Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-26
BRITISH STATISTICS FOR 1872.
Consul General Merritt's Report.

The annual report of General z. A. Mer-
rift, Consul General Of the United States
for Great Britain and ireland. has lust
been published. The statistics of the eX-
| ports and imports of Great Britain with all
countries is very full for the year ended
September 30, 1881, while the consular re-
ports from the different cities of the trade
with Great Britain give comparative tables
OF the exports for the past ten years. in
Guiding 1882. A summary of the exports
TO the United States for the year ended
september 80, 1882, shows that they
amounted to S179, 439, $40 Al, being an in
crease Of $20,653, 784 60 over the exports
to the United States in the preceding year.
/ Besides the statistical tables. Consul MeT-
rift refers to the question of emigration to
the United States, which he is of opinion
needs no stimulus as the forces already
at work twill keep up the stream of
emigration to a high point for years to
come" He suggests the appointment of
a commissioner of emigration, in the in
terest of a specially desirable class of
| emlgrants, as he has learned through
State Commissioners of Emigration s9there
are many English farmers discouraged by
the poor returns of their work who are
anxious to emigrate could they be suffi-
GENTLY informed in advance of what they
might expect" The report gives a good
synopsis of the elementary compulsory
education act Of 1870 and the work it is
accomplishing: also, Of the paupers re-
celVlng relief from the unions and par
lshes, exceeding in number a million for
Great Britain and Ireland. The statistics
of crime show that in 1881 in England and
w ales IA, 1856 persons were committed for
trial and 1853 convicted. In Scotland
=, IA were committed and 1882 convicted.
In Ireland OBI were committed and 1898
convicted. The accounts for 1882 indicate
I a m in ~al ara1 f1a Il
Of evictiOns in Ireland Consul Merritt
says:
I'm the year 1881 3,415 families, consist
ing of IL, 341 persons, were evicted in Ire
land, Of whom l,219 families (5,699 per-
sons) were in Ulster, 692' families (3,312
! persons) in Lester, 7S4 families (4,37S
| persons in COnnaught and 720 families
| 1856 persons in Munster. The greatest
number Of eyictiOns in any one quarter was
IN that ending September 80, when 1,2S2
/ families (6,496 pers0ns) We're evicted,
! and the least in that ending March
| 81, $50 families (1,732 persOns) having
! been eyicted. OF the total evicted during
| the year 1914 families 1855 persons We're
| readmitted as tenants, and 1856 families
! lS,917 persOns) as 'caretakers.' At the
| MlchaelmaS sessions the number of eject
ment DEGREES granted was 1920, of which
| Liza were for nOn-payment of rent, and
/ the remainder for overlooking and on
| title"
Under the head of religious institutions
we learn that the Salvation Army is COM
! posed of 10000 soldiers" trained ready
| to speak at any time in or out of doors:
| that 1t holds 6,220 services weekly, and
| claims to reach 100000 people in the
| streets and highways each week. Towns
! and hires $50 theatres, concert halls.
! warehouses and other buildings, and, SAYS
Mr.. Merritt, Its converts are so numer-
! Gus that it is looked upon as an indie
| pendent religious organization, whose in
! tuence is most beneficial" On the ques-
| ton of the tariff Mr.. Merritt, who was
| formerly Collector of Customs at New
! York, has something to say. Promising
| that 1t Will be modified, he suggests, first,
| whenever practicable the duties should be
made simple and specific, and adj
| Justed so as to discriminate in favor of
| American labor; second, that all
articles bearing small duty be put
! on the free list; third, that works of art,
antiques, ETC., be admitted free of duty,
| as well as all books of a scientific
! and general educational character. The
| principle Of protection he considers should
! be limited to ''new, important and vet
| struggling industries" and all raw ma
| terial should be admitted either free or at
a low rate Of duty. He also suggests a
! simpliticatiOn of the customs laws, and re-
! CARDS the most equitable basis for fixing
values upon merchandise subject to adj
YalOrem rates of duty to be ''the average
wholesale price in bond at the prin-
cipal ports Of the United States" In re-
| lation to the British national debt Gen.
Merritt states that for the past twenty
five years it has slowly but steadily de-
creased the elimination being at the rate
of about S15,0OO,OO0 year, which repre-
sents about the monthly decrease of the
debt Of the United States. The present
debt is about $3,SI5, 229, 700, or about
double that of the United States.