The morning call., 1891-08-10
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EDITORIAL NOTES,

Balfour recently announced that the Govern.
ment would present at The next session Of Par
lament LEGAL County Government Bill for Ire
land, but so far as outlined Ii Is devoid Of much
desired hone-rule features. 1t is proposed TO
divide the island into local government Districts
vested with power to borrow money. levy taxes
aud expeDd rates. The districts would be au-
thorized 10 establish and maintain schools and
poor-fouses, erect bridges, repair highways, and
have the care aud direction Of all jails, lunatic
asylums and courts OF Justice. The County
Councils would be composed OF an equal num-
Der of Justices of the Peace appointed by the
Grown and OF men daily elected by ballot for a
tenn OF years by the taxpayers All appeals
from their acts are TO be taken TO the Judge of
the County Court and both would conjointly
have power over the police. An Irish Local
Government Board located at Dublin, would
control the districts and report their dopgs 10
Parliament. The Chicago Tribune points out
that ii the scheme should 20 through "all that
the Tories could control would be the County
Boards OF Antrim, Down, Derry, Armagh and
Belfast. The home-rulers and Liberals would
control The County Boards for Dublin, Cork and
twenty eight of the ihirfy-twO Irish counties
with all the patronage which that implies"
The army experts engaged in selecting a
3Ocaliber rife fol the army In place of the
40 caliber Springfield ought TO be able to
pick ont yeiy superior weapon. The board
las received specimens of the arms adopted by
Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium. Germany, Aus
tlla, Portugal, Japan and one eXpermenially
adopted by England. One OF the new Russian
guns tie Gar aided in designing, and an Italian
gun Will also be secured. France, however, de-
clined 10 supply one OF the new rifles capable Of
such deadly execution. The board first tests a
weapon for rapidity with accuracy. The second
test is for Talidiiy without counting hits. The
third test is 10 fIe SEQ contiguous rounds with
out cleaning. using the magazine; then 10 fire
100 continuous rounds, using the gun as single
loader. The fourth test is 10 determine whether
the gun can successfully withstand being car
red through sandy desert and remain in sery-
iceable condition, so that 1t may be Immediately
fired. sand blowing apparatus Is used in this
test. In the next uial defective cartridges play
a conspicuous part
While the Spanish Reciprocity TT atty may
not exactly please the workmen of Barcelona, it
is highly satisfactory 10 The people OF Cuba and
Porto Rico. This treaty, aside from the lmpor-
tart commercial reasons which urged its adop-
tion, ii Is now averred, was Tie price OF peace III
CUBA. Without il, those who understood the
situation maintain that ii would have been i'm
possible for the Spanish Cabinet 10 have much
longer resisted the Using storm OF discomfort.
The development OF beet culture in Germany had
excluded Cuba from the European market and
lad cut down lie price Of sugar from 6 to 3
cents a pound. The market of this country de-
pended on an onIinOuS provision in the Mckln-
ley Bill which made IL possible 10 close the doors
TO Cuban sugars. The problem before the sugar.
planters was loyalty 10 Spain with bankruptcy
or reciprocity with the United States and pros
rerity. The treaty VIII result in a marked in
crease in our exports to Cuba. The manufacturer,
mechanic and The farmer sharing in the benefits
derived thereirom.
Tie EudymiOn, one OF the nine first-class pro-
tecled cruisers being built for The British navy,
which was launched at Huh, is 360 feet long,
with beam of GO feet. Her mean draught is %
feet inches, her displacement 1850 tons, and
her engines, with forced draught, are OF $4,000
Indicated hoTse- power. Her armament VIII cor
sist of two 92-inch breech-loadng guns, fitted
on tie upper dfck and protected by shields; SIX
6-inch qulck-nring guns, on central pivot mount
ngS, projected by 3-inch shields, ana four 6-inch
quick firing guns, on Tie same mOuntings, pro-
tecied by six inches Of compound amor. She
Will also have q dozen C-pounder quick firing
guns, four 3-pounders, seven 45-inch hve-Dar-
relied Nordenfeldts and four torpedo tubes with
a supply OF eighteen 1S-nch Whitehead torpe-
does.
There are now sixty vacancies in the corps OF
cadeIs NJ The United States Military Academy,
number equal 10 one-siXth of Its strength rs fixed
by law. The large number of vacancies that
nUally exist is attributable 10 The indifference of
Congressman in making appointments and in the
selection OF persons uot properly qualified 10 pass
the preliminary examination. The matter WAS
recently considered by the Board of Visitors,
and il Is understood that they determined 10
recommend u change in The law regulating APP
lOintments that each Senator Will be author
lied 10 nominate candidate as now done by
each member OF The Lower House.
EnEland's torpedo-boats are not giving salts
faction. Defects developed in the Spanker,
Sharpsbooier and Speedwell have provoked
from The Unite2 Service Gazette The declaration
that the money expended upon the eighteen
sells OF this class has been absolutely wasted.
- II is Wel-kDown fact" ii says, " that not
only the bulls of these wretched vessels too
weak 10 withstand the shaking CT the engines,
but That the engines and boilers themselves have
been cut down TO the lowest possible limit or
weight and strength"