The morning call., 1891-02-28
EDITORIAL NOTES.

Sir Charles Tuppers declaration that If Sir
John Macdonald succeeds In carrying the cleo
ton a line OF steamers from Canada TO France
and England would be subsidized To the extent
of S750OO0 shows the strong determination OF
the British TO encourage the new avenue OF
trade created by tile construction OF The Cana
dian Pacific. Sir George Baden-Powell. in an ad-
dress recently delivered before the London
Chamber of Commerce on "The New Mail Route
10 China and Australia" explained that the DO
sitOn England held fifty years ago as the CENTER
OF the commerce of the world had been seriously
imperiled by the construction twenty hVe years
ago of the Suez Canal. This new artery of COM
merce had, he claimed, greatly diminished the
performance of English shipping on the Allan
tic. It took the English position In the flank,
affordng, as IT did TO their rival route to the
East much shorter than England could hope TO
possess The overland route from Paris to
BrindisI or from Vienna TO Trieste was so much
shorter than the sea route that English trade
suffered. The completion of the Canadian Pa
cifc provided another "Oyerand" route 10 the
East, which promises, Sir George thought
10 enable England " TO recover lost ground
and again become the worlds commercial
center" The China and japan service Will be
begun early in The spring with their new. fast
steamers. The Atlantic and Australian services
are not yet arranged for but capitalists said
TO be ready TO put their money into them, and the
home Government and Canada will aid them
with liberal subsidies. The whole scheme is
regarded as a new link 10 bind the empire to-
gether' and as " means Of increasing the flow
of commerce." These facts show the great ne
cessIy of advancing our own interests the
Pacific. The construction of the trans-Pacihc
cable the encouragement OF the shipping inter
esGs aud the completion OF The Nicaragua Canal
would accomplish the desired object.
1t now looks as though the Fify-hrst Con-
gresS Will do something for the encouragement
of our shipping interests. The bill as passed by
the House after one of the most exciting parlia
mentary struggles marking the last hours of
Congress is radicalyi different from the Senate
measure. 1t authorizes the Postmaster General
To enter into such contract for not less than
five nor more than ten years with American citi-
Zens for carrying the mails on American steam
ships between United States ports and foreign
ports, Canada excepted, as viii subserve and
promote The postal and commercial interests of
the United States, the mail service to
be eQultably distributed amoug Atlantic, MeXl-
| can Gulf and Pacific Coast ports. The vessels
contracted with must be of American build and
| oificered by American citizens Ii is hoped that
| the Senate and House will soon reconcile their
| differences in conference. The subsidies In the
| aggregate are likely TO be small when compared
! with the encouragement received by foreign
| shipping. The Committee Merchant Marine
! and Fisheries recently found that The annual
| amounts paid for The encouragement of foreign
| commerce in The form ot hountles and compensa-
! lions for The transportation OF mails amounted
| TO the following sums: France S6.792,77S;
| England, S4069S74; Italy S3,5O3, 035 Ger
many, S3131 60; Argentine Republic, So o0O,
600; Brazil. S1,7Oo 900; SDan Sl,571 035
Mexico, S75S, 900; Canada $3.50 600; Japan
! 100000; Russia, S454,3 o6; Belgium, $780,,
! 1877; Austro- Hungary, 1868, 900; Australian
! Colonies, S2SO,0OO; Chile, S225, 900; Portugal
| Sl0S,000; Trinidad S9S,000; Barbadoes, 500,
900; Jamaica, 1000; New Zealand, 200
40 a.l
The Census Office in an interesting bulletin on
the center OF population, shows that the
hub of The Union was located by the last
census in Southern Indiana at a point little
west OF South Greenburg the county seat of
| Decatur County and twenty miles east OF
| Columbus. In the rapid westward movement
| il is remarkable how close the center of popula-
ton has clung TO the 39o OF latitude. Tie most
| northern point was recorded In 1890 and The
most southern in 1880. The westward move.
ment by decades was: 179O-1SOO, Al miles;
1SOO-181O, 80 miles; 191o,1S2O. 30 miles;
| 1S20-1S30, 80 miles; 1S30-1S40, 30 miles !;
| 1S4O-lS5O 90 miles; 1S5O-lS6O. 81 miles
1SG0-1ST0, AZ miles; 1S70-1SSo. 50 miles;
| 169O-1S90 As miles, total westward move
ment OF sos miles.
The Spanish Government is also going to
| struct a couple Of commerce destrOyers, arrange
menls having been made for building two
! of twenty-five knots and an Indicated horse
power of 10000. They Will resemble the Blake
and Blenheim of the British Navy. and Will rank
among the fastest and most powerful cruisers
| afioat possessing great offensive powers, while
| their speed Will enable them to distance great
| ironciads. II is probable that American skill
and ingenuity VIII give Cruiser No. IL a greater
| speed than her foreign rival fors the supremacy
OF the seas. She is to have the same power with
a displacement Of 74oo tons, aud there are some
sangune caculators who think she will be able
to make twenty-three or even twenty-four knots
The proposition to bridge the Bosphorus. first
broached over a quarter OF a century ago by the
Austrian engineer Won Rupert is now under
consideration by the Turkish Government The
design under discussion places the length of the
proposed structure, with draw spans aud APP
proaches, at $3.50 feet. The height above sea
level is placed at a shade over 13i feet. The
plans also contemplate the construction of docks
and elevator buildings on the Asatc side
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In a letter from Rome to the Sunday
al fs al