New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-30
NOTES FROM LONDON.
SAILORS AND SHIP-OWNERS-THE PARKS
THE NATION AND THE TIMES.

carving n. Mr.. Chamberlain mas ueNoteu
TO the cause Of the sailor. He Is sincerely W
stop the wanton waste of life at see. ne mas III.
vestigated his subject. He has declared ms Oeiiel
that great part of the waste is preventlOie, ana
has gwen his reasons. lie has brought grave
charges against ship-owners not as uuuers'anu'
against all ship-owners even against shlp-owhers
as class but against the black sheep OF the HOOK
In a bill. however. it is impossible to discriminate
opd the Merchant shipping Bill which Mr. Chamber
lain has prepared is pretty sweeping measure, ana
bv its ex tremo strngency will injure say those
whose business il affects. the prosperity of British
commerce; none too great just now, even II lett
alone. The ship-owners complain alike OF the
clauses providing directly for the protection OF the
sailor and of those which provide for it indirectly
by dscOuragng Over-insurauce.
1t is of the latter part of the bill that their COM
plants are loudest MIR. Chamberlain has said more
than once that there is a class of shipowners who
make profit by over-insuring ships intended to be
lost He means to make illegal and impossible to
insure ship for more than its real value. His an
tagonists are in a great heat about this They say
Mr. Chamberlain has made unfonnded mputatlohs
on them and they challenge him to prove them be-
fore Select Committee. Mr.. Chamberlain answers
that a Select Committee is device for wasting time
and preventing legislation and that while witnesses
are testfying sailors will drown. Upon this depu-
tation is proposed The ship-Owners appeal from the
President of the Board of Trade to the Prime Min
lister Ii is usual III the case of a measure within
the department of particular Minister that TINS
Mnistershould receive the Populations wanting to
be heard it, If they desired to state their case to
the Head of the Government ms colleague Woulu
naturally be present at the interview But the
ship-owners vow they will not come If MI Cham
bcrlain be in the room. This may be, i'll part, mere
anger 1t is probably in good part az calculated
scheme for convincing the public that the innocent
sbip-owner has been cruelty wrOngcd by the Presi-
dent Of the Board of Trade.
If however, MI Gladstone should decline TO sane
ton slight upon his colleague, the case OF the ship
owners would not be much advanced They are so
strong in Parliament and the alliance between them
and railway directors and chairmen of companies
and the like is so close that Mr.. Chamberlain will
probably be compelled 10 make a concession OF some
sort The main business of the session after Egypt
is the Franchise bill. bill of the magnitude OF Mr.
Chamberlains fought so bitterly it is, will have
but slender chance of passing unless he comes to
terms with his adverSaries The latest suggestion Is
that he should cut his bill in two proceed with the
less hotly opposed part of it, and allow the insur
ance clauses to 90 before a Select Committee and
prove his case if he can In his general aim, Mr..
Chamberlain has and deserves TO have the public
with him If he has made mistake in his figures
or generazed too rashy at the expense OF the ship
owners the fault probably lies with the permanent
officials of the Board of Trade. Correspondence
about these matters has been going on in the papers
and the ship-owners have certainly scored more
points than one against the officials Rightly or
wrongly there is a feeling that the Board of Trade is
not strongly-manncd. and not a match for the very
able men who own and manage the great fleet OF
England.
Mr.. Shaw-Lcfcvre considers himself, believe
sure of an ultimate majority for his underground
Park Railway bill. The vote IN the House on Tues
dav is not to be considered conclusive because the
division was taken AT early stage of the measure
and many members felt that IL was only fair to the /
First Commissioner that the merits OF ms scheme /
should be threshed ont in Committee. Nor Is It |
likely the bill can be defeated III the House of Com
mons. Mr.. Shaw-Lefevre is popular and trusted, /
and his sanction 10 the measure will carry good /
many. votes which, ON a non-poiitcal question. |
might not be given TO the measure merely as a Gov
eminent measure. Popular agitation the basis OF
danger TO the Parks would Kill il, but the efforts 70
raise such agitation have not been successful 1t /
is urged that the Government can protect the
Parks and may be trusted to enforce the stringent
covenants AGAINST blow-holes and against too
nctr approach 10 the surface which they have IN
serted in Their stpuiations with the promoting com
pany and in the bill itself. Possibly, but LOndoncrs
would none the less do we'll 10 avoid the risk
altogether. If a popular vote could be taken, !
don't believe majority would support the proposal.
The danger to the Parks may not be great but II is
Il danger and nobody supposes the Office of Works
would have taken the matter mp but for the chance
ii gives them of electilg certain street improve
meutS in Westminster free of cost to the Govern
ment.
Not the least suspicious circumstance in
nection with the bill is the fact that Sir Edward
Watkin advocates it. That able and INSCRIPTIONS
railway manager has never been accused of cOnsid-
erng the public interest in preference to that of his
shareholders or his own. lie ayOws his contempt
for the public aud not only avOws 1t but proves it
IN the management of the Southeastern Railway
where he is supreme He proved it abundantly in
the matter of the Channel Tunnel Tie Times
usually cautious in such matters says plumpy that
SIR Edward Watkin has made the Southeastern a
bvword It ridicules his appearance advocate
OF public grounds of bill which he really supports
IN the interest of tine Metropolitan RaIlway-one of
The two existing underground companies. The public
Il saws has very jusihable suspicion Of Sir Edward
Watkin and his railway schemes, and concludes
that there must be a great deal TO be said in favor
of this Park bill when the bombastIc support of it
bv Sir Edward did not suffice to defeat it, But
there is also a great deal 10 be said against it, In
dcpcudenty of the question of the probable injury
t. HYDE Park the proposed line is not good one
People don't want to go from Edgeware Road to
Albert Gate, but to Charing Cross. For the
vcuience of members of Parliament the Park route
has been shrewdly chosen but are to suppose
That Parliament is going to egislate In such
matter merely or mainly for its own convenience
New-York weekly which occasionally makes
pietensiOns to knowledge of English affairs, pub
fishes some highly remarkable observations on the
editorship of The London Times. The anonymous
system says he Nation, has disappeared, and it
traces this disappearance to Mr.. Delane, who
q broke through the veil and made the editor per-
son8ge known in society and at the clubs" Nobody
would be Disguised Delane could he read what
is here said of him. Nobody ever took more pains