Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-20
orHnR LANps THAN ouRs.


session as the result Of the war with China,
Is the native home Of the camphor tree.
The Formosan output of camphor gum av-
erages 6O00,000 pounds a year; that OF all
the rest of Japan is about $4,000 pounds
annually, while the Chinese yield never ex-
ceeds 10000 pounds. The bill passed by
the japanese Diet on Friday last extending
the control Of the government over the sup
ply of camphor to all parts of the Japanese
empire, therefore, establishes practical
worldwide monopoly. The alleged purpose
of the monopolization is the protection of
the camphor forests OF Formosa from the
inroads Of the savages who infest the east
ern half of that island; but, inasmuch as
the Japanese government assumes the right
to limit the production in order to prevent
an "oversupply," It is quite evident that
the real object is to keep up the price to
the highest point the traffic will bear.
Reform in local administration has for
some time been one of the most burning
questions in Spanish politics. and there is
much excitement just now and no little Ill
feeling. over bill introduced in Parlia-
ment by the minister of the interior Senior
Maura. 1t was hoped and expected that
this measure which had been spoken of as
almost revolutionary in its radical treat
| ment of old abuses, would afford at least
some practical relief from existent evils,
and the disappointment was profound
when, upon publication, 1t proved to be a
plan for making Madrid more than ever
the center of municipal authority. Senior
Maura has been the object of a vigorous
press attack from all sides. The repub-
licans assert that he has been actuated by
the sole idea of keeping them out of mu-
1 .NoAr .,,fl. MI.
whole project as a most pernicious scheme
Of reactionary Capitalization Generally the
tone of journalistic comment is pessmis-
tic concerning the political situation and
| the national prospects.
1t is generally known that Germany has
not made a striking success in it's at
| tempts to colonize especially in Africa,
| but the extent of its failures has been fairly
well concealed. Almost all the German
colonies are largely dependent on subsidies
| paid by the imperial government to balance
their budget This year these subsidies
amount to considerably over $7,50O,OOO. The
one colony which is financially independent
| this year is Togoland, and this is due to the
fact that the expected construction OF q
| railway has been delayed and the pay
| ments on 1t deferred. In the whole of the
hAoh pAShCSlOAdlS6 kA1ElCA IIleI0 were
| but e,ee1 white inhabitants in 1902 and of
these only 4.2OS Germans. That year was
one Of marked increase in the white pop
ulation. Southwest Africa gained 1000 from
the results of the Boer war. East Africa
gained four, the Cameroons thirty-three
and Togoiand twenty-five. The census OF
the South Sea possessions was very disap-
pointing. In Samoa there are but 347
| whites and on all the German islands only
S62 The exports of Samoa declined $65 900
and the imports double that amount. In
China, in Kiao-chau, the expenditure was
much heavier than the revenue. This year
the imperial subsidy comes to 50. .2o5, 900 or
| $95 900 more than last year. And the worst
| of It is that both the Reichstag and private
| capital have so little faith In the colonies
that very little new capital is going into
them for their development.
1t would be difficult even In this country
| to parallel the growth of many English
towns In the last half century. Summar-
! ized statistics of the census taken in 1901
| Show most remarkable figures regarding
the urban growth Of the country. and the
| neral movement toward towns. Such
cities as London. Liverpool. Birmingham,
| Manchester and Leeds have trebled, qua
,drupled and quintnpled their population
since 1851, but these are not to be COM
pared with smaller centres. Barrow-in-
Furness has grown from 1000 to $1,000;
Bradford from 1000 to 1900; West Hartle-
pool fl ON 1000 to $1,000. and Rhonnda from
1000 to $4,000. The growth of the towns
| about London is still more remarkable.
East Ham, from a village of 1000, has be-
| come a city of $4,000; West Ham, from
| 1900 to 267, 900; Walthamstow, from 400
to $4,000; Tottenham, from 1000 to 10000;
and Leyton from 1000 to 9S.000 The other
side of the picture is found in the figures
regarding some Of the counties. Cornwall
| has decreased since 1861 and Herefordshire
and Shropshire since 1871. In Cornwall in
1s91-19O1 the excess Of births over deaths
was 2s,s46, and the loss by migration 26,s3S.
In Herefordshire in the same period the
excess of births over deaths was 9,576 and
the loss from migration 1882.
The European newspapers contain many
1 reports of violent encounters between cler-
| icals and anti-clericals in Paris and else
where, denoting a growing bitterness of
feeling which might easily lead to meal
| culable consequences. The earliest provooa-
! ton, perhaps. was given in violent pulpit
denunciation of the associations law, in
which the president and ministers were
compared with Herod, Pontius Plate, Judas
Iscariot, and so forth. the anti-clericals re-
taliating by protesting in the churches
! against the sermons of unauthorized
preachers. Scenes of disorder and riot
naturally followed and seem likely to be
repeated with increasing animosity on both
sides. The socialist element among the
anti-clericals hoped that the disturbances
would precipitate the coming breach be-
tween church and state, and the destruc-
tion of the concordat, but these excesses
have alarmed the more prudent of their
own party and the republicans and have
actually forced the government, which bears
| them no Ill will, to employ the police
| against them in defence of Roman Cath
Ollie rights. recent attempt on the part
- h.. ala lInAn 10 n Ilcr,n