Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-24
.EnGLAND'S NEW NAVY
Proposed to Build Thirty-0ne
Warships.
TEN ARE SUBMARINES
WHITAKER WRIGHT'S PRoSECU-
TON GIVES SATISFACTION.
italian Inventor Has q Device to Wash
Smoke--London News
and Gossip.
ZEN ARE SUBMARINES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
LONDON. March II, 1903
The naval program of the British govern
ment for the coming financial year Is bold
and comprehensive. Although the details
of the ships to be ordered are not yet drawn
up, it has been decided to order thirty-one
new fighting vessels, exclusive Of a river
gunboat, a new admiralty yacht and a sur
veying ship. The new program includes
three battle ships three armored cruisers,
four scouts, fifteen destroyers. ten sub
marines and two coast-guard cruisers.
Even the forward group" who desire the
navy to be increased at the expense of the
army will be satisfied at the estimates,
which propose net increase Of the naval
expenditure Of f3, 25O,0 GOO compared with the
year that is closing.
Exclusive of fl $4,000 met by appropria-
tions, the total expenditure will be f34.50o,-
OOO. The personnel will be $4,000, net
increase of 1900 for which 100000 in
crease is taken. The biggest increase, how
ever, Is f. 5000 for new construction,
principally in contract work The item for
ornaments has decreased by f15O,3OO to
f3, go, 600 but there Is an increase OF nearly
f500, 600 in works.
Those who have complained In the past
that the naval authorities appear to have
been asleep while other countries were
making a great fuss over the doings OF
their submarines will be particularly
pleased with the statement explaining the
navy estimates. The admiralty have been
active in the matter OF submarines, ana
before very long England should have a
nice little fleet Of these queer craft
year ago five of these vessels were under
construction, and they have been delivered.
Progressive trials will shortly commence
to test their practical utility, both for de-
tense and attack, and one may expect to
hear some interesting details. Meanwhile
four vessels Of an improved type nave oeen
laid down, and 1t is hoped they will be
completed before the end Of March, 1904
One Of the four has so far advanced that
preliminary trials have commenced, put
secrecy is maintained as to the results.
1t is proposed to commence building ten
more.
Prosecution Of Whitaker Wright.
After any amount of public pressure the
law as administered by impartial British
Judges has permitted the prosecution OF the
famous Whitaker Wright the leading spirit
in the London and Globe Finance Corpora
ton. It was this precious company OF which
the late Lord Dufferin was chairman and
a large shareholder. The company sue
ceeded In drawing immense sums OF money
from a confdfng public, largely composed
of small investors, and the sum mentioned
Is the enormous one OF tZ,OUoOU Wnlcn
Whitaker Wright and mis- associates man
aged to take out of their pockets IN this
and other swindles. Lord Dufferin was hon
est enough and was the dupe Of the others.
He lost large sums Of money, and the ex-
posture Of the company's slimness. has
tened his death. Aprosecutton OF Wright
was called for on the charge Of issuing false
balance sheets, but the upright law lords of
England decided that the law regulating
such detail of limited company matters was
passed after the act,the gallant Wright. who
0r,d
bought with the proceeds Of his spoils, could
not be touched regular campaign then
set in, and the charge was Wtdened into
wholesale condemnation Of numerous high
placed titled people who were near the
king and it was said that the prosecution
was denied because of their influence. Eng
land is a, beautiful place to cheat in If you
observe the formalities Of the law, and COM
pany after company takes advantage of
LOCALITIES by which the confiding lose their
money and the company shark gains it.
However, right has prevailed at last and
the man Wright is to be prosecuted.
When Mr.. Whitaker Wright acquired Lea
Park in Surrey, he set about making i'm
mense alterations. An ornamental lake
was constructed, and terra Gotta wall
water in order that the dem den
might resemble the residence Of an east
ern potentate. For many years the word
"unemployed'' was unknown in the south
ern half OF the county OF Surrey, for all
who knocked at the gate Of Lea Park were
given work.
Anent the st. Louis Exposition.
The hesitation of Great Britain to show
ascribed among Americans here to pique at
the great advancement the United States
has made in arts and manufactures. The
king is undoubtedly in favor Of large
representative exhibit, but for some in
terror reason the government are slow to
grasp the idea and may make no better
show than at Paris.
The part which Great Britain has played
in the history Of the largest exhibitions
we go back to the year 1885, when the first
Paris exhibition was held. we ind the
government Of that time fully alive to their
RESPONSIBILITIES. They took the Initiative In
forming q commission. and greater floor
space was secured than that given to any
other foreign nation. British exhibits were
the most numerous, and the display in the
art section was particularly praiseworthy.
And the board Of trade even arranged ex-
cursions for worlkingmen to visit Paris
to get ideas.
did what manufacturers expected Of them,
for they made a grant OF E16OOO to De
spent on the British section. Consequently
British exhibits were again the most nu-
merous, and, on the whole, were represent
alive but it cannot be said that. 80 far al
quality went they compared very favor.
ably with those Of Germany, France ana
Belgium. The eXhiDtlOn was a. Tc1udlA-
ably fine one, and 1t served the good pur-
pose of showing clearly the urgent need CT
an Improvement in technical education IN
this country.
At the cent ennial exposition at Philadel-
phia in 1875 Great Britain once more took
the leading place among the foreign ma
tons This was quite in keeping with
American wishes, for the commissioners al
lotted 200, 600 square feet Of floor space to
Great Britain and her colonies, against
100 GOO square feet to France and her de-
tendencies and 10000 square feet to Ger
many British machinery, in particular.
made a splendid show, and indeed, all
things considered, Great Britain never
made such a fine display, relatively speak
ing, as at Philadelphia.
Case Of Other Exhibitions.
The government refused to officially rec
ognixe the Amsterdam exhibition Of 1883
and the Paris show Of 1889. though many
English exhibited at both.
II the British government had an ex-
cuse for not recognizing the Paris exhi-
bition of 1880, they had not for not maxi ag
q larger grant than 100000 toward the cost
Of making a satisfactory national display
at the Chicago worlds fair Of 1898.
The sum of 100000 was inadequate. and
compared badly with the f145 COO voted by
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