quite recently celebrated his golden wed<Hng by giving £i__ OCO to charities. From his oftiee-s in Throgmorto.i <itr«.M.-r many iinjiortiiiit tra'nsuc-ti')ii.-_ have been carried out. In addition

to his manv.charitable gifts, tho late! Mr Bischoii'ehein. fou.tded and main- j taincd the Metropolitan Ambulance j Service, which beais his name, ai_U | tlie Daneswood Sanatorium for L'on- \ sumptives was the joint gift of him- ! seii and his wife. A man who earned for himself an imperishable name was the Rev. Benjamin Waugh. whoso death wn.* announced last night. Ho was the founder of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children —a society now held in dread by thousands of unnatural parents. Air Waugh- who was G9 years of ago, had been in failing health for somo time, and his end was *rot unexpected. He itsigned the directorship of the society two years ago, and became con-lilting director. In the course cf an interview some considerable time a.go. Mr Waugh declared: "We find that there is more cruelty in the country than in towDs. ard cruelty of tho worst kind. In town* thero is more brutality, in the country Jnore wilful starvation. And starvation Ls worse than brutality. A child is strangled in six second;: it takes six weeks of agony to .starve it gradually to death.'' For five years lie travelled about Great Britain collecting and classifying facte; then he submitted them to Parliament, and the Bill embodying hi., recoiuinen-d.i-tions became in duo course an Act. The granting of a Royal Charter to the Society thou-ed tlie estimation in which the late Queen held this work of mercy, and it woukl be difficult to-day to find anyone who disagrees in any way with its objects, although so lately as 183-1 there were still some benighted individuals who considered thai Air Waugh's methods themselves needed reform! Air Waugh was a great devotee of the cigarette habit, and he used whimsically to -say that lie was assured tobacco was one of the greatest aids io his Society. "Some time ago." he used to relate, " we put a cruel father into prison. At the end of Fix month* he said, I will feed my children until they burst l-cfoie I run another chance of going to prison, and having to go to bed without mv pip-e!'' Tho growth cf tho Institution has been constant and steady, it began twenty-four years ago with offices at a small house in Bioomsburv. with only one inspector, and he was'the husband of the matron. To-day the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is housed in large premises in Leicester square, acquired at a cost of £30,000, to which Mr W. W. Aster gave £10.p1.<). It employs 200 inspectors, and has more than a thousand branches in the United Kingdom. During 190o(i tho .Society dealt with 38,70.5 cases ot cruelty, involving the welfare of 108.22,5 children, and instituted 2199 piosoenticns. it has an income of upwards of £70,000.