LONDON GOSSIP.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 15, 19 January 1910, Page 3

LONDON GOSSIP.

NEWS AND NOTES. [fhom oub own correspondent.] LONDON, 10th December. GROWTH OF THE SALVATION AEMY "General" Booth has appointed "Colonel" and Mrs. Lindsay to command the pioneer party of the Salvationists who early in the New Year will begin the work of tho Salvation Army in China. "Colonel" Lindsay will make his headquarters at Chefoo. A SUCCESSFUL BAZAAR. As the result of last week's two days' Picture Tableaux Bazaar held at Covent Lrarden Opera House, the organisers have been able to hand over to the Girls' JbCealm Guild the sum of £1500. The highest total previously handed over to "l c fcrus t find after a bazaar had been ±-041. This year's great success should be extremely gratifying to all workers and contributors in various parts of the world, including those in New Zealand. COLONIES AND SECOND , CHAMBERS. Speaking at Hackney recently, Sir Gilbert Parker, M.P., said that it was a startling thing to find Lord Crewe, the Secretary for the Colonies, seeking to drag the oversea dominions into our political and partisan conflicts. Mr. Ure had said that if the country supported the second Chamber in the action they had taken we should lose our colonies, for they would no longer have any respect for us. Lord Crewe, in despair no doubt for weapons, said that the colonies would ask if we were fitted to exercise responsible government. Sir Gilbert quoted instances where colonial second Chambers had insisted upon their right to act independently whenever questions of policy were mixed up with finance, and said that Lord Crewe and Mr. Ufe would do well to leave the oversea, dominions out of their appeals for partisan sympathy. THE BATTERSEA BROWN DOG. The great Monument of London, which the average tourist makes a point of climbing, is the only object of its kind which has given great offence to a section of the community by roason of its inscription. Some years ago the antivivisectiomste, then at a climax of fervour m defence of animals against vivisections, erected a monument in Battersea, to mark their disgust at the practice and at the same time to commemorate one of the victims, a brown dog. Ever smco the statue has been a source of trouble to the police and the Battersea Borough Council. It is the scene of frequent demonstrations of protest on the part of the vivisectionists and their opponents, and has once or twice been damaged. During the last few years police protection for the Brown Do°statue has cost the borough something like £700, and the councillors are beginning to feel tired. A committee has now been set up to see if it is not possible to alter ,the inscription to make it less offensive to the vivisectionist party. BRITISH EMPIRE LEAGUE. The Lord Mayor presided at the. twelfth annual general meeting of the British Empire League, which was held yesterday at the Guildhall. The Duk of Devonshire (president) was there and others present included : Lord Aye bury, Sir Westby Perceval, and Sir E Montagu© Nelson. The Duke of Devonshire reported an encouraging year o work, and was glad to say that thi British Empire Club building would bi opened in January. The league wishec ; every possible success to the Union o South Africa. As time went on thej looked forward to a great system oJ Imperial defence for the Empire as i whole. While he hoped the leagiu would always be conducted on non-partj lines, he could not help thinking, when those who were strong party politicians were able to meet together under tht auspices and guidance of that league, that it was doing something to mitigate the bitterness and severity of party political warfare. STEAMERS FOR ARGENTINE MEAT Messrs. Birt, Potter, and Hughes havo let contracts for the building of six new and superior steanjers for the Argentine meat trade. Three each will be built by Messrs. D. and W. Henderson, of Glasgow, and the Grangemouth Company, of Greenock. r BOY SCOUTS' DISSENSIONS. There is prospect of trouble in the Boy Scouts' movement. Sir Francis \ane, who was one of the originators, has been asked to resign the position of Commissioner for London. The document apprising Sir Frsmcis of the fact emanated from the headquarters in Vic-toria-street, /and bore the stamped signature of the Chief Scout Lieut.-Gen-eral Sir R. Baden-Powell. No reason was given for this decision, and the proceeding is greatly resented by Sir Francis. It appears that the latter objects to the organisation becoming a "one man show," and being run on autocratic lines. He wishes to make the Boy Scout movement more democratic. Friction has ensued, and the scout mas- 1 ters and district secretaries are now being appealed to. SCOTTISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. An appeal is being made to the Imperial Treasury for funds to complete the publication of "The Scientific Reports of tho Voyage of th*» Scotia." The Committee of the Scottish National Antarctic expeditions organised in England have received Government grante, while that, organised in Scotland lias received no Government help. To Scotland's credit it has to be said that the public response was such that three of the scientific volumes have, been published. This has been done through the munificent contribution of £25,000 by Mr. J. Coats, jun., of Paisley, and £7000 by Major Andrew Coats, D.5.0., and great sacrifice on the part of Dr. W. S. Bruce and his personal friends. The appeal is being supported in influential quarters, and it is likely that Scottish Antarctic enterprise will be placed on somewhat the same footing as English Antarctic enterprise. ENGLISH FARMERS AND FROZEN MEAT. A meeting of the General Council of the National Farmers' Union was held in London yesterday, when good report aras made of the progress achieved since last year, when the union was founded is an organisation for the purpose of watching over and defending matters affecting farmers. A discussion on the sale of foreign meat at the prices of the Home-grown produce revealed a strong desire that means should be idopted to stop this fraud on the public and the handicapping of the British farmer by its perpetration, one Kentish farmer saying that he knew of one case in which a butcher dressed his windows with Downs and crossbreds showing a bit of black, and sold inside at top quotations New Zealand lamb and mutton which cost him only a few pence per pound. Other matters of grievance were the insufficient protection against the raiding of lands for mushrooms, blackberries, and other "wild" products which belonged to the farmer, and the deplorable robbing of the nest of the green plover, shown to be one of the best friends of the agriculturist.