New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-30
DISAPPOINTMENT IN LONDON
PRESS COMMENT ON THE DELAGOA BAY
AWARD
London March 30.-"The Daily Mall" com
menting upon the award at Berne. saws:

London, March 30.-"The Daily Mall" com
menting upon the award at Berne says:
The bOundless procrastination of the tribunal
it is difficult to explain, for the smallest
trace of equity can be discovered in the award
of the beggarly 100000 awarded compen-
saton for a concession valued al f6000000 We
fear the arbtrators allowed themselves to be
prejudiced against British interests by the ir-
rational Anglophoba which has seized upon the
Swiss people. BY their conduct the arbitrators
have struck deadly blow at arbitration.
THE Daily Chronicle" says:
The award corresponds with the general an
ticipation. Portugal is condemned to pay. in
Guiding interest, nearly million sterling Prob
ably the ingenuity of Pretoria fertile
tributor TO the inexpcable delay of the arbi-
tration We wonder whether the diplomatists
at Lisbon think they have had the value of their
money.
The editorial then proceeds to reproach the
British Government with doing nothing 10 stop
President Krtger's open intrigues in the Della
goa Bay affair, and says:
We would not be surprised to find that Presi-
dent KRUGER had thoughtfuy banked nice
sum to enable Portugal to pay the indemnity
and provide against the contingency he
foresaw clearly in March, 1888. On the other
hand President KRUGER has had all the value
he is likely to get out of Delagoa Bay; and he
is not the man to pay for favors received if they
can be had for nothing. In this state of uncer-
tainty we should be glad to have some an
nouncement from Lord Salisbury.
The sum awarded is as great surprise as has
been the unconscionable time taken by the
bitrators in arriving at decision. 1t had been
estimated that between f2,O00.OOO and f2,oO0
600 least would be the amount of the award
and on the financial obligations thus to be laid
upon Portugal a great deal of political speCula-
tion has recently turned. This speculation will
probably have to undergo good deal of modi
icatiOn.
The Daily Graphic says:
If ever there a high handed and unjusu-
fable raid on private property. it was the con-
fscation of the Delagoa Bay Railway.
THE Times" says:
The company and it's creditors will doubtless
consider the sum awarded far from adequate;
but it is probably much they can reason
ably have expected to recover, and as much as
Portugal can manage to raise without assist
anCe.
After commenting upon the needless delay in
the proceedings The Times goes on to say:
1t is believed that Portugal some time ago
made provisions for meeting the greater part
of the sum awarded. There is nothing but sym
pathy for Portugal in this country. She has
done a wrong British and American SUBJECTS
but it is manifest that she did not do 1t of her
own free will. She acting under degree
of pressure which verged Upon duress-pressure
consistently applied 1t may be noted, for OBJ
jects avowedly political and avowedly hostile
to British influence. not from the time of the
Jameson raid but from the time when Mr Kru-
ger was negotiating the London convention.
Should Portugal. in these conditions, unex-
pectedly experience difficulties in making the
necessary payments, there can be no doubt that
British capital would gladly come to the
sistance of our old ally.
The Standard says:
1t would be asking too much of human nature
to expect that the aggrieved parties will sub
NIT to their fate cheerfully The bin of costs
will make large hole in the award and 1t is
safe to say that for every sovereign the claim
ants will receive they had built hopes at
least three. and probably more The whole
thing is most unfortunate. especially as there
was no compulson to resort to arbitration.
Great Britain and the United States might sim
ply have presented bill OF damages at Lisbon
and required its prompt liquidation. Resistance
would have been out of the question. and
moral case unassaable that no Power
would have presumed 10 intervene
Looking all sides of the South African
question sacrificed much for the sake of
supporting the principle of arbitration 1t is
probable that Portugal will be able to raise the
awarded without alternating any part of her
colonial possessions Still. do not regard
the question as finally settled. Friendly di-
plomacy may yet achieve what a recourse to
arbitration has failed to accomplish.