The Washington times., 1901-07-07
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
A Cheering Increase I'm the English
Revenue Returns

Revenue Returns.
LONDON. July 6.-Amid all the recent
pessimistic cries Of British deeadence at
the hands Of American and German COM
petition. the Chancellor OF the Excheauer
sull preserves his smile The revenue
returns for the first quarter OF the eur
rent year show an increase Of $15.oa0. 90
over the corresponding quarter last year.
There is indeed a decided falling OF in the
outcry about British decay. Like this
weeks attempted panic over the alleged
deficiency OF the Mediterranean squadron,
it was largely the work Of a few hyster-
zeal journalists and members Of Pariia-
ment who have always shown an infinite
iBcapaclty for seeing events in their true
perspective
One can imagine what storm these
hysterical writer's would have raised II the
following item Of news came from, say
New York or Hamburg. instead Of Glas-
goY The new Il 'bine steamer King
Edward. Il is annoG need. ran from Dunn
barton TO campbentown and back, three
hours journey. at a uniform speed OF
twenty knots. This is the first CONNER
ciaI steamer fitted with Parsons steam
turbine method of propulsion. Vibration
is practically non-existent The famous
house of Denny were the builders and
Mr. Parsons declares that his company
is ready to build turbines for any size
of vessSl. r. larger and faster the bet
ter II these thugs had been done in
Germany or the States. the most sounding
adjectives would not have suficed for
their record here. As it is the item pass
es almost unrecorded. As one English
commentator has 1t. You invent a po-
tato-masher in Birmingham and nobody
will buy it. Can it an American notion
and you cannot make it fast enough.
The more this weeks naval scare is ex-
amined the less worthy of serious atten-
tion it appears. 1t had it's true origin in
the desire for notoriety of a little group
of halfpenny paper journalists who trade
upon the combined ignorance and sensi-
tiveness OF the public on naval questions.
The official statements in the Houses OF
Lords and Commons prove the absurdity
Of most of the charges OF ineficiency
brought against the Mediterranean squad
ron.
They prove also that the long made
plans of the Admiralty meet all the neces-
stiles. and indeed all the possibilities OF
the case. What these alarrnists are never
able TO realize is that the British fleet
is an instrument of peace, not Of rampa-
that an effective scheme of defence
springs into life at the moment the Lords
of the Admiralty telegraph the one word
mobilize" to every naval port The Kai-
ser's historic telegram to Mr. Kruger and
the Fashoda crisis proved this readiness
OF the feet for all emergencies, and the
Admiralty programme. long in prepara-
tion and announced last night, shows no
falling away from the past record.
The four new bat5leships will be the
largest and most formidable ships afloat.
unexampled as engines of offence and de-
fence, if one excepts the new superposed
tUrret vessels of the American Navy
which. owing to the much-disputed mode
of mounting their weapons, hardly count
among British naval authorities. They
viii be able to bring to bear on an enemy
when giving chase two of each of their
heavier weapons and two of their six
inch guns This means that the first
forward discharge at the foe will send
at his vital parts, with tremendous force,
two twelve-inch shells Of $50 pounds each,
two projectiles of $50 pounds each, and
two of 100 pounds, or nearly ton and a
quarter of metal The ships will also
have similar ATTIRE. With these new
battIeships begun no fewer than eighteen
cruisers will be under construction or
completing for sea, in addition to two
third-class cruisers, a couple Of sloops.
and twenty-five torpedo boat destroyers,
ten of the thirty-knot type. This pro-
gramme, planned long before this week s
alarm, shows Jnat il is Great Britains
settled policy TO hold her own on the
seas, no matter what party is in power.
But the attempted panic may recall
public attention 10 the vital fact that
Great Britain's existence. her very daily
bread. depends not upon big army
schemes, but upon her supremacy on the
Englishmen to forget that at times. In
deed, 10 one need be surprised, if after
all, the Government postpone to another
session Mr.. BrOdricks glittering army
scheme
With the temperature at IS degrees in
the shade, and relative humidity, even
the political busybody finds II difficult to
keep alive the tales of the great Liberal
split and the terrible conflict between Lib
eTaI leaders. Tuesdays meeting of the
LIBERAL party probably viii show that Sir
II. Campbell-Bannerman is still the only
possible leader in the House of Com
mons. that Mr.. AsQUith is not, and never
has been, a rival candidate; that Lord
Rosebery, who came back to London yes
terday, still prefers the background, and
war lasts, consigned to the impotence
which is the inevitable sequel Of differ
ences of opinion With no Gladstone 10
surmOunt everything with a policy Of
his own. I see no hope for Liberalism in
the immediate future" said one eX-
Minister last week. Most men agree
with him.