The Washington times., 1901-10-18
FOREIGN TOPICS.


circumstances. a well-known architect
who was present was acccsted during the
course of the bidding by a man who intro
duced himself as the repre- sentative of the
company, and asked HIM to bid up to
SlSoWV in the company's name. This was
| uohe. and not until the sale had been an
| iloNhctd as completed did the company
kn0" OF the liability Incurred in its name
oy a man of whom ii had never heard.
| or course, the alleged agent was a fraud.
Within a stones throw of Euston sta
| ton in London, in the basement OF a
small house, lives a man who. according
to notice board outside is rat catcher
| by appointment to royalty"
John Black, for such is his name, comes
| OF a race of rat catchers. His business
has descended from father to son, and
at the death of that king of rat catch
ers, John Newton, he added that
| worthy's clients to his own.
| Black is a man of middle age and his
room is veritabie "rattery." Under the
bed. under the table, to the right, to the
left, are cages containing rats. They are
kept supplied with liberal quantity of
food, for, when hungry. the captive
rodent does not hesitate to eat his broth
er rat. In some cases as many as twenty
| rats share a cage but Black is open also
to take paying guests" The latter have
| private apartments to themselves, are
! specially fed and are sleek and comfort
| able looking. For the most part they be
| long to young gentlemen OF sporting
| tastes and the cost of their board and
| lodging largely depends upon the sum
| OF the particular owners pocket money.
| Dogs and ferrets also live in neighborly
| love on the premises and a three-legged
| terrier tthe fourth limb fell a prey to
rats many years ago. hobbies always at
| his masters heels
! John Blacks most treasured possession
! Is his official belt Of Office This was
| presented to his father by Queen Vic
| toria. and the broad, black leather ciTciet
| bears the royal monogram in silver
flanked on either side by large silver rats
Another valued belonging is an old oil
painting of the original John Black. taken
| in Regents Park in his 'official costume
many years ago. Standing erect, attired
in black coat, colored waistcoat, the
official belt, high boots. and silk hat, he
cuts quite an imposing figure. sad to re-
late, the rats have wreaked pOstmortem
vengeance on their foe, for one night they
ate large holes in the canvas and the
picture has never been repaired.
In addition to royalty Black numbers
many noblemen and the heads OF county
families among his patrons. Last month
he caught no fewer than 4SO rats in large
country house in Hertfordshire.
While engaged in similar work in an
Elizabethan mansion down in Dorset
shire Black numbered among his catch"
several pure white rats. These he subsc-
quently sold to good advantage.
The price he generally obtains FOR his
rodents varies from shillings to shill-
ings even shillngs per dozen. all
according TO size and quality" Brown
rats are worth l shilling each.
The Dortmunder Union is one of the
largest and foremost iron and steel works
in Germany. and its condition reflects
that of the entire German iron and steel
industry. The report for the year 1900
1901, just published by the union. shows
the lamentabe condition of affairs so
clearly that all attempts to explain away
the difficulties under which the iron
works are laboring can no longer mislead
anyone. While in 1S99-l9OO the receipts
had been s.76S, ,43s marks (s2 OS6,S $50. from
which, after deducting expenses, a divi-
dend of Z per cent was paid. the com
panys fiscal year l909-1901 yielded only
81 COS, ,4S5. ,Or more thar so per cent less.
In this decrease the coal mining depart
ment participates with only S25SO0.
that the entire falling off goes to the iron
and steel department Nor are there any
prospects of betterment. At the eX-
change no one cares to Invest in the iron
industry and not even at 4S. the present
rate of the Dortmunder shares. does any
one care to buy. II is a foregone conclu-
sion at the exchange that the great COM
pany will. also for 1901-1902. not be In n
Arrangements for the assumption by
the postoffice authorities of the telephone
business Of London may or may not fur
nish an argument in favor of the public
ownership of public utilities. That it will
do so is by no means certain, and for our
own part we prefer to initiate the ex-
ample Of the judges and reserve de-
cison' until all the facts are before us
for consideration. In London this under
taking is tie outgrowth of popular dis
satisfaction with the service and charges
of the National Telephone Company. Its
charges have been considered unreason-
ably high and its service inexcusably bad.
Good and bad. high and low, are relative
terms. and what may have been consid-
cred intolerable in London might seem
fairly satisfactory here. A good deal de-
pends upon the point of view. The new
London installation is said to be not only
the largest, but the best in the world.
This is not surprising, since ii is the
latest The wiring Is so done that there
viii be overhearing of conversations
by persons for whom they are not in
tended, and the annoyance from the rum
bic and roar Of the city will be mini
m!zed, If not wholly eliminated. The scale
of rates is exceedingly low For a bust
ness telephone, with an unlimited number |
OF calls and no extras, the uniform rate |
i
about third less. 1t is safe to assume
we think, that the maintenance of the |
system Will necessitate recourse to tax |
alton. That IL will be seIf-sustaining is !
scarcely within the range OF probability |
/ his raises the question whether the tele-
phone has become so much a public ne |
cesSity that deficit in its operating ex- |
penses is properly a public charge, to be |
assessed against taxable property.
One does not hear much Of General
Galliffet nowadays. but when he does
speak the cynical turn of his hunor is as
deep as ever. During the recent excite
ment over the displacing Of General Da-
voust as Grand Chancellor of the Legion,
Of Honor. the Paris GauIois" asked the
general for his opinion. He replied as
follows: AS l row live in comparative
retirement | know nothing of this new
'afaire' 1t occurs to me that a decree
according the Legion of Honor to all
'renchmen from their birth ,yolId sr,.,ra !
his and every futare Government a Great
leal or embarrassment. Seeing that ey-
srybody would be decorated nobodv
would coyet the decora tion. This soIu-
ton would bring about a thorough agree
ment among those who may in their old
age seek an asylum"
An act of justice was done the other
lay in Dundee Scotland. when there was
unveiled a monument erected in the
western cemetery of that town to the
of James Bowman Lindsay, phil
Ilogist scientist, and electrician Lind
iay lived and worked before his time.
lie had pushed his way up through great
and was an able practical
cientist, but in his day there was no
utlet for his labors So long ago as 1884
e wrote: Houses and towns will in a
hort time be lighted by electricity in
fgad of ga and heated I,y ip,t.-,1 |