The Washington times., 1901-07-10
FOREIGN TOPICS.

|
| port contains the replies to a despatch
| watch Lord Salisbury sent to the British
| representatives in Belgium. France, and
| Germany. asking for information con-
| cerning the facilities for locomotion and
| the special fares accorded to working:nen
! in the neighborhood of the large cities.
1t appears that on the Belgian State rail-
ways a single journey ticket, good for
six working days for any distance within
| three miles or little more, costs a trifle
over 10 cents. Beyond that the prices in
crease in slightly decreasing proportion;
for instance, the charge for a seven-and-
a-half-mile journey is not quite cents
| per trip. or about IL cents for six.
For return tickets the corresponding
prices are rather less than double. Seven
| day tickets can be obtained, but Sunday
| travelling is slightly discouraged by a
| rather higher rate. There Is a special
: tariff for greater distances the maximum
| being about sixty-two miles. A working
| man, however can travel twenty-five
miles daily from Monday to Saturday for
| about 40 cents week. TO claim these ad-
Vantages he must be engaged on manual
not artistic-Work under the orders of
| others. Similar reductions are made by
most of the private railway companies,
and the fares on light railways and tram
ways are also lowered-at any rate. be-
fore and after certain hours OF the day.
The following are the chief points Of the
French wOrkmen's superannuatIon bill as
explained in an address in the Chamber
| by NJ. Guieysse: Every workman under
sixty-five is to be subjected to a deduc-
! tion of One-haif cent a day, If he is under
eighteen and his wages are below 40 cents
day. while above eighteen the deduction
will be one cent day for wages between
40 cents and 81. and IL cents If he has
higher wages. The employer will contrib
ute an equal sum The money will be
paid in to a national treasury managed
by commission at the Ministry Of Com
mcrce. The money will then be handed
over to the caisse des depots ct consigna-
| tions. which will invest it in Government
or local stocks. After the age of fifty-nve
any workman can demand a pension
based on the payments made by himself
ana the employer, but if prematurely dis
aDled while under the age Of sixty-hve
ne can claim pension, supplemented by
a bonus from the State, II his payments
represent at least 1900 days work If
sueh pension does not reach $40 per year
the national treasury makes up the de-
ticiency. The State contributes 10 per
cent to such deficits. the department Is
per cent, and the commune the rest EN-
ployers who have organized superannua-
tion pensions on their own account are
exempted from the operation of the bill
pensions up to $72 are rot liable to Judi
cial seizure. Workmen who are sixty-five
years of age at the time the bill comes
into operation will receive pension not
exceeding so If they can prove that they
have done thirty years of work and for
such pensions an annual credit of So 900 900
viii be opened at the national treasury
Workmen under sixty-five will be sim
ilarly dealt with on reaching that age
NJ. Guieysse stated that the persons VINO
would benefit by the bill would according
70 the best calculations, number $500. .G+1
The charge on the budget at the outset
would be s1.40o.000. and in the eighteenth
year would reach a maximum of SIS 900 O0O
after which it would decrease to $1,000, 600
With the quaint and striking phrase
ology which links our twentieth century
with the historic past, King Edward VII
makes known his roval pleasure as to his
forthcoming coronation
1t is interesting announcement.
especially to the present generation. who
have had no personal experience of such
august functions. The date of the cere-
mony is fixed for June next year, and, in
accordance with the usual form, a COM
mission is appointed 70 investigate the
petitions and rights of those of our low
ing subjects who claim and are bound to
do and perform divers services on the
Sdiu udg anu dI IHe tine OF the COnOld-
ton
In one important respect the model to be
followed is that which was, Il is believed.
introduced by William " and Queen Ade-
laide in 1881. The proceedings in West
minister Hall-including the banquet and
the feudal services attendant thereon
and the walking procession Of 'au the es-
tates of the realm are TO be dispensed
with. while the solemn rites in Westmin-
ster Abbey are, of course, TO be retained.
The coronation of Queen Victoria on June
y, 1898, was carried out on similar lines.
There was. however. a State procession,
attended by the foreign Ministers and
Ambassadors, which made it's way from
Buckingham Palace. by Constitution Hill,
Piccadilly, ST James Street Pail Mall
Charing Cross, Whitehall and Parliament
Street to the Abbey.
Two things above all struck the imag-
ination OF the privileged spectators on
that auspciOus occasion: The dresses
We're described as superb, especially that
of Prince Esterhazy, whose uniform seem
ed TO be encased in diamonds and at the
moment when the Archbishop of Canter-
bury placed the crown on the Queens
face. The day had been dull" said one
enthusiastic observer. but the sunlight
on the diamonds made a kind of halo
round her head"
The British soldier receives q shilling a
day; the United States soldier the equiv
alent of Is Sd. The American soldier has
better rations, but Tommy Atkins has a