Morning journal and courier., 1884-09-27
MORNING, SEPTEMBER 27. 1884.

stood in the way of the adoption of other re form measures which would have improved
 the government of the city of New York
 and saved the taxpayers from robbery by Democratic ofiee-holders.
 l A law passed in 1875 made radical change I in the management of French prisons, an6 now all prisoners are required to be kep1 ! isolated from one another by day as well as I by night. Criminals whose terms of sentence do not exceed one year are lodged in prisons
 belonging to the department within whict l they were convicted. The point most insist ! ed on is a sufficient number of cells to keel l those who might be innocent of the charge 1 against them from coming in contact witt \ the habitual criminals The matter hung fire long time, but in 1880 the cooperation
 of the government was finally secured, and | the proposed reforms are now in process o1 I execution.
 l A calculation has been made as to the amount spent upon intoxicating drinks 1T
 Prussia, and the following result has beer 1 arrived at: In the year 1882 the Prussiar treasury collected nearly 55,000,000 marks (about s14, 900, ,0OO) from the tax on eau-de
 refunded in the shape of drawbacks for ex 1 port. Taking the tax at 15 pfennigs (about { cents) per itre, the consumption of eau-de
 vie must be about 261, ,O0O, 900 litres, or 911z 1 litres (nearly two gallons) for every inhab ! itant. The quantity of wine consumed ir Prussia during 1889 was 2,751 ,442 gallons which, at the average price of 1 mark 20 pf per itre, represents an expenditure of 73, l 080, 900 marks (about $18, ,20O, ,OOO. The quantity of beer consumed was 103, ,000, ,00( 1 gallons, which at about % cents gallo1 gives total of about $25, ,75O, 900 as tho whole expenditure upon beer, wine, and ! spirits, being not far short of one-tenth oi the whole annual revenue of the kingdom Preparations are being made in Manches l ter, England, to celebrate the twenty-frst anniversary of the Wholesale Go operative society. This concern was made a part ot the retail cooperative system because private tradesmen united and informed wholesale dealers that they would cease to buy of them if they sold goods at the same rates to CO., Op6TdGOTS. 1uuS 1OICGu LO O616Lu GuGIl- selves, the promoters of the system devised the plan of doing their own wholesale busi-
 ness, and central store was founded at Man chester, with capital supplied by large number of the retail organizations. Friends
 of the movement point out that in twenty one years the members of the societies have
 increased sevenfold, their capital seventeen
 EoIl 4l,oS eo1J Ioo4 with this ratio of increase the first years of the coming century will see the whole of the working classes of England interested in as sociations which will have the staple trades under their control. The Wholesale Coop erative society has purchased depots in this country and on the continent of Europe. It owns buildings and steamers and carries on a banking department.
 A correspondent of the Montreal Gazette who has recently visited the Panama Canal diggings does not make 8 very encouraging report. Little substantial progress has been made in the past six months, he says, not withstanding the fact that sixteen thousand men were said to be at work. During the wet season in August not more than 1000 persons were really employed; the hospital contained 440 patients when the sickly per iod of the year came on and nearly 160 were confined to their homes. The 1aborers are now nearly all Jamaicans; spirit and energy are lacking, while confusion and bad man agement are apparent on all sides; and the idea of De Lesseps opening the canal in 1888
 is ridiculed as preposterous. According to Panama estimates, the Star and Herald of
 that city giving some of the figures, hardly
 one-thirtieth of the work has been finished, while $80, ,000, 900, or one-third of the capital,
 has been absorbed Time and money. it is
 claimed, are being frittered away in planting
 trees and shrubbery and improving the land
 scape at different points, while heavy tropi-
 cal rains have seriously interfered with con-
 structions. IA day of reckoning is coming,
 says the correspondent, ''when the Paris di- rectors will have to face the unfortunate shareholders. The awakening that awaits the latter will be painful and lasting"