Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-13
Political Skirmishing in the
British Parliament.
Prospective Early Reunion of
the Irish Party.
A Portentous Assembling of Fleets in
the Levant.
London Coal Porters Win Their Strike
The Pope Takes Deep Interest
In the Worlds Fair-Rus-
sian Horrors.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
LONDON, Feb. 12.-[Copyright, 1892,
by the New York Associated Press. J.
Until Balfour introduces the Irish local
government bill, on Thursday next, the
proceedings in parliament will be mere
party skirmishes. Though the ministers
decline to satisfy the politicians who
crave to know the gist of the Irish pro-
posals, the draft of the bill, which is
now in type. is known to contain host
of clauses rivaling in complexjty Bal
four's land act.
A high informant describes it as in
substance an application of the English
county council act, without adhering
strictly to the existing county areas.
With view to protect the minority
that is, the Conservative strengthen
districts where the National vote is
strong, arbitrary electoral boundaries
are created. As in England, three
fourths of the members of each council
will be elected by the rate payers, por-
tion of the rest by the councillors and
certain number by the Irish executive.
The councils are to have control of the
local police, excepting the appointment
of the chief constables; the control of
licensing; the administration of the
poor law; asylums, industrial schools
and prison, excepting stated government
prisons, and roads and public works.
Imperial police will be maintained in
lessened force.
A conference of tn Irish landlords re-
Gently sent Balfour, through the duke
of Abercorn, demand that clergymen
be excluded from the county boards.
the aim being to deprive priests OF in
fuence. Balfour declined to comply
with the wishes of the landlords.
The Irish leaders of both groups de-
clare their readiness to adopt what they
that the bill will be found in the main
impossible OF acceptance. The early re-
suit of combined attack on this bin
will be the reunion of the Iri sh party.
PoRTENToUs GATHERING OF FLEETS.
There is something protentous in the
simultaneous assembling in the Levant
of the fleets of the great powers. Since
it has become known that the French
and Russian equadrons in the Mediter
ranean are GO ing To Alexandria, orders
have been sent to the Austrian admiral,
Rothchildt, now at Smyrna, to
sail with his five warships
to Piraeus, where his squadron will be
Joined by two Italian ironclads and
division of the German squadron.
Within fortnight the united squadrons
of the dreibund will be within co.operat.
ing distance OF the English fleet at
Alexandra. If frances design is to
impress the khedive by naval demon
stration, England and her allies are
ready to make more impressive dem
onstration.
CAUSE OF THE COAL PoRTERs' STRIKE.
The real cause of the strike of the
coal porters, is the fact the leaders
learned that the employees were COM
bining to oust union hands. Other
unions side with the coal porters. The
strikers and masters had meeting to-
day, when the men offered to resume
work on condition that all strikers be
reinstated and the non-union men dis
missed. The masters refused. On ac-
count of. the deadlock, small retailers of
coal have raised the price 100 per cent.
The strikers allow coal for hospitals and
charitable institutions to leave the coal
depots without interference.
Id THE ACCIDENT TO THE VICTORIA.
In the commons Lord George Hamil-
ton said the accident to the ironclad
Victoria had been made the subject of
an inquiry, but refused to give details.
The Associated Press reporter learned,
however, that the accident was entirely
due to carelessness. A boats crew were
sent out to mark with buoy shoal,
the existence of which was perfectly
known to the officers. The shoal is
very narrow and extends from the shore.
The crew were instructed to proceed
along the shoal from the shore until ten
fathoms of water were reached, and then
mark the spot with a buoy. When
within one hundred yards of the end,
the boat got off the shoal, and as the
next sounding showed over ten fathoms
of water, the crew supposed all was
right and placed the buoy there. The
Victoria then came along at good
speed at right angles to the shoal
to take a position for torpedo practice,
and passing we'll outside the buoy, sud-
denly struck the shoal. Hon. Maurice
Bourke, who was with the navigating
officer and is held responsible for the
accident, is great chum OF the duke of
Edinburgh, having served with him in
Malta and having visited Russia.
ITALIAN ROYALTIES.
The king and queen of Italy have
abandoned the idea of visiting England
on account of the death Of the duke of
Clarence. The prince of Naples will
soon start on tour of Australia. He
will be accompanied by an official
charged to report on Australia as a field
for Italian immigration, the United
States having come into disfavor, and
the Argentine republic complaining that
immigration has been overdone there.
BIG STRIKE ENDED.