MAIL SUMMARY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4298, 6 March 1901, Page 7

MAIL SUMMARY

BUG KAILWAY DEALS. THE STEEL TRUSTS, TUB RIOTS IX SEAL'S, DREADFUL LX'I-LOSiON IX A MINE. (Per R.M.fi. Vout uni, at Auckland). SAN FRAXCISCO, February 11. Tho llariimm syndicalc (m.-s secured by purchase tl»c Southern Pacific Rail- | road. At tho timo time a combination lias secured the Morgan Steamship line and Pacific • Mail Steamship Company's holdings. Tim Vanderbilt combination i., lioliind the deal, and under the near lUTangcJmenf twelve or thirteen men on the hoard as directors have absolute control of more than twenty-five thousand, miles of railroad. The Vanderbilt system now includes the Union Pacific. Central Pacific, Kansas and Texas 'and Kansas City Southern railways in the west, as well as a complete system covering the eastern States,in a network. It is believed in California that the policy of the new management of the railways will bo much more liberal than that followed during the lifetime of the late Coll is P. Huntington, whose death marie room (fur startling dianpos. Of course, matters will bo kept on a hu.ffncs's basis, but it is hoped tho Vanderbilt scheme will bo lo build up a road by aiding the development of tbo country rather than by the more short-sighted plan of taking in the profits of all the traffic. It is felt that tho change has already borne some fruit, since the Southern Pacific and Santa Fo railroads are already giving what arc termed “colonist rates” from eastern points to California. Tho authorities themselves profess to bo astonished at the response people have made to tho somewhat liberal offers. Tho ticket offices at Chicago ami other points arc crowded on days when “colonist tickets” arc on sale, and it is evident tho population of California will bo aggrandised in some measure. Another colossal “deal”’ has been carried through within tho past fortnight. Its Morgau-Rockefollcr syndicate has purchased the Carnegie and other stool plants and interests worth in the aggregate nearly two and a-haif billion dollars. Wall street itself, accustomed to million dollar transactions, was amazed at this first billion-dollar purchase. The iron and steel interests in the United States will now bo practically all under the control of one man, J. Pierponb Morgan. Tho plan., of consolidation has been under way ( for two years, and great diplomacy' has boon used in working it out. Corporations which could not he purchased have found their sources of supply cut cif, and all sorts of methods have been used to crowd competitors to tho wall. It is felt that the condition is alarming, since such a syndicate has a power greater perhaps than can be held under Government control in any degree." Resolutions have been offered in: Congress looking to the control of such trusts, hut it is acknowledged that tho only solution will bo in a system of taxation"'which will act as a chock. Tbo difficulty of securing such legislation under the circumstance.--. obvious. Amendment to the federal constitution would be necessary, and this is not to be easily secured when such tremendous financial influence can ho brought to bear on the. .question. Only the extreme measures suggested by the Socialists seem to offer an actual solution of tho problem of trusts, and it is not believed that tho time is ripe for any radical measures, since the majority of people observe that trusts confer large benefits, ' although tho system is attended by.grave dangers. The Congress of the United Status is still wrangling over tho Army , am! Navy Appropriation x»i!ls. Air Hanna j lias resort ed to all sorts of tactics _in j his effort to secure the passage. of his Ship Subsidy Bill, but. nothing- has- as yet been, accomplished. It is now belioVcd that tho .British Foreign -Office -will, not; ..approve tho Hay-Paunoef ote•, -Treaty as it stands, | and that so much‘time will be consumed in consideration of the terms and exchanges of conclusions between the two interested Governments that Ihe_ treaty will expire by its own time limitation. The British are not of one mind with regard- to the proposed abrogation ol the Clayton-Bnlwcr Treaty, and some officials have made reflections as to the right of the United States to “force abrogation.” At present all eyes are upon Spain, where the rioting appears to be of serious import: Some -despatches use the dreaded word “revolution.” The funeral of Don Ramon Be Compomaor, poet and philosopher, was attended with serious disturbances; Tho cause of the uprising appears to be an attempt to arrange a general holiday and festivities in honour of-the Asturias-Bourbon marriage. All this had to be abandoned on account -of the attitude of the people. On the evening of February 14th every approach to the Puerto, del Sol was jammed, and insulting remarks wore hurled at the police and. Civil Guard. A trumpeter sounded the charge, which was made at full speed. Heads were not spared, and many persons were injured. AH the front doors of the Hotel do Paris were smashed in, a groat crowd assembling there. Tho police and guards charged through tho streets, but the crowds quickly rc-assombled. Earlier in tho day an immense crowd gathered along tho route taken by the funeral cortege. Considerable disorder marked tho. passage of the procession, but troops stationed at strategic points prevented any very formidable outbreak until the end of'the city was reached. At this point, the demonstrators, who included many students, raised the cry •• Long live liberty,” and, breaking, up info small parties, proceeded to various parts of Madrid!/to renew tho demon-, si-ration. One band of students stoned a -convent. Riots took place at several points. The police were attacked with showers of stones. The _ authorities warned; the newspapers against publishing nows or comment calculated to fan tho agitation. The alarming feature o! the trouble is its.widesprcad nature. While all this was going on at Madrid, the mob stoned the officers of the “ Catholic Journal ” at Santander, crying “Down with the Jesuits.”, Gendarmes had to fire a volley in the air, and charge the mob in order to save the Carmelite Monastery, from, which the monks'had fled in terror.. The rioters fired several shots in reply, and then mar died through the street*. When tho rioters were passing Ciirlists houses the occupants threw water on their heads. The rioters .stoned the houses. Thousands ’ attacked tho convents and tho bishop’s palace, and looting was freolv indulged in. There were attempts at -destroying, church properties by burning. At Barcelona the mob made a threatening demonstration in front of the Jesuit College, but was disparsed by the determined action of the police. ■ f

An explosion m the Son Andreas mine, situated in a remote locality of the Sierra. Madres. caused the death of eighty-seven men, women and children, and injured a great number of others. The catastrophe was due to an explosion of several hundred cases of dynamite, which .were, stored in an tzncl'r-' ground chamber. The electric wives ’ i-sed in running the machinery passed

} through lilt- chamber, audit is suppo-e 1 1 they became crossed and caused tieI trouble. Tbe killed qml injured wore on too surface, most df thorn occupying I residences over tins workings of tin: mine. T lie explosion, tore away the whole top of tho mountain, on which the .village was located. Among vhe killed was ilornian Loutzmau, supei intundent of ike mine, and ail his family. Several hundred miners were at woik in the Tower workings of tho mine, but none of them were seriously injured. Tiny rushed to tho surface, and. discovered Hie complete ruction of He village. The nattered fragments of (iliac who perished wen- gathered up V.’Trh difficulty, and all were buried in one grave. Tho mine is the moat celebrated silver mine in Mexico, and is valued at twenty million dollars. It has produced many million dollars worth of ore. Cuban and Philippine matte"*, are causing tiie gravest anxiety among ; tatc--jr.cn. In the arouse of Reru-oseu-

tatives on February 91 h Congressman Brown, a republican member from Ohio, created a sensation by espousing the cause of the islanders. Mr Brown strongly condemned tho‘colonial policy, and urged that the United Sta O-o should at once giro an assurance to the Filipinos that the purpose, of the Government is to give them independence. 'This announcement was vigorously applauded, particularly on tiie democrat it; side of tho Chamber, and at the close •of Ids- speech many Republicans crowded about Brown and congratulated him. Next Representative Miens severely criticised "the policy which denied to insular possessions these blessings uniUr Hie constitution which has been held out Co them.”