PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES FROM LONDON

Evening Star, Issue 11696, 30 September 1902, Page 2

PERSONAL AND GENERAL NOTES FROM LONDON

[From Otna Steciaj. Corrj

August 22. Though we are not yet quite 'dear of the Coronation aftermath, and the Shah has come, to rfisrhtly prolong the agony, London is already assuming '** normal August aspect which the society journals dub " l'.nvptv." The worker in Fleet street is no:, I mav remark, apt to notice the emptiness. ' but* he is well aware that the dull season in jonrnolism has commenced, for the leading daily papers have-already thrown open the preserves of their columns to " Pro Bnr.o Publico," " Outsiders," " Married Men." and "Mothers of sixm" ior fhe dis- ** enssion at awesome length of such vital problems as "Should woman work?" '"Are men brutes V " Do babies require teething r.ngs?'" " The ethics of sermon-borrowing." The sight of these things fills one with joy, ■tor it means that the time is at hand when i he pn>pexiy-constiru't*d London correspondent mav without fear of the cdnsequences contemplate a fortnight's comparative re*t by the sad sea waves or among the hills and heather. A wwek hence nearly all our Coronation visitors will by well clear of these shores, .md tho sayings' and doings will cease to be of interest to those who have ha.l to chronicle them- these weeks past. The Law Courts are shut, so that neither " spicy" scandals nor big oammereial cases can be ventilated, and will lie uo great- social functions whereon io dilate. The task of the London corresjxmdent of late has been to keep pace in "ills literary brickmaking with the material v.:mz .«. his bead ho lavishly. Presently 1.. i will find himself in the position of the 1 .-.raelites of old. But- though his task may seeru thereby to be made the harder, I i an assure you that the fraternity will gladly welcome the change. The King, it is now clear, has taken no h;irm from his Coronation exertions, and indeed the latest Teports from Cowes would seem to indicate that His Majesty is rapidly approaching a state of health: bordering as nearly on the " robust" as one can expect in a "mac of his years. The fear that a second operation would prove to be necessary seems to have quite died away, and the" would-be-dolefuls who breathed "cancer" whenever the- King's! illness was mentioned, have apparently reluctantly tome to t.he conclusion that the great surgeons and doctors attendant on the Royal patient actually told the whole truth concerning -'. he growth which incapacitated His Majesty. At all events cue hears little gossip savoring of grave doubt upon the point now. The e-.iiy question asked, indeed, at the present rime is whetlier the King is not attempting to do more than- he. should in view of the limited time that has elapsed since his recovery from the oper.ition. Certainly Coronation Day and the davs ensuing cont .lined lor him "what seemed a largo amount of physical exertion unless his condition was .•iiii-idenuyy more advanced than the public j supposed, 'but during this week, save for en- j u-rrain-ing the Shah for an hour or so, he! k;w had almost- complete rest, and with then social world at rest there is little fear that | the King may be tempted to "overdo" it. Apropos of that splendidly-bejewelled j KiisTiirii potentate's visit, to the King last j Wednesday, it is perhaps worth recording thai in deference to the Shah's wishes the I London and Brighton Railway officials scheduled his " special" to cover the eighty-ei-,4tt and a-haif miles from Victoiia to Porusmonlh at. the rate of thirty-five miles an hour. The appalling j--peed was neaxiy attained. bux when, nearing Epsom the guard j and driver were startled by the ringing of the commtmicatioti bell. The train was .-Topped with ail haste, and the driver learned, niueh to his amusement, that the ! distinguished traveller objected to the excessive speed at which he was being whirled ulon". Consequently the train went ahead at a reduced rate, and made Portsmouth twenty minotes after schedule time. Before returning the Shah besought the officials to extend the journey home by a quarter of an hour. This was arranged, hat ere the train had sped a couple of miles Victoriawards the bell again rung, and once more the command to go slower came from the Shah. In the end the jooroey was made in .. little over two hours.and a-half. Two celebrities are left this week to prevent tw front sinking into a state of post coronation co-ma —Mr Seddon and the Shah. We can oni.tie the latter with waxworks and pom-pc.ins. phonographs and performing 'mt -here is nothing we can teach the n>rmi i'. So at It-ait he told the representative of the 'Leeds Mercury," who, tiiinkin_' -h-ii-t the tune ha.d come to talj; of many things, asked: " Have you learned anything during your visit to this country which uii.y he. useful to the people of Now Zealand?"" " Nothing at all" was the prompt ;utd somewhat disconcerting answer. '• There is very little we have to learn." New Zeaianders are very food of expatiating on the ignorance of the dear old Mother Countrv about the colony. The 'Leeds Me.rcurV ' turns the tables and says : —" Mr Seddon" appears to have ecane amongst as with somewhat hazy impressions aboot the population of Leeds, and about the way in which it 'duds employment. Though a visit c: ii. tew horns is barely sufficient to exhaust ail nf consequence and interest that Leeds ]■:■< to show to the visitor from New Zea--1 n-.1. vet we may hope that Mr Seddon ■ (.•■ii awav a little wiser than when ha arrive!. He has been so liberal with his adx i- e as to the necessity for waking op in tie Oh! Country that it is to be regretted u.'i he had not a good deal more time to , : ~,» in cwne of the great manufacturing .-ci.: res. The streets of Leeds are un-lieeiv-eulv a great deal narrower than they mi-hc to be. but during a longer stay Mr Seddon would have learnt that the trade of Leeds is a great deal wider than he evidently has any knowledge of." •• The" Shadow of God." " The Centre of the Universe." "The Will of Science." and " The Footpath of Heaven." These are titles to which even Mr Seddon does not aspire, and their possessor, the Shah-in-Sluh, or King of Kings, the people were quite prepared to find a very austere, impassive Oriental. But he has rather surprised us by his affability and amiable good humor. -Arriving from "Dover on Monday night, he pnt up at Marlborough House, and was banqueted at Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales presiding. Ou Tuesday he began his signt-seeing by a visit to "Madame Tnssaud's. strolling about freely tmiontr the many visitors. He asked to set his father's portrait, but bad to be told that it had been destroyed by fire. Whether this was so. or whether the waxen image nf the Shah had been consigned to the dust heaxj aa a back number I know not. But then the counterfeit presentment of the present mler tickled him immensely, and he made some Persian joke, at which iv,-> Vizier and staff laughed heartily. In the evening the Prince of Wales and Prinee Arthur of Connaught took him to the Empire. " Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither," the Shah's gravo expression seemed to say, but a canine clown set bim langhing heartily. On Wednesday the Sbuh went to Portsmouth, and lunched with the King ou board the Victoria and Albert. The King invested hitn with the G.C.M.G.. the Queen '"snapshotted" him, and he seemed to be quite loth to leave tbem. lingering chatting to the King after they had shaken hands. But he. seemed to enjoy hia visit to Maxim's as much as any of the entertainments offered hini. He had the working of the pom-pom explained <o him. and handled the weapon himself. He fired off a Maxim gun, saw' the manufacture of ireandescent electrical lamps, and spoke a few words into a phonograph. The repetition of these caused both the Shah and Sir Hiiam much merriment. The latter laughed hoistarously and clapped his hands, then naively apologised by saying he was not much accustomed to the presence of Royalty. Sir Hiram himself spoke into the phonograph, but his voice did not reproduce very loudly. "His guus speak for him:" remarked the Shah, neatly. A luncheon at the Persian Embassy, a visit to Westminster Abbey, and a night at- the Hippodrome completed the Shah's sightseeing for the day. Yesterday he reviewed the Artillery at Woolwich, and inspected the Royal ArsenalMr Seddon's speech at the fallow Chandlers" luncheon protesting against, the hospitality to the Bow genwalajn Kftghwd has evoked a eorrespondeßca which is helping to fill up the columns of the ' Standard' daring the sillv season. Mr W. "S. Willis, M.L.A.. of Ji'tv South Wales, led off by declaring that Mr, Stjddun's speech wt*s

wanting in taste, as a guest has no bnainent to question this tight of b« host to- invite other gn&ts, that he had no mandate io apeak for Australians, who applauded Mr Chamberlain's tact in inviting General Mwer to the Coronation, and there was no valid reason why the sam« friendly treatment should not bo extended to the Boers as the New inlanders'themselves extended to the Maoris. "Nisi," a New Zealander, takes up the cudgels for Mr Seddon, and says': " Eteryone of my countrymen and women, and every Irooper that I know over here support our Premier in what he said. Before the ordinary days of mourning for our brave dear lads is over, to witness the cheering of yesterday's welcome to tlie'Boer generals, and the ridiculous adulation lavished on them, mafic me blush and turn hot- to the fmacr-tips." "Nisi" quotes a letter received from b'outh Africa: "To a j very great extent the saying ' Better be a Boer than Briton has come very true; I everything they ask Ihey get, now, and some of the finest billets have been given I to fellows who have shot us down undeT the"white flag." Various other writers have intervened in the controversy without adding miy words of weight. .'Thinking people, while fully approving hospitality being shown to the Boer generals by the King and by responsible statesmen, deprecate the somewhat too ecstatic reception accorded tbem by the mob. But the generous and chivalrous impulse that led the people to cheer the Bopr leaders has not been misunderstood on the Continent, where it has served as a most effective corrective to the impressions of our brutality Spread by the Ley dawn Press. The danger I is, of course, that of our failing to be just to our rwn people, while being generous to our late enemies. The recent decision of the Supreme Coart on the question of mining licenses is a glaring instance of absurd injustice. The Courts are administering the law of the late Republic wherever it has not been finally repeated. It thus comes about that Boers who fought in tinwar can claim exemption from payment of mining licenses to the Government for the period they weu> on commando, secured to them by the gold law of 1896. while those wlio were British subjects prior to the war are legally compelled not onlv io pay all arrears, but a fine of 25 per cent." Immediate legislation is ealled for. The summer's days were waning fast, As through Great Britain swiftly passed '"King Dick," who, both in sun and rain. Kept londlv shouting this refrain : "Wake up!"

A "Lancashire Lad" sends me this, little | vorao, which he toys aptly describes your J Premier's progress 'in tho "North. But let me trace thisi process mores hi detail. On Saturday Mr" Seddon. Miss Seddon. and Miss May Seddon witnessed the naval review from the Nigeria, together with- the various celebrities. Mrs Seddo,n stayed at Southampton with some of Major-gonert'l Babington's relations, ;md witnessed tho illuminations from the Portsdo-wn Hills. The family party returned together on Monday, .ind that d;ty was spent in preparing for their departure. On Tuesdav mumhi-f together with Mr F. D. Thomson tJx>v left by tho quarttr to tea trait; for Hull. Jt drizzled ail day at thfl pott, but Mr Scrldotj received a cordhil welcome from the mayor and citkens. He was driven through the st-reetji. which w-ere decorated for the occasion with bunting, to tho Hull Exchange. Here he was weleametl by the presidoi-n, who expressed tl>? hop« "that some effort would l>e male to develop a trade between the grain-iniiporting centre of Hull and tl-H colony. Mr Seddim, who was loudly cheered, said he wisliej thitt- the colonial Pre-i-tiers cculd have t-f-m more of the United KiuA dom outside, tht metropolis. Aieer referring to the link between Hull and Now Zealand, in tho person of Sir John Hall, he regretted that there w.-is not moob direct trade between Neu- Zeti'aJid and Hull; but if they would ltitiko r. start and send soino of tlieir lir.ein down to New Zealand he did not se-e why ti trade should not be established. He ;«rVoe»ted. assistaitce by the Imperial CrtA-enunait to ]>eople desiring to settle in t.'ie linpire. which ought to be self-con-tained. A vote of thituks to Mr Seddon wa> i-ir-ried with nmsicai iionors, and then he was taken for a. tour round the docks and to Messrs Reckitts's works. In the evening he was the principal guest of the Mayor at a CVuonation bancjuet given in the Town Hal!. He had a great lectpticai. and in the. course of his speech in response to the toast of the colonial Umpire enumerated the i-esultf arlived at by the Conferente, and said Amend iuid Germany, with their shipping subsidies ,ind lombrnes, sltould be fought with their own weapons. He hoped Englishmeu wou'.d not for ever lie down and ttllow themselves to i>e kicked. He hoped there would be mora capital pnt into English business, aittl th.it newer machinery would be used, also Thar, disputes between employers and workmen would cea»se, so that the dear old Mother might be brought to ; ive sti-jidard of England beyond the Sea-s. On Wednesday the party went cm to York, arriving there shortly after eleven, on a private visit to Mr J. Edmund Jones, Clifton, solicitor to the Yorkshire Fishery Board, who is related to Mis Seddon. Mr Seddon was Sir Christopher Milwajd's guest in York in 1397, so that the town was not nniimiiiar to him. In the afternoon they went to Scarborongh to visit ii-ieuds who are staying there, and had a drive round the town, returning to York the everting.

On Thursday morning Mr Seddon paid a two hours' visit to Ijesds en route for Liverpool. Mr George Bray and Mr J. W. Heeles, the brother of one of the Premier's chums in New Zealand, acting a.s his cicerones, drove hini past the Town Hail, which he duly admired, and to the Bean Ing Woollen Mills of Messrs Joshua Wilson and Sons. During the conversation between your Premier and his friends there were several "chiels" taking notes, and they record that Mr Seddou confessed to being greatly surprised at the size of Leeds, at its activity, the large number of its varied industries, and its commercial importance in the Kingdom, that he thought, looking at. tha demolition oi old and the erection of new buildings, that there seemtd very little of old Leeds left, but wondered why they couldn't build wider streets while they were at it. He complained of the heavy warehouse charges made in London for warehousing wool, and wanted to know why tho consumers didu't get warehouses erected «t Hull, where the. charges would be less and the wool might more easily roach !he woollen and tJoth manufacturing district. England, he told the journalists, was falling behind, and was antiquated on its methods and appliances. But he was not much in the hninor for talking. He said : •' I feel a bit .out of sorts to-day. T have just received word that more of the troopers in the New Zealand contingents who sailed in the dead. When I think of who, has recently l>een taking place at Southampton, well—it gives me food for i-e----riection." He was seem oft' at the 1.20 express ''or Liverpool by th'j Deputy Lord Mayor and a representative of tho Chamber ot Commerce. In the evening h«s visited Hudsou's soap work.* at Bootle, and, adckesssing the men, he spoke of tho necessity of employers interesting! themselves in the men's condition, citing .New ZiCaiand, where he said they had no no millionaires, and no poverty. Australia had adopted the New Zealand Conciliation and Arbitration Acts, and an agitation, for a similar purpose, was at presont exciting attention in the United States. The insecurity of capital caused by labor contests in England had contributed to the success of our rivals in trade and commerce. Yesterday Mr Seddon was at St. Helens early to fulfil his promised round of visits co friends. After visiting Mr MeUing's house in Hall street, ami meeting a number of friends. Mr Seddosi drove to the Ravenhead Plate»glass Works, the oldest plate-glass manufactory in the Kingdom, and famed for tha quality of its plate-glass mirrors. The casting hall of tho works is the largest in the world, and the whole concern was about a year ago acquired by* Messrs Pilkmgto!i Brothers. After visiting the works, Mr Seddon was driven U> the residence of Clonal'R. Tilkington, M.P.. at Rainford Hall, whwe hj« was a guest on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee visit. He left Liverpcol yesterday ior Annam. where the freedom of the borough will be conferred upon, hrm. He will spend the week cud at Anwin, and will to*ve on Monday for Jrelanu, almost every part of which 1> has receive j imitations -a vtsh. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY DEBEN-TURE-HOLDERS. At the interview last week between Mr

Seddon and a deputation of the Midland Railway debenture-holders, the deputation headed by Lord Avebury urged xhtft - the amount of compensation recommended by the Parliamentary Committee, to be paid 1 to the debenture-holders should be increased. Two ways pi doing this were mentioned—(l) either by taking a portion of the sum allocated to the Shareholders of the railway, or (2) by increasing the total amount to be granted. In the course, of prolonged discussion the deputation was asked on what the claim for an increased amount was based, and the reply was given that >a sum of money had been paid by the debenture-holders towards the construction of the line after the Government had taken possession of the property. Mr Seddon, replying to the deputation, undertook to place 'the matter and the view* of the deputation before his colleagues in the Cabinet on his return. In order that Mr Seddon's colleagues might be able to form independent views on the subject, full shorthand notes of the proceedings were taken.

THE MEMBER FOR THE ORKNEYS. Mr Cathcart Wason secured his seat in the Abbey, bat he resigned his seat in the House of Commons, as was only reasonable after his recent transference of his allegiance from the Liberal-Unionists .to the Liberals. Mr Wason is now appealing to the. electors of Orkney and Shetland off the Education Bill. As the Liberal leaders s-eem determined to pat up Mr M'Kinnon Wood, who has family connections with the constituency, and as the Conservatives will probably also make an attempt to capture the seat, and Mr Wason to retain it, there is every prospect of a throe-cornered fight. Mr Wason has announced his intention to stand against allcomers, and in view of his attention to the needs of his constituency should command a good deal of support. Bnt as in tliis part of the world everything else is subordinated to party, a man whose- whole life has been devoted to a particular district often being ousted by a political adventurer from outside who happens to be of "the right color," it is more than likely that Mr Wason will .shortly bs seen no | more in the House of Commons.

AN IMPERIAL v. A BRITISH SERVICE.

The necessity for throwing open ail the branches of the Imperial service, naval and military, diplomatic, and civil to members of all parts of the Empire without distinction has been so often harped upon by me in my letter-, Io you that 1 rejoic* to see iu " The Times' a letter from Mr Triygs, editor of the ' Gliristohuivh Press,' practically repeating my views on the subject. Writing on 'Coronation Day." Mr Triggs Erg&s that colonials have shown their readiness u> tight fur the Empire, and that' now every opportunity should be given ib-eci to work for it. Equal facilities with the residents of the British Isles shonld Ik- given ih-cu) to enter tlie English and Indian Uivil Service, and especially the department ruled by the Colonial Office. ExaminaTious shotdd be held in the. chief colonial centres at. the same timet a.s they are held in the United Kingdom, the papers of the colonial candidates being sent to the examiner and judged with the rest entirely on their merits. At present a young colonial who wishes to enter the. Imperial service must go to England for his examination, and few parents can itfford this expense. A 5 examples of the ability of colonial youths to hcid their own- in competitive examinations Mr Triggs mentions Mr Morris, who came out 1,000 marks .-iliead ot any other competitor in the Indian Civil Service examination ; Professfu MacLatirin. who became it Fellow of his college at Cambridge, ami carried oft' the university's two most valuable prizes in law and mathematics; and Professor Rutherford, of M'Gill University. " The New Zealand Civil Service," he says, " hu.- had in its ranks men who would have done eminent credit to the linglish; public service. They have had to frame and administer systems of policy which as yet are only- being talked of in England. . The. scheme of land settlement recommended for our new colonies in South Africa- by the Parliamentary Committee is admittedly the New Zealand system slightly modified. It i.s not an undue assumption to suggesAtbat the men who framed and carried out™hcse important administrative undertakings might he found useful in a larger sphere of woik." Mr Triggs advocates, as wo all do. the same system with regard to the entrance examination for the navy ;uid army, and reeiproeit-v between the bars of England and the colonies, and says that not many colonial lads will be able to look forward to the army as a career until it is made possible for an officer to live on his pay without feeling any stigma of social inferiority. What Mr Triggs says of New Zealand applies to the other colonies mntiifis mutandis. Thare is nothing novel in his views. What is important is that ' The Times' has given them prominence.

ARBITRATION AlsH CONTSLHTION

'The TimesV Wellington correspondent in the course of an article on ' Industrial Arbitration' says the question is being asked s-erious.lv '" Will the workmen be as loyal as they" have been in prosperity to the awards o'f the Arbitration Courfshoulu the Court in timets of depression refuse their demands or reduce wages to a lower standard?" The facts available so far, he says, point to a negative answer. The niurmurings of discontent that were heard in the case of the Thames miner's have now developed into a roar of violent denunciation. The correspondent reports the proceedings of the Wellington Trades and Labor Council, and while declaring that the attitude taken up by the- Wellington unionists has been generally condemned by the Press, quotes our editor as asking "If these things are done in the green tr-ej what will be done in the dry?" ' The Times' in a leader on the subject says:

"We observe a spirit among some of the unionists which does not bode well for the permanent success of the Act. • To murmur aaainst an adverse decision is human ; to impute bad faith, favoritism, or incompetence to an arbitrator without ;my other evidence than the fact that his award is against the interests of the critic is common, and perhaps venial. But matters look serious when there really appear to be in many minds a rooted belief that the Act should be used only for the benefit of one party." The "murmiua" mentioned by its correspondent. ' The Times' says, show that the Act is encountering difficulties- and obstacles, anil that, the concessions to the new unionism have produced demands for others.

' The Times,' however, concludes with " some hopeful reflections'' on the admission at Wellington that the "old fighting spirit" was dying out. "These murmurs," it savs. " seem to prove thai the root of many of the quarrels lietwecn capital and labor in the past is not what it was, that more reasonable ideas prevail, and that not so much in conciliation boards as hi a prevalent spirit of conciliation, of give and take, of readineis to recognise reeiproenj claims, and duties, lies the hope of permanent industrial peace in New Zealand and elsewhere." A PETTY QUARREL. Thtt Borchgievink-Bowden Sharpe controversy is, I trust, closed by the letter of the latter which appeared in ' The Times' last Saturday. Mr Borchgrevink has gone into all sorts of side issues irrelevancies, but lias never stated on what day he delivered Mr Hanson's, official notebooks to the Natural History Museum, as he says he did Dr Sharpe lias shown pretty conclusively that Hanson prepared with due care and at considerable length valuable official notebooks, that the notebooks came into Borchgrevink's custody, and that they are now missing. Mx Borchgrevink's, excuse for his assertion that Hanson left but few notes behind him was that " Mr Hanson was ill from the day of landing." Dr Sharpe shows from Hanson's private diary, extracts from which occupy twenty-six royal Bvo pages of print in the Museum report, that the landing at Cape,Adare took place ou February 17, 1899, and that Mr Han-, son died on October 14; that his diary teems with entries of hard, work, and hia last entry is on the 24th September. ' The Tims)' "sw»s up tire djfscwwion by isaying that its best possible termination would be if Mr Borchgrevink were induoed to make a diligent- search for the missing note books, and if this search were to be rewarded by success.