The record-union., 1897-10-31

LONDON, Oct. 30.-(Copyrighted 1897
by the Associated Press. )-The African
situation has been aggravated by the
French seni-officdal note, made public
ON Tuesday last, and reading: 1.-The
news from West Africa foreshadows
great difficulties at Nikki and in Borgu.
'The Niger Company (British) is sending
officers there to incite rebellion and dis
tribute arms to the natives. In view
of the situation French troops have
been dispatched to the district from
Senegal, as a preventive measure.
Moreover, the British negotiators for a
settlement of the Niger question have
been in Paris for over a week, and
everything points 20 Great Britain
seeking to let matters drag. Seemingly,
she does not intend to discuss the ques-
ton, but means will undoubtedly be
found to foil these tactics''
Then the situation was further aggra-
waited by the reply of the British Colo
nial Office, issued the same day, de-
claring that there did not seem to be
any reasonable fear of complications at
Nikld, the capital Of the Borgu terri
tory, provided the French Government
OCuldNSS IGdSOudDly. II VIC dQQSh.
however, at the Colonial Office that
Great Britain has taken the determina-
ton to more effectively police her ter
1itories, and if the French persist in
trespassing complications will natural
ly arise.
The appointment of Charles John
Darling, @. c., Conservative member of
Parliament, for Deptford, to the judi
cial bench, is severely criticised.
Tod Sloane the American jockey, who
is riding for the Lorillard- -Beresford
stable here, has been SO successful late
ly that the papers are asking whether
the American short stirrup and tucked
up action has not a decided advantage
in the case of sure-footed animals? :?
Sloan is still positive that St. Cloud II.
won the Cambridgeshire stakes on
Wednesday at Newmarket.
George l.. Watson, it is announced,
has designed a racing cutter Of about
the size of the Bona, the property of the
Duke of .Abruzzi, nephew of the King
of Italy, for Herr Krupp, who is now
building the yacht at his works at Es-
sen. The new boat is to meet Emperor
Williams Meteor in the Baltic races
early during 1898.
The employers liability bill, which
was adopted on Thursday by the
French Chamber of Deputies, is of a
drastic character. 1t imposes upon the
employer the payment of an indemnity
to workmen who are accidentally dis
abled if they are made idle for over
four days. If a workman is disabled
for ten days, the employer must pay
him a pension of two-thirds of his
wages lost, and in the case of partial
disablement the employer must also pay
him two-thirds of the wages thereby
lost. In the case of temporary disable
ment the employer must pay half the
wages the workman thereby lost, and
in the case of death by accident the
employer must pay a pension to the
workmans widow amounting to 20 per
cent of the wages he earned, in addi-
ton to 10 per cent. for a single child,
rising to 40 per cent. for four children,
until they reach the age of 1S. In the
case of orphans, the pension to be paid
by the employer is 20 per cent, of the
wages formerly earned by the work
man for each child up to a total of 90
per cent. In the case of bachelors sup
porting their parents, the indemnity
goes to the parents. In order to secure
these payments, even in the event of
employers insolvency, the bill compels
employers to insure their workmen
against accident.