The Washington times., 1901-07-17

commended the expenditure of nearly rs,
100000 for Strengthening the works and
improving the harbor. The committee
has strongly recommended that, gener-
ally speaking, the works on the western
side should be completed, but that the
site to have been occupied by No. dock
should be converted into temporary
chamber for small boats, etc; that
craving dock should be constructed on
the eastern side of the rock In the posi-
ton selected, where it would be complete
ly protected from direct aimed fire; that
close to this dock there should be work.
shops, storehouses. etc. adjacent to
tunnel connecting the eastern and west.
ern dock yards; that three moles should
be constructed on the eastern side to form
a sheltering harbor of about 400 acres,
and that provision should be made for
dredging and coaling. Among matters left
for later consideration was the proposal
of Mr. Bowles for a floating dock on the
western side, pending the construction or
the works on the eastern side. The pro-
posed work. 1t Is thought, cannot be COM
pleted under ten years and will be attend
ed with many engineering difficulties. but
1t is regarded as imperative and will no
doubt be undertaken at as early date
as possible.
France is reckoning up how much 1t
will cost to administer the proposed old
age pensions The project presumes the
existence of between eight and ten mil
lion workmen who will take advantage of
the law AS each of these will have to
pay his mite toward the fund, each will
have to have his own separate account.
1t is estimated that one clerk can take
care of thousand accounts. which will
mean between eight and ten thousand en-
ployes in the public service In coun-
try that is already terribly bureaucratic
In addition to these will be the various
inspectors, experts, and chiefs. At an av-
erage wage of 1900 francs a year these
will make pay roll of over 20,e0,000
francs. In Germany it is estimated that
the cost of administration in this depart
ment is az per cent of the whole out
lay. In France it is estimated that the
receipts will amount to 5o00oo,o0o francs.
which would bring the cost of admins
tration up to 100000 francs.
The discovery among the recruits for
the Austro-Hungary army of persons af-
fected by leprosy has led to the adoption
in the coast districts. where the disease
more frequently occurs. of active meas
ures for its discovery and isolation. This
is all the more necessary, as the inter-
course, commercial and otherwise. be-
tween Dalmatia and Bosnia and the re-
mainder of the Empire is steadily in
creasing. while the accidental enrolment
in the army of diseased persons would in
volve danger for the public health. The
object of the investigation now projected
is to discover the districts principally in
fected. There are about forty known
cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while
the infection occurs sporadically in Tyrol
southern Hungary and Galicia- The to-
tai numJer of cases in Europe is believed
to be between 2.Oe0 and 5000 The condi-
tion of some OF the wealther patients,
who live occasionally in frst-class hotels.
Is known only to the physicians who at
tend them. Fortunately leprosy, although
capable of being communicated in some
rare cases by the sneezing or coughing
of the patient, is as rule not highly in
fectious.
Colonel Lee and other friends of the
army in Parliament are endeavring to
secure legislation to improve the condi-
ton of Tommy Atkins. The Government
is meeting with considerable difficulty in
securing recruits for the army 1t is be-
coming serious problem. The expert
ence of the soldiers in South Africa has
discouraged enlistments. Any day that
one Is of mind to stroll down to Ira
falgar Square. which is the real centre Of
London-and corresponds to Madison
Square in New York-he can see smart
looking recruiting sergeants with rattan
canes in their hands and their little round
caps on the sides of their heads. walking
UP and down on the lookout for muscu-
lar young men. On the iron fence sur
rounding the National Gallery hangs
series of Illuminated pictures showing the
British soldier in the uniforms of the va
rious corps and crack regiments. Those
are placed there for bait. The smart re-
crditing sergeant watches like a detec-
tive every young man who passes by and
accosts him in a friendly way as oppor-
He ipt Z ttor,
with the loafers who are resting on the
iron benches of Trafalgar Square and If
possible coaXes them up to look at the
pictures.
Formerly the sergeants were allowed to
entice their victims into neighboring sa-
looms ana there over a glass of beer offer
them shilling. which, according to an
unwritten law. If accepted, completed the
transaction. Now they take their captives
to a recruiting office in the rear of the
National Gallery. where an officer sits at
a desk and a surgeon preSides over an in
ner room and gives them a physical ex-
animation. The British soldier receives
shilling day: the United States soldier
ls9d. The American soldier has better
rations, but Tommy Atkins has a more
liberal allowance for clothing In other
respects the conditions are about the
same, except that the British Government
pays pensions only to those who are en-
tireIy disabled by wounds or sickness
With all her wars the pension list of
Great Britain is not one-fourth as large
as that of the United States. The annual
appropriation of our Congress for pen
sions would support the whole British
army.
A recently issued South African blue
book relieves Lord Kitchener of the
odium of having originated the idea of
burning the homes and farms of the
burghers of the Transvaal and Orange
State and places it upon Es Il Roberts.
His original orders were to destroy
houses from which the white flag
had been fired upon. In Sep
tember these orders for destruction
apparently became more general and he
took up somewhat different ground. He
wrote that "the war had de2enerated into
operations carried on in an irregular and
irresponsible manner by small and in very
many cases insignificant bodies Of men,"
and that he would use every means in
his power to bring such irregular warfare
to Il conclusion. He had, therefore, adopt
ed measures which the customs OF war
prescribe" 1t is, of course, true that
after the occupation of Pretoria the char
acter of the war did to a large extent
change and it may have seemed to Lord
Roberts that the adoption of harsher
measures for a time would in the end
greatly lessen the sum of human misery
that all wars bring In their train. I'm
happily these more rigorous measures
have not had the hoped-for effect, so that
even as a military measure the policy of
farm burning must be held to have failed.
In the Fiji Islands agitation is still go
ing on for annexation to New Zealand.
petition is in course of signature to the
Secretary of State for the Colonies pray
ing for an elective legislative council, and