The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The Question of Naval Power Again
Attracting Attention.


Attracting Attention.
LONDON, April 13.-Politics. home and
foreign. are dead in England just now,
for the holiday spirit has not yet spent
itself. Todays news of the maneuvres
and cajolinGs by which President McKin-
ley hopes to bring the troublesome Sem
ators into line over the Nicaragua Canal
Treaty excites the mildest interest In
China, Russia's seeming setback at the
hands of Japan loses much of its impor-
lance in English eyes, when IL is remem-
bered that Russia is, after all. in effectual
possession of Manchuria and the other
Powers are not.
In the home affairs of the week, only
two things really matter in the public
Judgment. One Is the secret of the theft
of Gainsbcrough's recovered Duchess
and whether she was really Georgiana,
the first wife of the fifth duke, or Lady
Elizabeth Foster, afterward his second
wife, az Lord Hawkesbury affirms in the
Times" today. The other material fact
Is the publication of a fine sonnet by
William Watson. in the pro-Boer Daily
News" yesterday, on Force and Free
DOM 10
Dependent as England is upon naval su-
premacy, she finds moral of peculiar ap-
latest advance in Manchuris. 1t is claimed
as n recognition of the influence of ia
pans sea power. for at the moment the
Mikado's fleet is far superior to Russia's
in fighting power. In two years time.
however, the position will be reversed ia
pan has only two more battleships build
ing, whereas in 1901 Russia can send out
three battleships, to be followed next year
by seven armored ships.
Applying the moral to the British fleet,
naval experts find discomfort in the fact
that although Great Britain will. in the
current year, complete and commission six
first-class battleships an equal number to
that of her rivals, France and Russia, the
latter's ships are IS per cent heavier. and
should possess 26 per cent more power in
action. In armored cruisers, which are the
ships of fashion today, Great Britain will
complete and commission five, as against
seven by the allies. The First Lord of the
Admiralty will hear a good deal on this
subject when Parliament resumes. An
other disconcerting naval discovery of the
past week of stormy weather Is that the
torpedo-boat destreyers. each of which
cost the nation about $375o00, cannot stand
persistentIy heavy seas. All eight craft in
the Davenport torpedo-boat destroyer fio-
tilla have had to return to port disabled
from their Institutional voyages. One ac-
tually broke her back. daylight being let
into the stokehold. The same difficulty
was experienced at other naval ports. ow-
ing to the fiimsy character of the material
Of which destroyers are constructed, the
plating being only one-eighth of an inch
thick. There were at Portsmouth recently
fifteen disabled destroyers.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer will
cret Meanwhile so strong are the eX-
pectations of duty on sugar that very
large quantities of manufactured beet
sugar have been imported into Gooie dur
ing the last six weeks. the shipments from
Germany. Holland, France. and Belgium
to that place amounting to about 1,5eJ
tons weekly. Imports doubled in bulk
come from Hamburg and France.
The municipal telephone will soon be the
rule in England. Glasgow made Il start
this week by opening a municipal tele-
phone exchange in active competition
with the National Telephone Company,
1900 subscribers being enabled to use mu-
nicipal telephones in the commercial cap
ital OF Scotland. The corporation tele-
phone area covers 145 square miles. The
system is underground, the cenduits all
running under streets. The wires are in
sulated with a paper method. which has
the advantage of enabling large number
to be compressed into a small space
Ambassador Choate is not likely to meet
with much encouragement in his APP
proaches to the War Office in the matter
OF the supply of American beef for the
British army contracts. 1t has for years
now been the accepted rule in British de-
partments to give British goods the pref
erence. if quality and price be equal. At
the most the British soldiers at home con-
sumo only 200 900 pounds of refrigerated
beef per week for at least I00.0gJ out of
the $4,000 troops in the home army are
distributed In the country districts and
fed with homegrown meat already, and
seeing that the avtrage weekly import OF
American frozen meat into the London
market alone is 10000 pounds. Mr..
Choate will probably discover that this
War Office edict is, after all, very small
matter to worry over. In the case of
Canada and Australasia there are feel
ings of sentiment to be considered. Yes
terday enquiries were made in official
quarters how colonial meat would be af-
fected by the decision. No definite reply
has been yet given ont. The colonial au-
thorities here contend mat 1t would be
too farcical II, after Canadas and Aus
tralia's sacrifices in South Africa, these
colonies now are to be labeled as non
British.
Meanwhile, no one can say that America
does not do well in the English state con-
tracts. Following the expenditure of S25,-
100000 by the War Office in America for
horses mules, and foodstuffs comes today
the announcement that the British Post
Office has placed one order of $500, 600 with
one American firm for a telephone plant,
including switchboarls. This is one-half
OF the total Government vote for tele-
phones. English firms complain that they
We're not even asked to compete.
II Mr.. IerkeS fulfills half the promises
with which English journals are occupied
just now. England will soon be invaded by
American capital and enterprise in many
other directions. He talks as though he
meant to prove Baron Haussmann for
congested London.