The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-15
What Royalty Buys
For Holiday
Gifts.
Many CHRISTMAS
HOUSE PARTIES
Meanwhile Half a Million People
Are Idle and Great Strikes
Are Threatened.

LONDON, Dec. 6.-The grip is un-
usually severe this winter and has al
ready been felt throughout England,
with the result that all who can do so
are leaving. Hundreds of people are on
their way to India to attend the Delhi
Durbar and thousands are fiocking to
the South of France and the Channel
Islands.
Christmas house-parties are being or
ganized at all the big country places,
where the frost is rapidly spelling the
hunting and driving the guns indoors
to- less strenuous recreations, such as
bridge-whist and amateur theatricals.
In East London the winter is having
very different effect. Thousands of un-
employed persons daily congregate at
the dock yard gates, literally fighting
for chance to do a days work. I'm
skilled laborers thare are in strong force
and the police find it necessary to pro-
tect the foremen who distribute the
work tickets each morning.
ROYAL GIFTS.
That portion of the fashionable world
which can afford Christmas gifts is
watching the purchases of the members
of the royal family in order to follow
suit King Edwards gifts this year
run largely to pen and pencil holders,
cigarette cases and delicate enamel
work set with a new variety of soft
tinted, semi transparent stones hereto
fore unknown in the realm of jewelry.
Queen Alexandra is also partial to
enamel work. This year she is giving
many photographs in artistic enameled
frames, whereas the late Queen Vic
toria usually favored silver for the
same purpose. Queen Alexandra's we'll
known fondness for pearls leads her to
distribute many of them among her
more intimate friends at the Christmas
season.
The King of Portugal made himself
decidedly popular during his stay in
England, besides proving himself one Of
the best shots in Europe a keen motor
list, a clever painter and a good musi-
clan. During his visit to Blenheim Pal
ace he treated the house-party there
to number of French love songs and
Portuguese ballads.
THEATERS AND POVERTY.
1t is long since the London theaters
and restaurants have experienced so
profitable a season as the present. The
West End is ablaZe with light nightly,
all the amusement places are crowded
and theater supper parties keep the
fashionable hotels and restaurants busy
until long after midnight. In the mean
time it is estimated that 500,0 900 people
are idle in the Kingdom and the board
of trade returns show the largest per-
centage for ten years past of unskilled
persons out of work, while the proper
ton of skilled men without employment
is constantly growing. The Woolwich
arsenal authorities have discharged two
thousand mechanics since the winter set
in and are preparing to let out four
thousand more. To the army of people
out of work must be added ffty-six
thousand members of the army reserve
who have been released from service
with the colors. The worst distress nat
urally is visible in the East End. A
number of newspapers have started
subscription columns and daily print
narrowing stories of half-chad school
children, many of whom are without
any food except scanty luncheons fur
nished by sympathetic teachers.
A number of the London suburban
councils are starting public works in
order to employ a small portion of the
idle persons. The Canning town suburb,
where the distress is keenest, has ap-
propriated $4,000 for relief works. The
London County Council will meet De-
cember to consider the proposition
for calling a conference of municipal
bodies throughout the country to dis
cuss what can be done towards estab-
fishing a permanent system for reliev-
ing the unemployed.
GENERAL STRIKE THREATENED.
Coincident with the general distress
and idleness the ship-builders' fedora