HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4467, 21 September 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

(From the -“Spectator.”)

LONDON, August 3, CHINESE INDEMNITY.

The European Ambassadors in Pekin have at last arrived at a final agreement as to the indemnity to be paid by China. It is to amount to £64,000,000, bearing interest at 4 per cent., and is to be en' tirely paid off by 1940. Payment of the instalments, which will not commence till 1904. is secured on the foreign. Customs as yet unappropriated, on the transit duties, and on a portion of the Halt duty, and will he made to a committee of bankers at Shanghai, who will distribute the . funds. The arrangement is probably as reasonable a one aa could under the circumstances be made, and amounts substantially to this, that for thirty seven years China will pay to Europe a tribute which will begin at about £3,000,000, and constantly decrease. The drawback is that the payments, with the interest on previous indemnities, will consume the whole free revenue of China, will for a generation bo a perpetual irritation to the Man darins, and will furnish an excuse for any exactions thev may he able to levy. No people would pay such a tribute without hating those 'who levied it, _or without devising schemes of evasion which will, whenever convenient, be a ground of quarrel. All discussion as to further punishments is to be waived, and negotiations as to trade privileges will be with the separate Powers, and not with Europe as a whole. China, in fact, hag baffled all demands except the one for tribute.

GERMANY’S NEW TARIFF. The Austrian papers fully expect'-that if the new duties on food are 1 accepted by the German Parliament there will be a tariff war between Austria and the German Empire. The firet effect of the proposals has been to alienate the sympathies of the strong German party in Austria, and the second to; bring Hungary into line with the Clericals in ques tioning the value of, the Triple Alliance. The total result is disastrous for Germany; and it is possible that the duties may be reconsidered, but moat unlikely. The Agrarians really desire prohibition, and ’they ipan destroy any Government which rejects their demands- They are told very clearly that they are weakening the Government, which protects them against the Liberals, but they re ply that free trade in cereals and meat will rpin them, and that, happen what may, , they will not be ruined- There is some exaggeration in the attitude of hpth parties, but the whole business furnishes' unpleasant proof of the extent to which economic considerations now rule in politics, Classes on the Continent, like nations, now postpone every consideration to a savage fear of growing poor.

ITALIAN POPULAR DEMONSTRA. - TION, It is difficult to ascertain the truth as to the relation of the Italian masses to the house of Savoy, but every now and then an incident happens which in dicates at least a strong attachment. July 29th, for example, is the anniversary of Ring Humbert’s assassination, and in all the Italian cities it ..was kept as a day of mourning. In Rome, in par, ticular, a vast procession nearly three miles long, bearing fifteen hundred ban ners, marched to the . .Pantheon,. and “filed round the catafalque dipping, their banners before the tombs of King Humbert and King Victor Emanuel.” The spectators were Counted by the. hum. drod. thousand, and the reporter notes their tranquility and, their respectful bearing. Thatjoeg hot look as, if “the Savoyards” had lost their charm for the people, or were in the least likely to be sent back to. Piedmont. We fancy that in’ltaly, where, we must not forgot, there are no pretenders to the general crown, the throne is, as in England, still the]rallying point. That may not be a philosophic feeling, but all experience shows that it is useful, and since when way mankind wise ?

THE BALKAN DIFFICULTY. We find it difficult to believe, as both the Emperor of Russia and the Emperor of Austria desirepeace, that the strug gle over the Balkans will result in war, but the newspaper polemic _ undoubtedly becomes, sharp. The Russians are bitterly indignant that Roumania should have ventured to ally herself with* Austria; * n( l say that recent arrangements constitute "an audacious challenge” to their Empire, which would justify her being>cracked like a nut by Russian armies. To this the Austrian military or gan, the “Reichswohr,” replies by a direct defiance. Roumania, the writer contends, with her magnificent fortress. eg,‘ could hold the strategic entrance to the Balkans' even if Austria-Hungary sent her no aid; but if Austria and rtou mania in conjunction marched towards Kieff the Russian position would be a very bad one. Remarks of that kind in papers which are not quite free certainly suggest that somebody is thinking about war, and are not calculated to diminish excitement in “military parties” which exist and are strong in both Empires-. The ; Russians seem to have forgotten Plevna very soon. THE LATE BISHOP OF DURHAM.

The ChurtM hag lost an eminent prelate in, Drßrooke Foes Wegtcott, Bishop of Durham, who died on July 27th, aged seventy six. He was the greatest theologian the Church of England has recently produced.' a scholar who was spected oven by German controversial ists, and a man whose mental power impressed all with whom he came in contact. His first book, "An Introduction to the Study of the •Gospels,” was pub lished when he was only -twenty-five, and is still a text-book with serious the® logical students, and- his “Cambridge Text” of the New Testament, which it took him with his great colleague, Dr Hart, twenty-eight years to. prepare, is accented throughout tho world as the most learned and suggestive. Though far from illiberal, he was very ortho dox, and his defence of the authenticity of St; John’s Gospel is the _one on which all disputants. on that side rely. _ As Bishop he was remarkable foiv his interest in social questions, his leaning hoi ing towards a Collectivism based on Christianity, and it was his judicious but sympathetic intervention which termin ated the great miners’ strike, of 1892. He was, in short, a< grand., example that a learned Bishop—and, as we have argued elsewhere, a few learned Bishops are indispensable—need not be ■ an efficient controller of a diocese.

CARE OF WOUNDED SAILORS. The British Medical Association is sit ting at Cheltenham, and on Wednesday some ■ very interesting 1 facts were Brought forward as to tne position of the wounded in naval battles.; Owing to the alterations in the' structure of the ships, the old arrangements under which the wounded were at once carried down to the' cockpit ! cannot be continued. and, in the opinion of Fteet-Surgqon C. Kirk, er, the most humane course, now adopt.

ed both by the French and Japanese, is { to leave the wounded sailors to lie where they are until the action is over, and men can. ho spared to carry them down in ambulances, which it will take some mechanical skill to devise. A light sleigh on runners of his own device is how being tested previous to approval. The wounded are as safe on deck tor a short time as elsewhere, and modern wounds do not cause dangerous loss of blood. It is essential, however, that each ship should have an operating room, which at present is not included in the accepted designs. It appears that the general health of sailors in warships is good, iron being much better than wood for sanitation, but some improvements are greatly required, and should be attended to by the Admiralty at once, so that tho sailor should be at least as well off in battle as the soldier. He is as much exposed, and he cannot retreat. THE KING’S TITLE. »

In the House of Lords on Monday Lord Salisbury moved the second reading of the Bill wnich confers on the King the right to change his style and title, hut does not specify in what par tioular terms. This wag done, said fiord Salisbury, to make the passage of the Bill easier, but it did not mean that tho King would arbitrarily select a new title; he would be guided by bis responsible Ministers. Lord Rosebery, who followed, stated what has been publish, ed in the press, namely, that the new title was in fact to be “of the British Dominions beyond the seas, King. " Ho would prefer “of the Britains beyond the seas.” “It would be in consonance with the ancient form of the title ‘Britanniarum.’ ” Lord Salisbury, however, was not inclined to accept the _ suggestion, and, we think, rightly, for it smacks af llttie of pedantry. “The Britains” were, of course, “Great Britain” and “Lesser Britain,” i.e., Ireland, for while this island wag called Magna Britannia Ireland was styled Parva Britannia. 'That, however, is a fact almost forgotten, except when we say, “Britain is proud of her sons,” and mean, or ought to mean, the United Kingdom. In the end the Bill was read a second time. In our opinion, the great argument in favour of the Government’s proposed form is that it appears to be generally liked and accepted in the colonies.

GRANT TO LORD ROBERTS. In the House of Commons on Wednes. day Mr Balfour proposed the grant of £IOO,OOO to Lord Roberts in what, in our opinion, was a speech of rare do quence and insight. Mr Balfour has been censured for overdoing his praise of Lord. Roberts by comparing bis achievements to those' of Wellington. Those who argue thus must be singularly ignorant of military affairs- The difficulties which a general has to overcome cannot be computed either by the number of men or by the picturesqueness and historical importance of the commander opposed to him. ' It sounds, of course, much less magnificent to beat a Crouja at Paardeberg than a Napoleon at Water, 100, but it by no means follows that the legs high sounding victory is the easier. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman sup. ported the grant, but Mr Dillon opposed it wi£h insolent bitterness, and accused Lord Roberts of inhumanity. We are flad to note that though one or two liberal speakers spoke against the vote, Mr Haldane and Mr Strachey, the latter speaking as a Radical, rebuked the Irish for their accusations against JLord Rob. erts, and paid » Vann tribute to the General’s humanity of conduct. In the end Mr, Balfour was-, forced to move the Closure, and the grant was agreed to by a majority of’2oß votes N (281 to 73). We have/go often expressed our opinion as to Lord Roberts’s genius for war that it is unnecessary to repeat it here. No great soldier ever possessed a nobler and more humane character than his._ His career proves that.war does not in fact harden men’s hearts or in any way de prive them of the qualities of the good citizen. To-men of Lord Roberts’s nature the field is a school of virtue, both in the ancient and the modern sense.

MAMMOTH MILLIONAIRES. The New York “Evening Post” reports that Mr Pierpont Morgan’s; firm will shortly become “a corporation,” or, as wo should gay, a limited liability com. pany. The reason assigned is that its business has become too extended for uu dividual management. Years ago we pointed out this as the obstacle' which would* prevent the growth of ' mammoth millionaires. It is not only that their brain power becomes overtaxed, ,for that may not happen if - the source of wealth is - the incessant repetition, of one, plan, but, that they grow overworked ana liable to all lands of nervous disorders. There is no remedy for this except the “corporation,’’ and that is an imperfect remedy, no corporation having the cour : age'or;the' energy of an individual The* freedom from to© great sense ofresponsibility which we all seek in soldiers and statesmen can never exist in an honest board of directors, and a dishonest one is only a nuisance. The remedy is to allow a virtual dictatorship within the board, and that sometimes succeeds, but then jealousy is an original element in most human natures.

DEATH. OF LADY BRODRIOK. ; It is with deep regret that we record the sudden death of Lady Hilda rirodrick, the wife of the Secretary of State for War, which- took - place at Eehor on Thursday morning after a very short illness duo to blood poisoning, resulting apparently from an affection of .the .throat.' The sympathy felt for Mr Bred rick will be by no means confined to his many and warm personal friends. The country is deeply touched at the thought of the terrible blow which has fallen on an able and devoted- servant of the State already burdened by a great weight of responsibility and anxious labour. No doubt later the . carrying out of public, duties proves the best of anodynes for domestic sorrow, but it is -idle to pretend that this is so when the blow first falls.

WERE THE LIBERALS BRIBED? Unless we are mistaken, a letter in our correspondence column signed: “C. 8.” incidentally explains the greatest of all the mysteries in regard to_ Mr Rhodes—the mystery of ! why«.the Liberals; oh tW South African Committee allowed Mr Rhodes to get off so easily., “C. 8.,” who, we do not doubt -haa authority for his facts, in • effect states (1\ that Mr Rhodes gave £SOOO to the funds of the Liberal party—the reference to Mr Schnadborst and the context generally show that this was just before the general election of 1892—0 n condition . that the. 1 Liberals would < pledge themselves - not s to leave Egypt; (2) that Mr Rhodes, on getting uneasy in regard to his conditions being fulfilled, began to talk about h» money being sent to a charity instead; and (3) that lie was then told by Mr Schnadborst that he wag ‘directed from a lofty qnar ter to answer Mr Rhode* that the Lib. erala will stick to Egypt and that .£5000.’ In other words, our- correspondent declares that the Liberal party, like the Parnellites, took money, not in the ordinary war from a member of their own partynamT political creed,- but from an outsider,. and at the same time ’ aban donod a particular item of their policy—-

i.e., the policy of evacuation in Egypt. Mr Rhodes bought up the evacuation policy for £6OOO. If tdis is correct, and "C. 8.” ought to know, we obtain for the first time—for we do. not remember to have seen tEe facts in print before—a clue to the extraordinary conduct of the nominally anti-Rhodes members of the South Atrican Committee, Sir William Harcourt and Sir ilenry Campbeil-6an nermau. Those gentlemen, if the transaction recorded is correct, were at the mercy of Mr Rhodes* They might, as we in fact noticed at the time that, they did, perform a stage combat and make valiant passes over Mr Rhodes’s head, but they knew that if they really pressed him he could make them supremely ridiculous, and something more, by pub lishing the story of how he bought and they—or rather the Liberal party—sold "all that excellent and useful policy known as the evacuation of Egypt.” No wonder the South African Committee was a fiasco, when Mr Rhodes could at any momeent tell the story of the £SOOO cheque and his dealings with the official organisation of the Liooral party, when it was noticed how little the Nationalists attacked Mr Rhodes a witty member remarked that the gift of the £IO,OOO was the best example of **an unexhausted improvement” that he had ever seen. But now it seems Mr Rhodes had improved the Liberal Little England lands as well as the Irish. Truly, Mr Rhodes is a master of political agriculture.

CARE OF BOER PRISONERS. We trust that the Government, in spite of the pro occupations of the war, are turning their attention to the question of the Boer prisoners, of whom, in. eluding the surrendered burghers, aa. cording to the answer given by imrd Stanley on ilondav in tne House of Com mons, we now hold some 33,000; It is most important to know what is the real feeling of those prisoners towards the British, in order to determine how best to deal with them. No doubt they do not all think alike. Some are absolutely irreconcilable. Some, again; are in oil probability open to friendly influences: Of course, with a secretive people like the Boers it is very rtifficult to ! determine their attitude exactly, but by-tak. iug trouble a good doal might be done towards obtaining knowledge of the kind required for solving the problem of their future. We still adhere to the belief, and We are sustained in this view by the opinion of those who know the Roers best, that it would be possible to raise a considerable number of mounted riflemen out of the prisoners and surrender ed men who could be used in various parts of the Empire. But If that is to bo done it. must be done carefully and without and on welLthougqt out linos.