Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-11
Free Traders Have the Lead.

icy.
Free Traders Have the Lead.
The weight of speaking on the fiscal ques-
ton has so far been immensely on the free
trade side The tariff reformers are be-
ginning to complain that they are being
left in the lurch. The prime minister
evinces no great desire to enter the fray,
and neither the new chancellor Of the
exchequer nor Mr.. Gerald Balfour are like
ly to do much to help the protectionist
cause. Outside the government Mr.. Chap
lain is the only man of past political emil
hence who Is coming to the assistance of
Mr.. Chamberlain. 1t is. in fact, becoming
clear that the brunt Of the fight will rest
with Mr.. Chamberlain himself but clear
and powerful speaker as he is he will be
overmatched by the number and activity OF
the statesmen and politicians on the other
side How far public opinion Is Influenced
by the vast quantities of leaflets that are
being showered on the country it is difficult
to say. The Tariff Reform League, at any
rate, have more hope in the literature of
the leafet than in speeches.
Novel Way to Raise Money for Charity
A novel experiment is about to be tried In
London in the way Of raising money for
the kings hospital fund. About twenty
Saturdays a year boxes are pushed under
ones nose at every corner by ardent col
lectors for the fund and the same number
of Sundays are utilized in this way by
churches and outside collectors Now
shopping day will be inaugurated to get
more money from the benevolent public.
The day fixed is Tuesday, November 3, and
the proposal is that every one who shops
on that day should only patrOnize those es-
Establishments who have joined the move
ment-that is to say, those shops that are
to give certain percentage OF the prohts
on all sales to the hospital fund 1t Is ex-
pected that the purchases on that day Will
be unusually large.
Ladies are asked to, as far as possible.
postpone purchases until this occasion, ana
anticipate those that they would make dur
ing the rest of the week The shops that
are to conduct their sales on the day fixed
on the principle of contributing share OF
the profits to the hospital fund will have
bills announcing the fact in their windows.
It may fairly be assumed that on this Occa-
sion some addition will be made to the or
binary price of the article, and that, in fact,
the sales will be conducted somewhat on
the bazaar principle. The movement how
ever, for a hospital shopping day has Gre
ated some difference Of opinion among
tradesmen. Some of them object to 1t on
the ground that 1t Is imposing special and
unfair tax. and others resent altogether
che idea that ordinary business should be
mixed up with the collection OF money for
the hospital What success will attend the
movement 1t is impossible to say. but about
700 shopkeepers have already agreed to fall
in with 1t.
Engineers in British Navy.
The power and duties Of the naval engi-
neer on board ship in the British navy have
been the subject of much discussion and
consideration in this country where an en-
gineer In the service Is not the equal of
other officers on the ship. 1t was expected
that at least the admiralty would be able to
devise some means whereby the engineer
would be responsible for all mechanism
sibility of friction with the torpedo or gun
merry lieutenants. 1t would appear, how
ever, from an order just issued to the ships
in commission that this has not been at
tained. for the former conditions relative to
the distribution of power are, II anything,
intensified. 1t was thought, for instance,
that the electric generating machinery in
the engine room might be placed under the
charge of the engineer, along with all other
In the engine and boiler rooms,
even although the electric motors for gun
and torpedo work were left In charge of
the officers using them But the torpedo
lieutenant Is to be responsible for every
thing electrical The absurdity of the ex-
clusion Of the dynamo and its engine from
the engineers purview Is the more evident
when 1t Is noted that even should the tor
pedo or gunnery lieutenant use a steam.
oil or gas engine for his special Operations
the engine will be under the charge of the
engineer.
The admiralty are now engaged In ex-
aiming the plans of a new torpedo boat
which promises to revolutfonfze the science
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