Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-22
orHnn LANDS THAN OURs.

-
The London whlch according to the re-
cent report Of the registrar general Of the
British metropolis contains 1885, 4i inhab-
itants, is not the Greater London, but Is
the London that is made up Of twenty
nine boroughs, whose collective affairs are
administered by the London County Coun-
Gil, and II covers 1889 acres. OF these
boroughs the old city Of London. with but
2s,93s residents. is the smallest division,
and ~Isllngton, with a population Of ssi,ssi.
somewhat larger than P~ittsburg, the larg-
est. Outside OF the County Councils circle
there is a Greater London" that forces
the urban and Suburban population OF what
is essentially one great center Of human
activity far above the 100000 level, so
that within a few miles Of the old city OF
London there is q grouping OF population
almost as large as that OF the state OF
Pennsylvania. Aside from the fact, there
fore, that London IL the hub OF the Brit
ish empire, Il is the physical, visible dem
onstration Of enormous size In the way
of a contiguous and continuous built-up
region that makes q profound impression
and gives a sense Of unity in all the va
riety that makes up London; a variety
that ranges from the most abjeet
squalor the world knows to a superhne
elegance and msgnihcence seen nowhere
else the globe over.
The Russian government is gradually
eliminating all foreigners from the public
services. Formerly there were a number
OF British engineers In the employment Of
the various railway administrations, but
as these passed into the possession OF the
crown, the foreigners we're offered the OPP
tion OF becoming Russian subjects or re-
signing their posts, and with extremely
few exceptions, the latter alternative was
adopted. For @ long time exceptional priv
ileges we're extended to the large number
Of foreign naval constructors, artineers
and shipwrights, chiefly of British nation
ality. These were so plentiful, indeed, in
the Russian admiralty yards at one time
that two or three of the earller-built bat
tleships of the Black sea and Baltic fleets
were practically ~foreign-built ships built
In Russia. The whole body Of these for
eigners, the large majority Of whom are
British, has now been weeded out Of those
establishments. The imperial government
is now compelling many of the the leading
private maritime companies to dispense
with the services of foreigners. Pursuant
/ to a ministerial order, the Russian Steam
Navigation and Trading company OF
Odessa, the largest concern of its kind in
Russia, has Just given notice to the three
remaining hrst-class British engineers in
It's employment, all men Of twenty-five
years service, that they must forthwith
become Russian subjects or resign their
posts.
It 10 evident that the British government
is vide awake to the importance OF the
part which the colonies are likely to play
In future wars and to the value OF the
present organization Of all their military
resources for offense and defense. Already
two distinguished soldiers, Sir George
Clarke and Sir Herbert Chermside, have
been appointed governors of the states OF
Victoria and Queensland, and now Vice Ad-
miral Sir Harry Rawson, one OF the most
brilliant officers Of the British navy, who
undoubtedly would be selected for high
command in the event Of a maritime war,
has ben made governor of New South
Wales. Thus the governor general OF
Australia is provided with a kind Of spe-
ciaI privy council of unimpeachable au'
thority on all military and naval matters
Sir Harry Rawson Is only IS years old,
but has served for forty-hve years. In
1857 he was present at the capture Of the
Peiho forts and since then he has been
employed in all quarters of the world
He was one of the umpires at the British
naval maneuyers Of 1898, and was In COM
mand of the ceremonies at spithead when
the body of Queen Victoria was borne In
state from Osborne to GosuOrt.
One Of the bills before the French Cham
Der in which the ministry is most deeply in
terested is M. Basly's measure. fixing eight
hours as the maximum days work In the
mines. A great majority Of the miners are
said tn approve 1t, and the open support
given to It by the government is regarded
as a bid for the labor vote at the coming
elections. The bill, however, does not insist
on the immediate application of the eight
hours day, and, in fact, an amendment OF
M. Basly insisting on the immediate appli-
cation Of this principle was voted down by
$50 to 1876. What It provides for is an eight
hours day after four years. In the view OF
the legislative committee, the changes In
yolved will result in a diminution Of pro-
duction, and thereby entail a number OF
alterations in the general economy of the
mines. Hence the necessity Of giving the