The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-04
THE NEWS FROM LONDON
BY HENRY DEVEREAUx.

London, September 26.-The accident to sailing boat at Yarmouth last week, which resulted in the loss of six lives, calls attention to a danger which must be prevalent round our coasts during the holiday season. At all the principal wa tering places on the fine days there are ''skylarks," or other large open beach, boats, putting out at all hours of the day, crowded with excursionists, some Of them taking hundred or more at a time. All these people would be absolute ly helpless in the event of any accident to the boat. It says a great deal for the care and seamanship of the boatmen that accidents to such craft are rare But there is a certain class of accidents as the Yarmouth case slows, which can not be avoided by any amount of care or skill, and surely some provision ought to be made against them. The least that should be required as supply of life belts on board as is required on steam boats; and I should think there is no reason why the seats should not be ar ranged as detachable lifebuoys. It would also. I suppose, be perfectly practicable for these boats to tow one or two large dinghies, which would come in handy in case of accident
 Mir. Labouchere says: ''I may be Llt- tie Englander, but it makes me feel an even smaller one to read the humilating story of the last of the Shamrocks Ev- erybody sympathizes with Sir Thomas Lipton; his pluck and perseverance have been truly noble. But I imagine there are a good many Englanders, big and little, who feel with me that it is desirable that we should produce something entirely diff ferent in the shape of a yacht before any more attempts are made to recover the America cup. If we could only win one or two races out of five now and again. one would look on these contests in different spirit; but to go on building yachts and sending them across the At lantic year after year for half cen tury. and never win a single race all the time, is rather humliating.
 
 Theatrical managers know their own business best but believe that the policy of making an inclusive charge for seat, programme, and cloakroom has always  wonder that in these days managers in- stead of levying these additional taxes upon their patrons. have not tried the experiment of giving them something be- sides the entertainment. The bonus sys- tenn seems to be the foundation of suc- cess in trade at the present day, and thousands of people are ready to pay for an article more than it is worth if some other article of insignificant value is "given away" at the same time. Why not extend this system to the theatre, and distribute free coffee and cigarettes to the stalls between the acts, or free oranges and lemonade to the gallery? This looks wiser policy than charging sixpence for a programme which would still yield a handsome profit if presented gratis. Of course. you do not want to rely upon adventitious attractions to fill your house if you are Wyndham, an Alexander, or Tree. But l offer my sug eestion, in all humility, to those who are not Wyndhams, Alexander or Trees.
 Probably employment in mines Is as injurious to Asiatics as to negroes Lord Curzon has expressed his disapproval of recruiting in India for African mines. The Chinese almost invariably work above ground. and their. mining labor is confined to washing alluXial deposits.