TOPICS OE THE DAY.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 211, 18 May 1909, Page 7

TOPICS OE THE DAY.

, . , LONDON, March 19. "SELFRIDGE'S." x ■ An American dry goods merchant ha6 ' set out to conquer London in a manner J truly Napoleonic. The opening of Self- ' n'dge's great emporium iu Oxford street 1 to-day has been the event of the week in * the metropolis. Money has flowed like L water in advertising the new venture, and ' I hear that r.o less than a quarter of a million pounds is being .^pent in this way. ' The name of Selfridge has met one's eye | for day6 past in every newspaper, standing 1 out in* all Mie boldness of full-page adver- | tisement. Each day there has been a ' eeries of wonderful new cartoons, depictj ing the glories of Self-ridge's, and on the opening day a page of 'The Times' wel- ; coined the public to the new emporium, in twenty-six different languages No fewer ' than 600,000 personal invitations were sent J throughout the land. As a result of adveri tising on <his colossal scale, Self ridge's on ' the opening day was the most popular [ sight in London. It is estimated that 1 200,000 people visited the new building in the course of the day. ( ' Selfridge's has been described as the most classic commercial building in the [ world. It stands four-square, with great classic columns rising on every side from the ground floor to the roof. It has dignity and spaciousness, and farms a towering landmark on the a'oad from Bond street to the Marble Arch. Selfridge's sells everything except provisions and M'ines, and is to be run on American lines to some extent, though modified, of course, to suit | English conditions. No shopwalker ad- j , vanced to meet the customer on entering . the doorway with a " What can I do for you?" but instead visitors are invited, to i wander at will all over the great empoI rium. There are plenty of attendants to ! direct them to the various departments, j but none will press them to buy. Another ' American feature is the plentiful supply of ! telephones all over the building. On the I third floor aa'e reception rooms for visitors, decorated in different styles. Colonial visi- ' tors are invited to make free and full use of the colonial room, and separate l-ecep- ' tion rooni6 are reserved for American, ] French, and German visitors. An inter- .' preter's 'oom has been set apart for I foreign visitors. There is a " re6t " room for ladies, and a room in which a trained : nurse is constantly in attendance to proj vide first aid to the sick. Railway and steamship ticket offices, a bureau de change, ' a library, information desk, post and tele- ' graph office, and theatre booking office all | find places on the third floor, and a hairi dressing saloon is at the service of customers. On the fourth floor there are suites of restaurants, and for summer j weather a roof garden is at the disposal iof the visitors. The brain behind all this 1 great organisation and outlay is an Auieri- , can one. Mi* Selfridge was born fifty-one 'years ago in a little farmhouse in Wisconsin, and his first job was that of errand boy in a country store. Later on he started a monthly newspaper of his own, and ram the whole show. Then he took to banking, studied law, and at twenty-one went back to the drapery trade, starting as'- clerk in a big Chicago house. He rose to be a. member of the firm, a director, and the manager of the entire retail business — a business running into many millions sterling a year. Finally, even Uhieago got too small for Mir Selfridge. After buying a shop of his own there, he s"old out in six months at a profit of £50,000, and laid his plans for the conquest of the greatest city in the world. Selfridge'e in Oxford street is the result. " Probably every merchant in the world," says he, " who has stood on a London street corner and watched the swarming throngs of people i has wanted to sell merchandise to them. I have this ambition. Money-making is not my prime object. If it were, my effort. . would be unnecessary.' I am here because my nature craves for the largest and most useful service of which I am capable." THE WORLD'S GREATEST PORT. Few people, perhaps least of all the Londoners themselveß, have any conception of the enormous volume of London'6 shipping trade. When the new Port of London ■Authority held its first meeting this week, the chairman (Sir Hudson Kearley) gave some details which illustrate vividly the size of this, the world's greatest port. Onethird of the imports, and one-fourth of the exports of the United Kingdom pass through its gates, for London is an international port and market, and the whole of the world gravitates hither in order to operate in a multitude of commodities. The £400,000,000 worth of goods which come and go every year are carried in a fleet so vast that 34,000,000 tons of shipping enter and clear annually. Nearly a thousand vessels pass Gravesend every day, and 10,000 barges are constantly employed to distribute their cargoes to the wharves and warehouses of the port. Private enterprise has done much to build up this huge trade, but it has grown too great, and tne competition has become too severe for private enterprise to continue the control efficiently. The question of accommodation and facilities is the dominant factor in the prosperity of a port, and of late yea*s the Port of London has been getting somewhat out of date in regard to the equipment of its docks. It has failed to keep pace with the increasing size of the ocean liners. In 1902 the largest ship then afloat, the Oceanic, with a length of 686ft, could enter Tilbury Dock, but Tilbury Dock cannot accommodate the leviathan, of the moment, the Mauretania, which is 760ft long. Thus in a brief seven years the docking facilities of the port have become inadequate to meet the needs of the day, whereas other ports in 'England and on the > Continent, by a wise expenditure of capital, have contrived to keep abreast of the times. The system of divided control at the Port of London has now been superseded, and the new Authority will have powers en: abling it to carry out for the common good any works found to be necessary. The history of London has shown what an immense factor the River Thames has been in its amazing growth. This was recognised long ago, for when King James I. once threatened to remove his Court from London to Oxford in consequence of a dispute with the City Corporation the Lord Mayor of the day replied : "So be it, your Majesty, provided you leave us the Thames!" The port of London has been in full swing, so to speuk, for at least six hundred years under the protection of a Royal Charter, but for a thousand j'ears and/ more before it was first given a. constitution liistory records that London was . a port much frequented by merchants and trading vessels. London, unlike many ports, is not dependent upon any single industry. Besides taking iu food supplies for its immense population, it is the market ■ of the world for such various and valuable ! products as wool, tea, ivory, furs, and even i gold and precious stones. The import of wool alone into the Port of London amounts iu a year to twenty-five, millions sterling. " FIGHTS FORGOTTEN." A welcome edition to the library of pugilistic literature has been issued this week by the house of Werner Laurie, in the shape of Mr Henry Sayers's 'Fights Forgotten.' Herein the author presents in very readable form concise, and in many . instances dramatic accounts of the most

I notable encounters of pugilists who have I loomed large in the public eye from the ] time of Gentleman Jackson to the day | when big Jim Jeffries cut the comb of that 1 wonderful veteran Bob Fitzsimmons. To some this book may only appeal as another small monument to a brutal and degrading sport, but most men will find il a blood-stirring record of courage and endurance — misapplied, may be — of the highest order. Who can read the account of the extraordinary display of pluck, I vim, and stamina of the Jew Mendoza in , his tight with Jackson without some feeling of admiration and respect for, at any rate, the beaten man ; or scan the narrative of Jem Belcher's defeat of the big bully Joe Berks without admitting that this brilliant but unfortunate fighter deserved the admiration and esteem in which | he was undoubtedly held by a very large portion of England's population in the eaily days of the nineteenth century? And who will deny that in John Gully England possessed a man of whom she could bo justly proud? The tale of his sixty-four-vound • light with that marvel of fistic prowess "The Game Chicken'' — the only man from the days of Figg who presents a career as champion of England untarnished by defeat — gives one an insight info the character of this most extraordinary man. He was no mere " brutal bruiser," and he exhibited in the ring many of those qualities which carried him to success in every walk of life he tried.. The son of a publican, John Gully was successively butcher, pugilist, publican, bookmaker, colliery-owner, a member of Parliament, an owner of racehorses, including a Derby winner, a millionaire, and a friend of progress. His name still lives iu popular legends as the man who as a youth of tender age vowed that he would gain the championship of England, win the Derby, and become an M.P. Any one of these summits was difficult to. attain, any two presented a most arduous undertaking, the three of them almost beyond human power. But John Gully accomplished the feat, though at twenty-one he was languishing in Maushalsea Prison for debt. Who can help admiring the fine physical and mental qualities that enabled Gully to achieve his ambition, or find it in their hearts to sneer at the man who could secure an acknowledgment of defeat from one who, possessing great physical advantages over the " Chicken," was himself a marvsl of courage, endurance, and dogged determination? Of the rascality that became associated with the ring Mr Sayers gives a few glimpses, but in the main ' Fights Forgotten ' is a splendid record of human pluck and endurance, and many of his champions were men worthy of admiration for other qualities than those which go to make a successful pugiiist. Jem Belcher and Tom Spring were men who might easily have made their mark in any walk of life. Both were " Nature's gentlemen," chivalrous even in the ring, and certainly more worthy of one's respect than many of their wealthy and titled " patrons." Comiug to more recent times, Mr Sayers gives realistic word pictures of the fights between that wonderful little champion Tom Sayers and the big, beautifully-built "Benicia Boy," Heenan. There can be little doubt that but for the intervention of the police -, Sayers would have been beaten; but even so, Tom's glory would not have been dimmed. From the sixth round onward he fought practically with one hand. The triceps muscle of his right arm had been so violently wrenched that the arm was practically useless for either attack or defence. Yet, round after round,' Sayers stood up to be battered and thrown' by his big antagonist. Ho was fighting a' hopeless fight, and almost everyone at the ringside recognised it. But the little champion' stuck to his work grimly. At times he was a mere chopping-block for the sledge-ha:nmer blows ot the Boy, and it seemed impossible that he should come up again after the fearful knock-down blows and soul-shaking throws Heenan doled out so 1 frequently. But Tom Sayers took all that came, and came up again for more. He was on-; of England's heroes, and no athlete the Old Country has ever produced stands higher in public estimation than the gallant fellow who defended his title of champion of the world at Farnborough on April 17, 1860. Nearly fifty years have passed since that memorable encounter, but the memory of the battle is still green, and it can never be rightly placed among "Fights Forgotten." The fights of the redoubtable Jem Mace (one of^the most interesting figures in the ring) with Sam Hurst and Tom King find a place in Mr Sayers's admirable volume, in which can also be followed the rise and fall of John L. Sullivan, Jem Corbett, and Bob Fitzsimmons. The story of Bob's fight with the gigantic Jim Jeffries is not the least interesting in the book, and the pluck the veteran exhibited in this battle commands whole-hearted admiration. Fitzsimmons, indeed, was greater in defeat than in victory. LONDON, March 26. A PRINCE'S "PRANKS." If one-half of the scandalous stories told of the Crown Prince of Servia are true, there can be small wonder at his compulsory renunciation of hia right to succeed his father to the blood-stained throne of Servia; indeed, if a tithe of the tales have foundation in fact Prince George ought to have been placed years ago in a criminal lunatic asylum. Only in his twenty-second year, and with hie status as Crown Prince going back no further than the middle of 1903 — prior to which he was a person of no importance — Prince George of Servia has for the past six years been constantly before the public eye, usually in the character of a young man of vicious and violent temperament, whose^ chief claims to notoriety were his absolute disregard of social and political etiquette, and a. total lack of those qualities which mark a man out as being fit to hold any high office of state. In fine, Prince George has been exhibited to the public as an " unlicked cub" of the worst possible kind, prone to anger, swift to violence,' a cowardly bully towards those •upon whom he dared let loose the vials of his wrath, uterly wanting in filial affection and in respect to the responsible Ministers of State. -The worst scandals related of Prince George concerned his private life. It has been reported that in fits of crazy anger he had insulted, and even offered physical violence to, officials, soldiers, and servants of t'he Palace, that he had thrashed his tutors, and had openly insulted his <f Hither in the presence of others. The Belgrade journals have more than once insinuated doubts as to his sanity, and a correspondent of a Vienna journal actualy reported that the Prince had become insane, and was likely to be interned in an asylum abroad. One of the best-accredited eccentricities of the Prince is his domestic practice with the l-evolver. He i6 art excellent shot, and the walls and ceilings of his apartments are covered with bullet marks. It is said that governors and aides-de-eamii have resigned because they did not tare to approach His Highness by a door riddled with revolver bullete. / It was reported not long ago that a mouse had been caught in Prine George's room. With the living animal in his hand he went to the two 6entinels at the entrance to the Royal Palace, and lifting it near the mouth, of one of them com-

s manded him to bite off the head of the i mouse. The soldier refused, whereupon the Prince — so the story goes — threatened him with violence, and did actually draw I his sword on the man. In the Skupshtina : } recently a deputy asked a question about ] a Prince who was reported to have murderously attacked two footmen with a hummer, and there was no doubt in anybody's mind that Prince George was the person the deputy referred to. The "last straw" which broke the back of the Servian Ministry's endurance of the Prince's "pranks" is said to have been a murderous attack on a groom of the chambers. M. Kolakovitch had been for some time in the service of the Prince. On the night of March 17, it is alleged that when the Prince returned to the palace a fearful scene occurred. The Prince knocked M. Kolakovitch down and kicked him with his spurred ridiug boots about the head and body. He then ordered two soldiers to carry the insensible ni!Ui to the guardhouse, whence lie was transferred to the hospital, where he died three days later, leaving a wife and six children. Almost all the Belgrade papers addressed questions to the Government and the police as' to why no inquiry was made into the affair, and two days later the journale openly accused the Prince of murder. The Prince is not without friends. In some quarters it is alleged that he is the victim of foul intrigue on the part of certain Servian politicians who have the ear of the local Prees. In February a representative of the 'Pall Mall Gazette' had an interview with the Prince, who declared that what the Press said of him was lies, and that the Teason for this was his bhintnefe, his frank outspokenness. The interviewer described him as "a youth, frank and honest, full of vivacity and superfluous energy, chafing under restraint perhaps, and mourning the absence of activity and the presence of forethought, in his nation; tall, athletically knit, healthy looking, with deep-set, serious eyes, which may be kindled instantly into merriment, and with all the evidence of courage writ upon his face." It may be so, but usually where theTe is smoke there is fire, and round the Crown Prince's name there has been thick, black clouds of smoke for the past five years. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS. The High Commissioners and AgentsGeneral of the self-governing colonies have been appointed members of the new Royal Commission who are to assist the Board of Trade in the organisation of exhibits illustrative of British arts, industry, and agriculture at the forthcoming International Exhibitions at Brussels in 1910 and at Rome and Turin in 1911. The Prince of Wales will be president of the Commission, the Earl of Lathan chairman. The Exhibition at Brussels in 1910 will mark the inauguration of a new policy on the part of His Majesty's Government with regard to official participation in foreign international exhibitions. It has been felt for some time past that British exhibitors have been at a disadvantage as compared with those of other countries, owing to the absence of any . permanent organisation for preparing the British section at important international exhibitions. A committee were subsequently appointed by the President of the Board of Trade in 1906 to make inquiries and report as to the nature and extent of the benefit accruing to British arts, industries, and trade from the participation of this country in great international exhibitions, and to advise as to the steps which should be taken to secure the maximum advantage from any public money which might be expended on this object. As a result of the recommendations contained in the Committee's report, a Special branch of the Commercial Labor and Statistical Department o£ the Board of Trade was recently established to deal with all matters relating to the participation of Great Britain in foreign international exhibitions, and active preparations are now being made for the organisation of a comprehensive display of British arts and manufactures at the three exhibitions in question. The Brussels Exhibition, which will include sections devoted to art, science, industry, and agriculture, is to open in April, 1910, and will continue for a rjeriod of about six months. The Exhibitions at Rome and Turin will open in April, 1911, and continue for a period of about six months. They are being held to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the

proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, and are under the patronage of the King of Italy and the honorary presidency of the Duke of Aosta. The Exhibition at Turin will be devoted to industry and labor, and that at; Rome to art and archaeology. MEAT TRUST MENACE. Strong comments on the increasing imports of foreign meat are made in the : superintendent's report to the Centra] I Markets Committee, issued yesterday. I "At present nearly 40 per cent, of the beef arriving at the market is derived from the United States, and the fact that meat-producing companies of that country have acquired productive works in South America is important. The continued stoppage of live cattle importations from South America may yet become a matter of ominous import. " Should the various overseas sources of supply become controlled by a group of powerful firms, then the price of meat on the market can be dominated, and easily, because the proportion of British productions arriving here — one ton in five — could not be increased under existing conditions. "In effect, the opportunities of productive employment, the greater circulation of wages in this country, together .with the standing of the British producer, have been diminished. He has now to face greatly-increased ";»ii|fportations of an article bred, produced, preserved, and conveyed under such favorable conditions that its competition and intense cheapness is making his position untenable." Of 409,732 tons of meat and provisions dealt with in the markets last year, 88,262 were bred and slaughtered in the United Kingdom, 54,691 tons fattened in Canada or the United States and slaughtered here, and 266,779 tons, or 65 per cent., were colonial, American, or foreign productions.