LONDON GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4580, 28 February 1893, Page 2

LONDON GOSSIP.

[-'BOM OUB LONDON COEB-SPOND ENT.] London, Jan. 14. Strange things were to be heard during the recent frost on Tower Hill, where day after day, miserably regardless of cold and fog, a melancholy crowd of dismal human beings fecklessly congregated. In theory, theee good-for-noughts were ready to commit any crime from petty larceny to murdering the Home Secretary for warmth and a square meal. In practice, they would not raise a finger or do a stroke of honest work to help either themselves or their families. A policeman told me clergymen and charity organisation society agents came there again and again offering jobs, not perhaps very agreeable work nor very remunerative, but still a means of earning money, and failed to find men. These loafers preferred to hang about and prey on "soft-hearted city blokes" and philanthropic American sightseers. Everyone now knew, unfortunately, the unemployed were permanently on view on Tower Hill. At noon each day meetings are held. Last Friday a gaunt, famished-looking man opened the proceedings. He spoke seriously and sensibly. The unemployed did not want that. They howled him down, and Henry B. Samuels, an anarchist, or (as he calls hin_B_») "practical anarchist/' arose. Mr Samuels said that since he had yesterday openly advised all out-o'-works to help themselves to food a Marylebone man had been charged with stealing a loaf and assaulting two "slops" (pelice) who arrested him. When aaked why he had stolen the loaf, he replied, "Becos I were'ungry." The Magistrate gave him " two months 'ard." Proceeding, Mr Samuels said: That man is certain of ten weeks' board and lodging. How many of you can say that? But (lapsing into the vernacular), I 'avn't come to gas, but to give practical advice to starving men. Here is a 'int for yon. Since yesterday I've 'ad two dinners, real prime 'uns, free, gratis, for nothing. Pust I walks into a cook shop and has soup, beef steak puddin',, greens and rice puddin'. When I 'ad-' finished, I gets np and goes out. " Tpu 'avn-*t paid," bawls .the boss. " I 'avn't got no brass," says L He stares, and then shouts, " Off yer go, and don't come 'ere again. Towards evening I thort I could do another snack. The place were- crowded. When I'M 'ad four corses, I' ups and walks out. The boss follers, as^ at t'other place. «« You swine. 5 * I saye, " I 'ave paid." " Beg pardon, I'm sure ; good morning," _aya he. (Laughter and cheers.) I know you many of you want a square meal. I've told you how to get one. The practical moralist and anarchist thereupon descended from his perch. j THE ABASBMENTf 05 SP-NCEB BALFOUB. ! Mr Jabez Spencer Balfour, whoße significant disappearance has materially increased the uneasiness of the unfortunate ! shareholders and depositors in the Liberator Building Society, is no relation whatever to the late leader of the House,. Mr Arthur Jameß Balfour. He belongs.in- j deed, ta quite a differen|,clas9 in life. The j Eight Hon Arthur, James Balfour, Lord I Salisbury's nephew, is an aristocrat of tlte : pure&fc blue blood. Mr Sebez Spenoei Balfour comes of a similar stock to Mr • Stead. Hia mother was a temperance lee- ! turer and writer of temperance tracts* and Utile Jabea commenced life thoroughly imbued with a Nonconfc-mist conscience, < and wide awake to the business advantages ' derivable from ostentatious piety. Mrs Clara Balfom's earnings 'as a worker in the causa of oold water, were all invested in the Liberator Building Society. When Bhe died, Jabez, or, as he preferred to be called, Spenoer Balfour, was a Parliamentary agent; but, seeing possibilities in the Liberator, he resolved to devote his energies to making , his mother's estate worth dividing between himself and an elder brother. Resolute and skilful attempts were at once made to boom the enterprise. Advertisements were freely issued, and well-known names, caloulated to carry weight in serious circles, were announced among the Directors aud officials. Lord Monson, then known as Viscount Oxenburg. became President, and retained the position up to the time the Society closed ita doors. Wh.n people mention tho Liberator to hia Lordship nowadays, h«— well, be ahooka the Nonconformist conscience a good deal. But Mx Spsucer Balfour's trump cud

was toot the serio-a- directorate nor th» aristocratic President, but a cleverlyworded circular addressed to all the non- & conformist ministers throughout theKingdom, setting forth tbe advantages of the Society, and making inquiries as tosuitable persons for looal agenta. Theimmediate results were that large* numbers' of the recipients of the circulars, with the* simplicity and confiding faith of theirclass, and their profound ignorance of all business matters, Bent np money of their* own, or offered to- become agents, or re--1 commended others for that purpose- The - income increased by leapt, and bounds. In a comparatively short time it exceeded' £100,000, and ere long this was doubled and then quadrupled. In ten years it was more than a million. Long before- that"the King William street officeß had' become too strait,, and a costly lease of a house in Budge row was secure-- Meanwhile, Mr Spencer Balfonr had' launohed fourth in other ways. A vacancy on the Croydon School Board in 1873 gave him the first opportunity of' entering publio life. He enlarged his house, set up a vehicle, took the chair at religious and philanthropic meetings, subscribed generously to all sorts of local objects, prominently identified J_im_el"' with the Liberal party, and was apt-ken of aB a rising man. He promoted the Croydon Tramways . Company, and . was its first Chairman. Between sixty and seventy thousand pounds were _unk in this undertaking. Some of the lines laid were never used.. In the course of* two or three years it succumbed to its dimszrltieF, and a receiver was appointed. The original shareholders lost all. How much -Mr Balfour lost is not known, or whether he loßt anything. After a time there was, »■ . reconstruction, but not nnder his auspices. Not a few people in Croydon, to -this "Aa-y utter -words the reverse of sweet and polite when the subject is mentioned. One venture led to another. An outlet had to be found for theenormous.sums which a confiding publio entrusted' to the Liberator. Mr Balfour therefore formed the Houea and Land Investment Trust, the Lands Allotments Company, the London and General Bank, tbe Estates Company, the Building Securities Company, and eome others. The Directors of most of theße concerns were interchangeable, bnt Mr Balfour was on all the Boards, and was the inspiring and controlling genius. His colleagues, or nominees, seem to have done little more than register hie edicts. He also started sundry ventures cf his own, such as a colliery near Tarn worth. ; and some chemioal workß at Walsall and 1 at Liohfield. Suoh a successful man, who was a modern Midas, wasj of course, much sought after, like Eailway King Hudson ; and joined one Board ' after another; until at length he was the .champion, direotor, and belonged to seventeen or eighteen concerns. It is estimated- that he- must have received from fees alone from £3000 to £4000. a year, besides what he .may have made by commissions and as an <' expert." ' Before the general election of 1880 Mr Balfour had made one or ' two tentative efforts after a seat in Parliament. In that year he succeeded at Tarn worth, his colleague in the representation being Mr Hamar Bass. By this time he had reached the high tableland of prosperity, and he continued upon it nntil the crash came in September last. He took a large mansion in Croydon, standing iq its own grounds. He set up a carriage, and pair with livery ; Bervants. He became a J .P. of , the County ! Bench. He g^veJ^ge garden paiti.s, and > eubsoribed more liberally than ever to all , sorts of Objects. ' '■[[ When Croydon, was, ;' incorporated he bioame the i -fiwtr tnijfb-i* 1 although he; was not a member of, the* •* Town Council. He was re-elected at , the end of his first term of office. •> Sumptuous banquets were given. Champagne: flowed like water. Churches, . chapels and schools received large benefactions. He presented a clock with carillon chimes, and a peal of bells to the chnrch he usually attended, beeide_ large donations to the building fund. All the arts of popularity were freely employed. Time, labour and money were given to- anything and everything that had to do with Croydon. j Croydon, with a hundred thousand inhabitants, was sure to become a Parliamentary Borough at the next redistribution scheme, and Mr Balfour aspired to become its first member.. Henee all this ' popularity-hunting. At a moderate estimate he is thought to have given away ten I thousand pounds between 1880 and 1885. When the election came in the latter year he was badly beaten. He received 1169 . [ votes fewer than his opponent, now Mr Justice Grantham. Later, when Mr Grantham was raised to : the Bench, Mr Balfour was again aßJked to ' stand for Croydon but refused, and ulti- ; mately after failures, at Walworth in 1886, ' and D oncaster in 1887; the reßohite man found in 1889 a seat at Burnley. Thiß, it seems, he resigned some weeks ago, though owing to the Parliamentary recess, the fact of hiß application for the Chiltern hundreds did not transpire. Those who know the erstwhile Croydon Croesus beßt say he- will feel his fall exceeding bitterly. AN AWKWAB-* BL TT ND-Br. The draft of the SJome Eule Bill, which Mr Gladstone intends to introduce on Feb. 6, has been seen by Hareourt, I_o-___ry, and Motley only, and uy to the present the last alone possesses a . copy. Imagine Mr Morley's consternation when the other night, shortly bef one post time^Ute missed the precious docuacent. He had been using it, had had- his attention momentarily oalled to something else in another room, and when he returned the Bill had disappeared. Aoo-rding to report a lively scene ensued. . The Cabinet Minister was overwhelmed witl_ distressing recollections * of premature revelations of State secrets, and aa his Priwate Secrettwies were the only persons who could possibly have known what*: the miesing manuscript contained — though even they had not been permitted to read it— the development oi the incident may be imagined. All throe men spent a pretty bad twenty m-tontes, ransacking every conceivable draver, corner and despatch box. . At length, white with despair, the Minister sent for the letters about to be despatched • by the evening mail. "We must open everyone- which contains enclosures,"* he said desperately. For a short time the trio worked quietly. Then Mr Mori. y. slit openarletter addressed to Mr Tim Healy, which should have oontained a copy of a private Bill concerning an Iribh railway This was certainly there, but, horror of horrors, it neßtled within tbe missing Home Bale Bill. The Irish Secretary fell into a chair speechless, aa the consequences which might and almost certainly would have followed the delivery of that letterflashed across his mind. "In another five- minutes it would havebeen in the post," he mnrmured faintly.. Then; as he reflected he grew grave, and, said, " Gentlemen, this is a very atrange. a®eid*>ut." .•"'-Allow me to- examine the back of thafc ! Billj Mr Morley," interjected the eldet*- ! Secretary, quiafrly. "Ah ! I thought so—** I and he pointed to the fol'owing pencil endorsement in his chief 's own neat handwriting :-<-" Copy of bill fop enclosure in Mr T. Healyls letter." The nabn-e 0? the mistcie now beo-urne apparent. In the hurry of leaving the room Mr Morley had end-wed the wrong Bill, and the Secretary, opening the right one, and seeing it was Healy's, supposed it must bo part and parcel of the endorsed manußonpt. " Good i__rd ! " was all the unfortunate Minister could ejaculate. To have sent Healy the Home Eule Bill by mistake would have been bad esongh, but with that endorsement on its hack, who wouM believe its despatch to bave been an accident?