Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-22
PROPHECIES OF SUFFERING.

The Destitute Of London Have Prospects of
a Terrible Winter.
London Cable to the New York Sun
The great Death has been devastating the
continent without mercy this summer, but
England must prepare for the coming Of a
spectre only less terrible. great Hunger
will soon invade Britain. The signs of his
coming are everywhere. Those whose business
it is to aid others in fighting him nay that he
has already gained foothold in London. They
explain that not for many years until now has
there been genuine distress in the metropolis
due to great commercial and economic causes
Poor and destitute there always are in large
numbers, but their sufferings for long time
have been due to individual and special causes
Thousands of skilled workmeu, in almost all
trades, are now idle, through no fault Of their
own. The evil has grown gradually Alton
ton has not been called to it by the sudden dis
charge of great bodies Of men. Working forces
have been cut down gradually and the process
is still gong on. The docks are half deserted.
The textile clothing and printing trades are
dull almost beyond precedent. A larger pro-
portion of men are idle in the shipbuilding, en-
gineering and related trades than for many
years. The situation has been growing worse
for fifteen months, but in September things
took much sharper downward turn.
The labor bureau of the board of trade makes
gloomy report Of the situation. The chart
table agencies have for some time been sound
ing the alarm. OF the twenty-five chief trades
unions in London only two, in answer to in
quiries, report trade good. Nine consider II
moderate and eleven having the greatest men,
bership report it bad. That the hunger point
has already been reached is indicated by such
incidents as this:
l took a cab with luggage on top the other
day from Holborn to Bayswater. Two men fol-
lowed the vehicle on foot almost the whole dis
tance, three miles, in the hope of earning few
pence by unloading the baggage. They ran at
u brisk trot alongside and reached the desti-
nation SO much exhausted that they were TN
able at first to carry the trunks into the house
Their weakness was SO extreme and the paiior
OF their faces so unnatural after violent exer-
else that 1 questioned them. Both said they
had families and that they had not tasted food
that day. believe they told the truth
The incident of following cab was not singu-
lar. The army of unemployed is so large that
no cab bearing baggage drives through the
streets of London without being followed BY
some poor fellow seeking few coins for food or,
perhaps, drink
1t is apparent already that existing relief ma
chinery will not be adequate for the emergency
OF the coming winter.
The coroners have investigated several cases
OF actual death by starvation in the last month.
Distress is sure to be acute and widespread aud
there Will be many pitiful tales to make Christ
mas holiday more Of sorrow than Of gladness
The cause Of it all is commercial rather than
financial depression. There is considerable i'm
provement visible in financial affairs. Capital
is becoming more confident and venturesome
and the strictly financial market is distinctly in
better condition than a few months ago, but
the commercial outlook is not encouraging
There Is reason to fear that things will con-
tlnue to 60 from bad to worse. Furthermore.
the crop now being harvested is, on the whole,
the poorest for half century.