St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-10
Salisbury Must Compel the
Sailors to Turn Over a
New Leaf.
Disposition Among Shipown-
ers to Give the Preference
to Foreigners.
Minister Morier Intends to
Take the Kinks Out Of
Bismarck.
snecfal Cable to the Globe.

next week. The report that the gov
ernment are preparing a compulsory
land purchase bill for Ireland is not
publicly credited, and is warmly denied
by the ministerialists. The act of last
session was passed partly in order that
the question might rest for time
probably for the tenn of this parlia-
ment. The most urgent questions the
ministry will consider next week, and
with regard to which there is now
some consultation between them, are
the navy estimates and the mode of
raising the money for the augmentation
of the navy. together with the period
over which the sum to be applied should
he spread as regards repayment. Then
as to the district councils, point Oh
which there are already two opinions
is whether these councils Sho uld
have rating powers or be dependent for
their funds on the county councils. The
British admiralty Office expects to find
strong opposition to voting the large adj
ditional amount which parliament will
be asked to grant for naval purposes at
the coming session. unless the govern
ment decides to take steps to help the
British sailor to turn over new leaf.
The official returns relating to the prog
ress Of British merchant shipping. just
published, show continued increase in
the proportion OF foreigners employed
on the British vessels during the past
year. In an article published to-day,
''the senior member OF large shipping
firm makes some statements on this
subject which cannot be regarded as
other than very serious by all who real
lie the Importance of the British mari
time carrying trade as an element ofthe
national defensive strength and the
PROSPERITY GF GREAT BRITAIN.
The writer goes so far as to say that
in the Eastern carrying trade especially
it is no longer considered advantageous
to carry an exclusively English crew,
and thar. indeed, the tendency is dis
tinctly in the direction of dispensing
with, the Ens shman, ii possible. This.
he says. IS result of increasing drunk
enneSs and want of discipline, partly in
consequence of higher wages and
shorter voyages. These faults are es-
pecially prevalent amongst the fremen.
In the Eastern trade the Lascar or
Chinaman is generally preferred by the
officers Of the steam lines, and in Euro
pean waters it is considered best to get
foreign crew. preference being given
in every case to Scandinavian sailors
and German tiremen. The board of
trade rules, the writer admits, are
grossly abused, and there is a widening
gulf between officers and men in
consequence of the increasing dis
position of the latter to take advantage
of the law on more or less trivial points
III every seaport town In order to delay
the ship. With reference to the outcry
raised by unemployed English seamen
that the foreign sailor and Lascar are
Ousting them from their rights, case is
mentioned in which Liverpool ship
owner, in Difference to an appeal, de-
cidedto try once more an exclusively
English crew on a steamer bound for
Bombay. The result was most I'M
fortunate. Twelve Cf the crew, who
had drawn half their pay in advance,
deserted before the ship started, and so
many troubles occurred during the
voyage that an order was sent to
SHIP A LAsCAR GREW
at the first opportunity. Had the eX-
pertinent succeeded, employment would
have been found by the owners in ques-
ton for some 500 English sailors: but it
is added that exclusively English crews
will never again be engaged on that line
of steamers. A similar attempt was
made i'll the harbor of Bombay in con-
crew if possible. But, although the
men when engaged were out of work,
and actually living on charity, thev
were so drunk when the time for sail
ing arrived, that they had TO be dis
charged as useless hands, and LaScar
crew shipped instead. During the past
ten wears there has been an increase of
$4,000 Lascars sailing from the port of
Bombay alone. The pay of the Euro
pean is about 93 per month that Of the
Lascar, 81 los. A leading Conservative
member of parliament, high in the min
isterialist councils, said to-day that if the
judgment of the special ParnelD COM
mission should sustain the accusations
against the Parneiiites the probable
course of the government would be to
dissolve parliament at once, in order to
obtain a new lease of power on the
strength of the report. Mr.. Schnad-
horst. the Liberal caucus king. in an in
terview to-day respecting such step,
said: Il do not think much of this ar
gument. Parliament is not dissolved
that way. There was a day in 1874,
well remembered, when Mr.. Gladstone
surprised most people by a dissolution.
In the afternoon friend asked DiSraeli
why Mr.. Gladstone had determined to
dissolve. Il suppose said the opposi-
tic SneerS, 1T was
BECAUSE HE HAD A SMALL MAJORITY
although it may be regarded certain
that this government will not abandon
power until after a general election,
there is no apparent probability that
the dissolution will be dictated by any
thing but failure in the conduct of
public business" Considerable mis-
apprehension appears to exist as to the
origin and significance of Cobden's IA
sary, spend hundred millions sterling
on England's navy. The passage in
question o'curs in private letter
written by MIR. Golden to Lord John
Russell, bearing the date August 2, 1860.
At that time Golden was engaged i'll
drawing up and arranging with En-
peror Napoleon and his ministers the
basis OF a commercial treaty between
England and France, Lord Cowley and
himself having been appointed her
majesty's plenipotentiaries for this
purpose. Tbe bellicose language
and attitude of Lord Palm
erston and his colleagues rem
dered Cobden's task more difficult
than it would otherwise have been. and
he consequently wrote to Lord Palmer
Ston and Lord John Russell to protest
against the conduct Of the British gov
eminent. In the letter to Lord John
Russell. which has just been unearthed,
occurs the passage: 81 would if neces
sary spend ore hundred millions ster
ling to maintain all irresistible superb
ority over France at sea-" but this
passage is Immediately followed by
others which it is necessary to bear in
mind in order to completely under
stand it. 81 had satisfied myself" con-
tinued Mr.. Golden, .tnat we were in
this position of security, and that there
was no foundation for the reports of
the sudden or unusual increase of the