The times., 1900-12-31
IN THE HOTEL CORRIDORS.

| Cnia., Is at the National Hotel. tie said
| last night that statehood sentiment in the
| Territory is universal. and that sooner or
| later the solidarity Of this sentiment would
produce positive results. He was not in
! clined, however, to predict when this
would be. Judge Fields is prepared to
prove that Oklahoma Is entitled to state
hood and the right of self government He
Is convincing speaker upon this point.
There is one element in Oklahoma which
would absorb Indian Territory. thereby
giving better form to Oklahoma's boun-
| 'aries on the south and east. There is an
| eiemeEt which is opposed to this. The
Judge says that human nature is much the
same in Oklahoma as elsewhere in that
men disagree. 1t Is reported that there Is
considerable opposition to Governor
| Barnes, and the administration of that Of
icial is being sharply criticised. Many
citizens in Oklahoma. according to Judge
Fields. take exception to the Governors
method of disbursing the school fund.
|
! Arthur Croft. an Englishman, said at
the Arlington last night that there Is one
comfort provided by certain English rail-
| ways which he has not met with in this
country. 1t is the basket luncheon put
up under authority of the railroad COM
pany. The dining-car plan in the United
States, said Mr.. Croft, is more sumptuous.
but is so expensive that only small per-
centage of travellers on American rail-
| roads can afford to eat in these cars, or
for that matter do eat in them On some
American lines railway venders come
through the trains at certain places and
sell sandwiches. fried chicken, oysters
etc On some lines the eating stations
are operated by the railway company hut
in the opinion of Mr.. Croft there is moth
ing which quite matches the railroad has
ket luncheon served by English railways
and particularly on the line of the Lon
don and Great Western. These baskets.
he says. containing half a chicken with
ham or tongue, or a portion OF cold beef,
salad, ice, bread cheese. butter, ETC.,
and with either half bottle of claret,
two glasses of sherry. or bottle of ale
or stout, are served for three shillings,
or without the drinks. for two shllings
sixpence. But we have our dining cars
also on the leading lines. and we eat in
them at these prices: Breakfast, first
class, 3 shillings; luncheon. first class
shillings pence; third class. shiIl-
ings; teas, pence; dinner, first class.
3 shillings 6 pence; third class, 2 shillings
6 PENCE
Several members of the Cosmos Club
were talking last night of the results of
the archaeological campaign of the Uni
versity of California in the Fayoum; of
the explorations in Central and South
America for relics and remains of tbs
predecessors OF the Incas and of the Nor
mon search for the land of the Nephites,
etc, when enc of the participants in
the conversation said: '-I am reminded OF
the geological, calculation which is re-
ported to have been made by mine super
intendent in the Lake Superior copper re-
gion. The Tamaraek mine has just sunk
shaft No 5. When the first sod was
turned for this shaft on August T. 1895
Capt. w. e. Parnall, superintendent OF
the mine, said that he expected to cut the
Calumet congiomerate about January l,
1901. at a depth of approximately 1866
feet. The lode was cut on December 20
1900, at depth of 4,6a7 feet-eleven days
sooner and at eight feet less depth than
Captain Parnall's estimate. AS there were
no diamond drill borings and the shaft
was sunk in virgin ground, the exact veri
fcation Of the preliminary estimates of
the time and depth is certainly remark
able
''One OF the things which strikes
stranger to Washington" said a traveller
in the lobby of the Metropolitan last night, |
''is the extent of waste land in Maryland |
and Virginia, close to the city; and even
within the District Of Columbia, there is |
much idle land which one would think |
ought to be under cultivation. II begins to |
look as though the country viii be de- |
serted, and that people will try to live on |
dry goods and other merchandise instead |
Of cabbage and potatoes. It is about the !
same way in the State from which come.
Massachusetts. Even small towns are |
being absorbed by the cities. The census
figures of 1900 show a continued and dis
appointing shrinkage in the populations of
Massachusetts, agricultural towns.
"Out of thirtytwo towns comprising |
Berkshire County, twenty-three show an
average loss of 10 per cent for the last |
ten years. With but two or three excsp-
tions, these are strictly agricultural towns |
OF the nine towns remaining, seven are
mainly manufacturing or railroad centres;
one is 4 farming town on the railroad
ard has some small factories. while the
ninth is fashionable Lenox. The last shows
gain o, only Ii per cent, while North
Adams, now the metropolis of the county
has gained at the rate of 500 per cent in
county as a whole has gained 1852 souls,
or nearly is per cent, nine of its towns +
show an average gain of more than 2S per
cent and twenty three an average loss of
10 per cent.
In 1871, when the first census was
taken, the county of Berkshire had popu-
lation of 30 POI. At that time 1t was al
most wholly an agricultural region. One
hundred years ago the conditions had not
changed, and the population had swelled TO
SO 5s5. Today, though the total population
of the county makes the fine showing Of
95 667, or an increase Of 6f.TS2 for the CEN
tury. the twenty-three agricultural towns
before mentioned show a total loss OF fifty
four. 1t is the manufacturing towns that
now constitute the county. In the hun
dred years the agricultural districts have
been populated and depopulated; whereas
before the war The rural population had
increased until every valley and plateau
swarmed with hUsbandmen today approxi-
mately two thirds of the whole people are
gathered together in the cities and smaller
trade centres"
Porto Rico OmcehOlders.
CFrom the Boston Hcrald.)