Evening Post. SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1904. THE LOCAL THEATRES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue LXVII, 30 January 1904, Page 4

Evening Post. SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1904. THE LOCAL THEATRES.

The reports on tho local theatres which havo been presented by Superintendent Jlugo, of the Firo Brigade, t,o the City Council, and were read at its meeting on Thur&day is another proof of tho thorouglme«» and independence with which that able oflicer doea his work. We have from the first maintained that those reports bhould havo been made public properly as .soon us tho City Council wn« in po£fce«siou of them, on the ground thut the case was one of great puulic importance and pressing urgency, and also ono on which it was imperative to concentrate immediate public attention. We are .still of this opinion, for certainly these v\.uy important documents would have found tho public mind inoro receptive two or lluve we^ks ago than it ie now. But, though tho goner a 1 cense of insecurity which was aroused by tho terrible file in Chicago has to some extent worn off with the lapse of time, Iho report* are of a kind to appeal now, or at any time, to tho most indifferent. Both the Mayor and the Council appear inclined to act with praiseworthy vigour in carrying out the Superintendent's recommendations, and we trtu»t that there may be no fclackening of their good intentions, but that they may end as they have begun. .Ve&ted interests aro always formidable oppononla to tackle; their concentration and alertness give them an enormous advantage over a public interest which may be of vastly greater importance, but is commonly too diffused to exercise a power proportioned to its size. The comparative weakness of the public in such a strugglo only makes it tho more incumbent on those- who occupy positions of public trust and responsibility to bs the more unflinching in the discharge of their duties, mid the Corporation in showing that in this case, at any rate, it realises tho gravity of the position and the necessity for something more drastic than good intentions. The comfort, tho safety, the very lives of hundreds of our citizen's may bo imperilled if Councillors yield to the great pressure which interested parties aro likely to bring to bear upon them ; but their duty is very plain. They have overy confidence in their officer, and they know that ho speaks tho truth, and they should carry out the suggestions that he hns made If the Mayor of Chicago has to face- a charge of manslaughter for failing to inform himself of tho dangers of the Iroquois Theatre, what would be the legal and moral position of a Council which, with full information before it, deliberately shut its eyes aiid folded its hands !

At tho time of writing there is, unfortunately, no continual ion of tho state nient of iho New York Herald's correspondent at Port Arthur, thut Admiral Alexiell had bsuii instructed, to grunt Japan's dvmands. On the coutrar, it Mould appeal ibnt a sptcial Minmt.f.l Council held to endeavour to find a pacific solution would not piesunt ltd repoit to the Tsar until yesterday, and it can hardly be supposed that His Majesty would act in such a mutter without consulting his Ministers. It is agaiu reported, from two independent source*, llut Uusw\ ub Bolutely iolusos to acknow.edge Chinese sovereignty iv Manchuria, the point on which Japan moht stiongly iusibts. Preparations for a stnigglu continue with uctivitv on both sides. CoAsiicks are concentrating on tho Korean frontier, which in tuiid to havo buou crossed hf a lius fcjan military paity. Should this move coirect, Japaucec troops will doubtless bo landed in Korea in time to prevent any advance upon the capital. The Pekin Government, which desires to remain neutral if war breaks out, has instructed its commander nt Mukden not to allow native carts to be requisitioned by tho Russians for military purposes. Such nn instruction, however, is not likely to havo much weight unless backed by force. Telegraphic communication is being es. tabiishud between Port Arthur ond the mouth of the Yalu River, along which the Russian troops are gathering. The Japanese Government in ruining in its own money markets a loau of ten millions sterling, the, success oi which is said to \>t a?»uroil. By recasting its taxation measures and suspending public works,- the Tokio Government expects to increase its rovenuo by eight mi'.lious a year, which is to bo devoted to paying interest on war loans. Both Rus&iau and Japanese stocks havo fallen on the London Exchange, showing that the outlook is there regarded as unpromising.

Wonderful arc the ways of the British War Office! That businesslike. Department is prepared to gorusulcr offers for 1050 or 2100 tons of outeu hay, to bo delivered at Port Elizabeth or Durban, to be whipped not later than 14th February. This ut ahno&t on a par for idiocy with 'the impossible invitation to th© colony U> supply meat during the war. The Premier indulged in some plain talk on the fiubjfct ou that occasion, and he may well "let himself go" and "make hay" of this In test proposition. What hope is thero for the farmers to Aupply this demand at little more than a fortnight'e notice, nnd even if they could, what certainty is thero of being able to ship before 14lh Fobruary? The Norfolk is advertised for "parly" In tho coming month, from which it may be assumed tluit the dato of her departure, is uncertain. It may, of course, linppon that some speculative ' middleman" has the hay ready and knows that ho can comply with tho conditions. In such event it would bo interesting to know the difference in prices received by tho producer and paid by the War Office. It is said that it is sometimes passible to "get in on tho ground floor" in a War Office contract as in a mining venture.