The herald., 1896-11-01
Wheat and Currency Attract
Public Attention
LABOR TROUBLES THREATEN
As the Result Of High Prices for
Bread
Britons Still Excited About the Alleged
neutrality-suspicious. Cheerfulness
Over Bismarck's Loquacity.
Associated Press Special Wire


LONDON, Oct. 81. Copyright, 1862
Wheat and currency questions are still
attracting great attention here. The
Spectator this week publishes an inter-
esting article on the rise in wheat and Its
bearing upon protection and bimetallism,
in the course of which it says:
1.-THE rise in the price of bread is like
ly soon to lead to unrest in the labor
market. The present activity In trade
gives labor organizations favorable op-
portunity for pressing demands for
higher wages; but it remains to be seen
how far the recent Improvement in trade
can be maintained If a material rise in
wages is insisted upon. There are end
less possibilities of friction if the price
of bread becomes a serious question. We
can only hope the politicians who are CO.
quoting with the various forms of pro-
lection will learn to digest the lessons
that will be expounded by events If the
price of bread is materially affected
during the coming winter.
"How should we fare now if the es-
tablishment of an imperial zollverein
forced us to look to home production and
the Canadian surplus to fill our own
mouths and for the needs of India? From
a financial point of view, the rise in GER
tain cereals shows a strong case for
further large movements of gold to the
United States, while regarding politics,
whatever the result, shipments of gold
from here are still probable in the one
case, because the panic and scramble
for gold will make Americans sell goods
faster and pay premium for the metal;
and in the other, because revival of in
dustrial activity and a return of conf
dence will attract British bullion.
Lastly, the rise in wheat and the ac-
companying weakness of silver have an
instructive bearing upon economic theo-
ry. Not only Bryan, but the English BIZ
metallists, also, are deprived of one of
their most effective arguments"
Indian advices show that now, wheth-
er rain falls or not, there must be keen
distress in the northwest provinces and
in Dude, and the Indian government
must be prepared to succor the popula-
tion by at least $4,000, 900 of relief oper-
alton, conducted according to the So
called famine code. Orders have al
ready been given to these officials to pre-
pare for an immediate enforcement Of
famine measures. While famine is
threatened in India through the drought,
the west of Ireland is declared to be face
to face with famine, owing to heavy
rains, which have caused failure of the
crops, especially potatoes. Throughout
September and during the beginning of
October there was an almost incessant
downpour of rain. There have been great
floods in the northwest of the island, and
many of the inhabitants must feel the
pangs Of famine before Christmas. The
situation is compared to that of 1879,
when disastrous harvest led to a re-
vival of political disorders in Ireland
However, the chief secretary of Ireland,
Mr.. Gerald Balfour during his recent
tour of the affected districts, secured
information, which, he says, will enable
him to cope with the distress. which he
is now ready to meet.
James O'Connor, the anti-Parnellite
member of parliament for the west divi-
sion of WICKLOW who intends to ask
parliament to order an inquiry into the
lyman affair, bases his demand on the
past history of mysterious Mrs. Ty-
ler who, he asserts, acted as medium
between lyman and the British police.
1t appears that when Sir George Tre-
velyan, ex-secretary for Ireland, the