BY THE ENGLISH MAIL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 896, 16 August 1910, Page 8

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL

LONDON SUMMARY. NATION'S AND EXPENDI- . ~ ■ TUBE. London, July 8. Tho Budget for '1910-11, introduced in the House of Commons by Mr. Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer; is-marked by, tho fact that no relief is proposed from existing taxation. On tho other hand, no fresh imposts are introduced. The Chancellor, estimates tho revenue- and the uxpunditure for the year to be as follow:—Total estimated revenue, ,£199,791,000; total estimated expenditure, .£198,930,000; estimated surplus, ;£SGI,OOO. The only novel features in the statement were:—promise of a scheme for insurance against unemployment and invalidity, details of the project for removing the pauper disqualification for old , age pensions, the suggestion that naval oxpeudituro may be .greatly reduced the year after next, and the statement that technical education, is -tit bo placed on a permanent footing by increased Treasury grant. According to the revenue statistics for the quarter ended Juno Ml, ju'ot issued from the Treasury, thero. is-.a net increase of ,£25,688,499, as compared with the corresponding period, in 1909. Increases. are recurded under all heads save that of Customs, in "which department there is a decreaso 0f',£359,'000. In: the property and income-tax section thoro is an- increase- of ,£21,317,000, while duties on estate,'etc.,: show an increase of about one and a quarter'millions, and house duty well over a mil- , lion.' Two and a half millions were raised during the qnarter by Treasury bills for Supply, exactly half the amount so. raised-'in the. corresponding quarter of 1009, while -£20,395,000 was raised by tho issue of Exchequer bonds under /the War Loan Redemption Act. ■ . '■•..■• : •-. CANADIAN ART. The Hon. Sydney Fisher, Canadian Minister of;' Agriculture, opened an exhibition of 'jjictures by Canadian artists at the Walker Art Gallery at Liverpool. It is the first display of its kind ever seen in this country. The pictures were, sent over for the.l'estivul' of Empire' at. the Crystal Palace, which was .postponed. Mr. Fisher said .that' Canadians were beginning' an art .work which he trusted vwuld grow and , develop.' The Academy .in Canada had led to the establishment of the beginnings of a National Gallery, and as a.- memorial to Queeu Victoria the Government of Canada were making at Ottawa a:really fine museum, in .which, a, place was to be found for .the art collection of the .National Gallery. He was.glad to say,that the Parliament of Canada!had been vot T ing greater and \ greater sums, so that the people, might acquire somo of ,th« best'works'of Canadian ai-tists,. and also some of.the pictures, from;older land?.

A HERO'S TRAGIC DEATH. ■ .-''■ Tie 'Hon. Maurice' Gifford, C.M.G., a hero of the Matebeleland war, has been accidentally burned to' death while." staying at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. Hβ was cleaning his clothes with petrol, .and set himself alight through smoking a.'cigarette at the time.- Hβ served for six years as an officer in, the mercantile mariiu., acted' as galloper in the Egyptian campaign, fought in Canada during Kiel's rebellion, and'Taised and commanded a troop of horse during the Matabele campaign," aid-took part in tho relief of Alafeking. ■ 'During the Matabele .campaign he'fought five engagements in four days, arid lost his right arm... Hβ. was rewarded with:a , 'C.M;G. for. his heroic services .during tho year.:-. '■-. .',. ,'

• AUSTRALIA AND' THE CHINESE.' i At West: Hani an interesting; case arising out of tho : Chinese Immigration taws of Australia : was' heard' when (l Captain John Halliday, master- of the steamship Crown of Galicia, '■ appealed against ■ a decision of a local superintendent of. mercantile marine. It Appeared that the Crown of:Galicia, owned by Messrs; Pren,tis, Service, anid, Henderson,, of Glasgow, included in her cren'Su'Chinaineni Tho vessel-arrived iat Brisbane on November 7, 1909, and in. consequence of the Australian law as to Chinese•, immigrants watchmen were ;engaged to. prevent the Chinese: from going ashore.' One of the mop, Cha Ah Ching,' however, deserted.' The matter was reported by the Customs officials'to. the police, ..and. to release his ship tho. captain signed a. bond undertaking to pay .£IOO if the. Chinaman did not.,rejoin the ship before it left...Ho was not found, and the owners' 'agents paid ithe. .'"When .the Crown of Galicia arrived in .London.Captain Halliday, made a return of moneys due from Cha: Ah Ching's account; according to law, and included the '£100, which, however,, the superintendent "refused to allow. The magistrate decided. in favour of the. Board of Trade, but said he would give every, facility, for-an appeal.. ■''

: ■■;■ -DIAMONDS ;IN RHODESIA': . '•' ■' ■In the Court:of'Appeal the appeal , ,of the De .Beers Consolidated Mines..(Limited) ' against a judgment 'of Mr.; Justice Swinfen: Eady has been dismissed withcosts. In the court below the judge had. held ...that : a license granted by-, the British: South' Africa .Company,' giving Dβ Beers the exclusive right to mine for diamonds in their territories, -was invalid. ■' Against this decision the -De Beers Company appealed, .but the Mas-, ter of' the Rolls : and. Lords' Justices Farwell 'and Kennedy upheld the decision onthe.ground that the license fell-with-in the doctrine of a clog upon the equity of redemption, i\: ...'!■ . :

■ MILK AS' A- POISON. ANTIDOTE. .; In the report,' just issued, of the departmental' committee appointed to ,■ inquire into the dangers; attendant on the use of lead and the danger or injury to health arising from thq imahufacture ;o£ earthenware and .china,.it:is suggested that.-all'womonand' young persons .working 'on scheduled lead , processes, and commencing work before 9.0. a.m., shall .be compelled to paTtake of milk or cocoa.made with; milk, , which is.to be provided .for them. -I,t is. stated, -in support, of this '. suggestion,; that'milk is of .great value m preventing lead-poisr oning. ;'". Precautions are tecommended which;it is hoped irill greatly mitigate tie danger to women ,working in-lead' processes, but, should their hopes not be justified in this respect, the commissioners recommend all ; women under forty-five should be excluded from employment. in the , most dangerous lead processes. " ■ .

/ GUERNSEY CURRENCY KEFOEM. ■ 'An agitation...las been: started in Guernsey to bring about a change'in the currency■ in.-favour of; .Guernsey coined silver based on the face value of British silver coins. It is suggested that the present mixed currency should be exchanged for. gold to form the nucleus of a reserve' fund. It is stated that, as an appendage to the British Empire, Guernsey should be compelled to use British money, and not' French, as at -the."'present' people can. easily be cheated "even in everyday transactions; A petition is being, signed by large numbers praying the Bailiff of the Island to take such measures-as ■ trill• bring about the desired reform. . . -.\

, . "KING.'EDWABD PLACE." Mr. P.. W. Speaight,' well known foT his shire in the Marble Arch improvements, has just published X plan. foi turning Hyde Parkcorner into a site for the suggested national memorial to King Edward VII. fio proposes that the, present shape-: less meeting place of many roads should, be transformed into a large reotangular place. This, ho thinks, could be done at small cost, and its area'would be more than twice the size of Parliament Square. The centre of this place would be a suitable spot on which to erect the.King Edward VII memorial, and he further suggests that, by cutting off a very small portion of the Green 'Park at' the' top of Constitution Hill it would be possible to the' Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the east eido of the place. The> Wellington statue should bo removed to the , southern boundary of tho place.

ROMANCE OF A WJLL. : ■" A romaiitio lovo story lias jnrf lwrai revealed by tho will.of the Me Mr. I Arthur Joseph Mmibj% a barrister.' who «;as also well known as a pont and writer. and who died on January 20- If. appears from the will that he fell in loyn with I Mβ 6ervant. named Hannai Culhricls, and

married her in 1873. His wife, however, nobly resolved that she would not cause an estrangement' between him and his family, and "bus always insisted, and still insists, on being my servant as well as my wife, her ono grievance being that sho cannot be my only servant, and whereas, owing chiefly to this noble and unselfish resolve of hers, I have never been ablo 1o make, known my said marriage to my family, ot to tho world at large, and the same is known-only to her kindred and three of- my most, intimate college friends." Airs. Munby died before her 'husband: HENLEY IN' DANGER. ' ' It is stated that the authorities of Henley Eoyal Regatta hnvo had to face, such difficulties in preparation for the present race-week that . unless an alteration is made the very existence of tho premier rowing 'fixture of tho world will be threatened. The trouble lies in; the fact that all tho people who come up and line the course in their thousands this week require many people to look after, them— conservancy launches, men to open and close the gates in the' booms, and ma,ny others. But the regatta,- except for its quite small invested funds, has only the entries and the money paid for admission into the enclosure to support it. There are many expenses actually incidental to the Taring which swallow up tlie money thus received. 'Last year there was a deficit of nearly ,£l3O. ' -. . TRADE UNION- CASE SEQUEL. . A remarkable sequel is reported to tho House of Lords' decision in the case of Osborne v. the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Mr. Osborne brought the case' to prevent, the , sooiety from spending the money subscribed by members for purely, trade union purposes on supporting Socialist members of Parliament. The case went through the judicial tribunals of the-land, and finally reached the House of 'Lords. The decision absolutely justified Jlr. Osborne, and the-il-legality of the action of tho society in spending its members' money on the support of members of Parliament was finally established. The executive committee has now decided to dissolve tho branch of the society of which Mr. Osborne was secretary, and to expel him from the society. . OBITUARY. The death.ot a uumhnt of well-known men haw occurred during the last fewdays.. The obituary includes Dr. Furnivall, the well-known literary authority, famous as the'. "Grand Old Man of the Thames," probably' the oldest oarsman , in the world, who died at tho age of 85; Captain Robert Marshall, who served for three years as to Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, Governor of Natal, and a popular playwright; and Major Martin Hume, the foremost authority oh the English diplomatic history of the Elizabethan period and ancient ■ Spain.—"Standard of Empire." ...