, 1892-02-13
WAY OVER IN ENGLAND
Balfour's Irish Bill will be In
troduced Thursday.
What it Provides for the
. Sons of Erin.
The Egyptian Khedive Excited
by Foreign Warships.
The English Political situation

The English Political
copyrighted 1892 by N. Y. Associated Press
LONDON, Feb. l2.-Until Balfour in
PRODUCES the Irish local government bill
on Thursday next proceedings In parlia-
ment will be mere party skirmlshing.
Though the ministers decline to satisfy
politicians who crave to know the gist of
the Irish proposals, a draft of the bill
which is now in type Is known to contain
a host of clauses rivalling the completely
of B~altour's land act. A high informant
describes it as, IN substance. the appllca-
ton of the English county council act
without adhering strictly to existing coun-
ty areas. With a view to protecting the
minority-that Is, the Conservative
Strengthen districts where the national
vote Is strong, arbitrary electoral bounda-
I ries are created.
As in England, three-fourths of the
members of each council will be elected by
the rate of payers, a portion of the rest
by councillors and a a certain number by
the Irish executive. The councils are to
have control of the local police. excepting
the appointment Of chief constables; con-
troll of licensing; administration OF the
poor law, asylums, industrial schools and
prisons. excepting stated government
prisons and roads and public works. The
imperial police will be maintained in
lessened force.
A conference of the Irish landlords re-
Gently sent Balfour, through the Duke of
Abercorn, a demand that clerCymen be
excluded from the county boards, the aim
being to deprive the priests of their IN
huence. Balfour declined to comply with
the wishes of the landlords. The Irish
leaders of both groups declare a readiness
to adopt what they can of Balfour's pro-
posals. but concur that the bill will be
found in the main impossible Of accept
ance. An early result of the combined
attack on this bill will be a reunion of the
Irish party.
There is something portentlous 10 sim
ultaneous assembling in the levant of
fleets of the great powers. Since it be-
came known the French and Russian
squadrons in the Mediterranean are go.
ing to Alexandria orders lave been sent
to American Admiral Rohtschidt, now at
Smyrna, to sail with his five warships for
PTeus, where his squadron will be joined
by two Italian iron clads and a division of
the German squadron.
Within a fortnight the united squad
rons of the dreibund will be within co.
operating distance of the English feet at
Alexandra. IF frances design is to
impress the khediye by a naval demon
s%tration, England and her allies are ready
to make a more impressive demonstration.
The real cause of the strike of coal
porters is the fact that the men learned
their employers we're combining to GUST
the union hands. Other unions side with
the coal porters.
The strikers and their masters had a
meeting today when the men offered to
resume work on condition all strikers be
reinstated and non-Union men be dis
missed. The masters refused on account
of the deadlock of the small retailers hav-
ing raised the price 100 per cent. The
strikers allow coal for hospitals and
charitable institutions to leave the coal
depots without interference.
In the commons Lord George Hamilton
said the accident to the iron clad Victoria
refused to give the details. The Asso-
ciated Press reporter learned the Viewer
accident was entirely due to carelessness.
The boats crew sent out to mark with
a buoy a shoal, the existence OF which is
perfectly known to the officers. The
shoal is very narrow and exten is from the
shore. The crew were instructed to pro-
coed along the shoal. from the shore until
ten fathoms of water were reached and
then mark the spot with the buoy. When
within a 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 a
good speed at right angles to
the Shoal to take position for torpedo
practice aud passing well outside the
buoy, suddenly struck the Shoal. Hon.
Maurice Bourke, who with the N~avigat-
ing officer, is held responsible for the &C
cident, is great uncle of the Duke oil
Edlnburg, having served with him in
Malta and having visited Russia.
The king and queen of Italy have
abandoned the idea of visiting England
on account of the death OF the Duke
Clarence.
The Prince of Naples will aoon start
on a tour to Australia. He will be &C
companied by an official charged to re-
port on Australia as a field for Italian
immigration. the United States having
fallen into disfavor and the Argentine
Republic is complaining that Italian im-
migration has been oyerdope there.