Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-30

fer to their high falutin'' methods 1 fear
our English cousins have little seTse OF
humor.
Causes Of British CommercisI De-
cadence.
While many earnest minds are engaged
in trying to solve the question Of why Eng
land Is falling behind commercially. men,
Der Of the Institute of British Architects
makes slashIng attack on the British
worlsmen in one of the current reviews,
which helps to explain one Of the causes.
He roundly declares that the sole cause
OF the deadlock In housing the poor, the
reasons why corporations cannot build low
organized idleness of the workmen and
interferences with the contractor.
The price Of a rod OF brickwork Is now
$40 whereas 1t was only $50 fifteen years
ago. Other trades have marched along i'll
the same direction. so that now a block
of workmen's dwellings which would for
merly have cost half million cannot be
built for less than $500, 000 The writer ap-
pears to labor under strong feeling, but
the evidence he cites from his own ex-
perience goes a long way to justify his
contention. For instance. while brick
layer can handle on an average $50 bricks
a day. the union rules forbid him laying
more than 500 eff bricklayer catches
plasterer fixing a wall tile nine inches by
three inches. he Is at the foreman to stop
1t, not. however. If the tile is six inches by
conscience. but take the routine of
bricklayer's day as set out by this angry
architect
At $50 am. in summer and 7 o'clock in
winter the men commence work, and clear
the job OF all non-unionists by threatening
to leave in a body. Having successfully
performed this little operation and 8 o'clock
having arrived. the men retire for their
around to the men (for which beer they
pay. but not for the time In getting and
drinking it,, and this refreshment enables
them to reach IL O. clock noon for an hours
dinner time in summer and half an hour
in winter. At pm. beer Is served again
to the men, which sustafns them till
o'clock In summer and 4:30 In winter, at
which time they quit the job" The blame
for this state of affairs is laid on the Lon
don county council the electric lighting
companies and the district councils. who,
bearing and unreasonably Independent at
titude.
Mr.. Austin's Plan Approved.
1 see that Mr.. Austin, the energetic head
of the statistical department in Washing
ton, advises the sending around the world
of ships filled with American goods as
sort of trade exhibition to introduce United
States products everywhere. The idea Is
an excellent one, and, curiously enough,
has been already adopted by Austria. More
than year ago the initial voyage OF q
merchant snip Carrying SduiPieS VI <Auoti "
Hungarian industries was made, exposing
the products of the empire In various parts
of the world. A second tour is now pro-
Jected and will start from Trieste in May
next. The voyage will last about fifteen
months in all, during which time visits
will be made to New York, San Francisco,
Yokohama, Shanghai, Singapore. Batavia.
Calcutta, Madras, Alden and Suez. Firms
that wish to be represented have to pay the
sum of 81, coo for each person sent on the
tourney and $500 for every cubic meter OF
space occupied or per ton weight.
l., II. MOORE.