Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-07
GRIP IS SEVERE IN ENGLAND
Drives ALI Who Can Af,rd 1t to Seek
Warmer Climate.
sPLENDoR AND DISTRESS IN LONDON
H'ch Are Busy BuyinE Christmas
Presents, while the Poor Are
Fighting for Chance of
Only n Days work.

LONDON. Dec. 6.-The grip is unusually
severe this winter and has already been
felt throughout England. with the result
that all who can leave are doing so. Hun
dreds OF people are on their way TO India
and thousands are hocking to the south Of
France and Channel islands.
Christmas house parties are being organ
lied at all the big country places, where
the frost is rapidly spelling the hunting
and driving the guns" indoors TO less
strenuous recreation.
In East London the weather is having a
very serious effect and thousands of per-
sons unemployed corgregate at the dock
yard gates. literally fighting for a chance
TO do a days work. Unskilled laborers are
there In strong force and the police find 1t
necessary to protect the foremen who dis
tribute the work tickets each morning.
That portion Of the fashionable world
which can AFFORD Christmas gifts is watch
ing 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 heretofore unknown in the realm Of
jewelry.
Queen Alexandra is also partial to enamel
III 1ulb year bue Is blNluE many pAoNO-
graphs In artistic enameled frames,
whereas the late Queen Victoria 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.
King of Portugal Popular.
The king OF Portugal made himself de-
cidedly popular during his stay in England,
besides proving himself one Of the best
shots in Europe, a keen motorist, a clever
painter and a good musician. During bis
visit TO Blenheim palace he treated the
house party there to a number OF French
love songs and Portuguese ballads.
1t is long since the theaters and restau-
rants have experienced so profitable a
season as the present. The West End is
ablaze with light nightly, all the amuse-
ment places are crowded and theater sup
per parties keep the fashionable hotels and
restaurants busy until long after midnight.
In the meantime the Board OF Trade sta
tistics show the largest percentage for the
year past OF unskilled persons out Of work,
while the proportion OF skilled men with
out employment is constantly growing.
The Woolwich arsenal authorities have
discharged 1000 men since the winter set
IN anu are preparing " let OuN fsVVV mOIts
To the army Of people out Of work must be
added Sc 1000 members Of the army reserve
who have been released from service with
the colors.
Distress in the East End.
The worst distress naturally is visible
in the East End. A number of newspapers
have started subscription columns and
daily print narrowing stories of half-clad
school children, many OF whom are without
anyfood except scanty luncheons furnished
by sympathetic teachers.
A number OF the London suburban coun-
ellis are starting public works in order to
employ a small portion Of the idle persons.
The canning town suburb, where the dis
tress is keenest, has appropriated $50, coo
for relief work. The London county coun-
ell will meet December 9 TO consider the
proposition for calling a conference OF mu-
nicipal bodies throughout the country to
discuss what can be done toward establish
ing q permanent system for relieving the
unemployed.
Coincident with the general distress and
i~dleness. the Ship Builders federation is
quietly preparing for a test OF strength
with the labor unions that may precipitate
a general strike, equal to the great engi-
neers' strike Of a few years ago. The ship
builders. who have suffered for years from
the restriction of the output, countenanced
by the unions. have decided that II is
necessary to introduce radical reforms in
the way Of labor-saving machinery. This
means a reduction in the price Of piece
work, on which system the yards are run
ming.
The builders say that IL the men accept
the introduction Of machine tools, most OF