The sun., 1880-11-21
WHAa rs GOING ON IN EUROPE

spvos and the reports that firearms are being
imported by omissaries OF tho diaaffected ma
tivee. and that fresh troops are being sent to
the disturbed district. or held IN readiness to
start at moments notice, Indicate that q Sc
rious outbreak is feared. In the mean time the
energies OF oil political parties nro turned to
devisine some way OF rendering justice to
Ireland s-whatever that may moan-and the |
acts Of Parliament which gave effect to II Grit
lth's valuation" are being vigorously dis
cussed. As explained last week. this valuation |
OF the land is declared by the Land League to |
be the basis upon which the rent should be cal |
cuiated. Tho Irish Land COMMITTEES. which has |
been established In the interests Of tho land
lords, has Issued O pamphlet disputinR this. |
The first point raised Is that this val |
uation was made more than thirty years ago. |
and that 1t was not made with q view OF esti- |
mating the rental value OF the land. but was in |
stiPated by tho Government OF that day as |
preliminary to the assessment OF taxes on |
houses as well as land. But while the act OF |
Parliament based on this valuation specified |
that the rent Of house property should be COM |
puted under this valuation. nothing was said |
about taking it q basis for the rental Of land.
The act indeed. Is explicit in stating that |
the valuation OF the land tfor purposes Of taxa
toni shall be made upon the net annual value |
thereof. with reference to the average prices OF
the several articles OF agricultural produce
hereinafter specified" and another section
sets forth that tho met annual value" OF O |
house means the rent for which. one year
with another. the same might in its actual
state bo reasonably expected to let from year to
year." No such words are used with respect to
the land. and the section Just quoted is clear on
the point that the valuation OF the land shall be
regulated by the average prices OF tho produce
The Land Committee's pamphlet then pro-
ceeds to compare the different values OF produce
in 1852 and 1877. Beef has risen nearly 100
per cent. mutton and butter so per cent. pork
and oats SO per cent. and wheat 80 per cent
This demonstrates that to rely on Griflth's
valuation In estimating the rental value OF the
land to-day would be very unfair. Moreover.
that valuation was made at a time Of agrcul-
tural depression, and "Thom's Almanack."
which is an accepted authority in these mat
ters, says: THE valuation Ia considerably too
low. unequal and less than that OF lands OF
similar quality in other parts OF Ireland which
were moro recently valued" That the land has
considerably increased in value Is not denied
except by those who are under the control Of
the Land League 1t is urged. however. that
this increase In value has been caused
by tho capital and labor Of the tenant.
There are doubts as to tho truth OF this. 1t is
certain that under the existing land acts large
sums OF money-hfteen millions OF dollars. in
fact-have been borrowed from the Govern
ment and expended in drainage and other i'm
| provements. 1t is estimated that as much. IL
| not more. money has been expended by the
| Weather landlords. 1t may reasonably be
| doubted. from the we'll known thriftessness OF
| the Irish peasantry whether they have ever
| possessed any capital to invest. But supposing
that they have done all that they claim for the
land. they havo done so with their eyes open.
/ nd ha lau nj ant or nd mi Gaa
| ample allowance for improvements on the land.
which an incoming tenant has to pay for. No
| doubt some injustice is done to an outgoing
| tenant. but the same hardship is endured by the
| English and Scotch tenants. Before an Eng
lishman lays out capital on a farm which he
| does not own he secures a lease OF seven. four
teen. or twenty-one years. and II the Irishman
has not protected himself in the samo way he
must put up with the consequences Of his own
want OF foresight Irishmen are not fools in
| business matters. and 1t is probable that this
talk Of their being defrsuded OF their capital
and labor is nothing but a cry raised By the
| Land League.
One OF the most remarkable sights Of London
is the telegraphic department Of the general
Post ONCE. in st. Martins 10 Grand. Since the
| purchase OF the tclegraphs By tho Government
| and the Introduction OF cheap messages the
whole business passes through the general Of
ace. London 10 divided into twenty postal dis
tricts. each one having chief office. These are
not connected with one another. but all are in
direct communication with st. Martins 10
Grand. This is effected BY means OF pneumatic
tubes as we'll as by electricity. A message.
therefore, after being received at the chief office
OF the postal division. is enclosed in cartridge
shaped india rubber case. which is placed in the
tube and propelled to st. Martins 10 Grand by
air. which is forced into the tube by two steam
engines OF 500 horse power eaoh The case con-
tanning the message is then sent In the same
way to the chief office OF the postal division
in which 1t is to be delivered. There
are two tube connections with each division
one to bring the messages and the other to send
them. The object in using these tubes for
transmitting teleRrams bodily instead OF
wiring them 10 that errors are less likely to
occur. The whole OF this business. amounting
often to fifty thousand telegrams and million
words OF news a day. is conducted at the
general Post Oflce In one large room. the
different departments OF which are also con-
nected pneumaticaly. SO that II q message Is
received from France to be sent to Liverpool
the clerk receiving 1t sends It through q tube
to the clerk who wires it to Liverpool. By this
means all rushing about 10 avoided. About a
minute passes from the time message 10
received until 1t is on its way again. The tele-
graphic instrument used 10 that known as the
Morse. BY 1t messages are sent ut the rate OF
over $50 words q minute. This is faster than
an ordinary speaker can speak. Thus. il Mr.
Gladstone should speak for an hour his words
can be transmitted in three quarters OF that time
The wonder which was created in the public
mind by the discovery OF the duplex system Of
telegraphy, or tho transmission OF two messages
from either end Of the same wire imultaneous
ly. would be increased by visit to st. Martins
le Grand. There may be seen 'quadruplex tel
egraphy. In many instances four clerks are
employed. two sending and two receiving mes
sages over one wire at the same time. Nor II
this one wire serving single town. In many
cases 1t works for four the messages passinl
md Ind. aaah 9th sith....t tha