The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-08
bR|IlNS N .kE
WITH h START
Great Change in EnglandBeing
Wrought.
AMERICA THE CAUSE
Old Londoner Won't Know
Town in Ten Years.

London, March THE more cIoccly
one watches the currents of British af-
fairs at the present moment the more
certain does one become that England
has not been preached at in vain the
past two or three years. When upon his
return from colonial tour the Prince OF
Wales went down to the Guildhall and
bluntly told the portly Aldermen and COM
Portable citizens whose offices crowd
round the Bank of England that England
must wake up unless she meant TO
be left behind in the international race,
few of his hearers were sanguine enough
TO believe that the Englishman would
pay much attention. Events have made
them sanguine now. Commercial Eng
land is undoubtedly waking up. In every
direction you witness a determination to
Lrofit by the experience of other coun-
tries, and nowhere among the men who
count is there the idea that British in
dustrialism has seen its best day. 1t may
be this awakening will in time spread
to the English political world. 1t may
even be that the British War Office will
in the near future set itself as vigorously
as English men of commerce are setting
themselves to adjust means to ends and
fulfill the gospel of efficiency. That, how
ever, is for the future. For the present
it is enough to note that English indus
trial,sm is more alert than ever it was.
and was persuaded that the future has
bigger things in store than the past has
seen.
One or two illustrations of the working
of this new spirit may be given. Take
first the English railway world. Never
before have English railway directors had
to suffer an onslaught so severe as that
which has come upon them during the
last few months from all quarters. The
critics have been well equipped They have
insisted that where dividends have dwin-
died they have dwindled for want of
good management; that while America is
not England and must have many meth
DDS quite unsuited to English application.
there is much to be learned from across
the Atlantic, especially in the conduct of
freight traffic and in the keeping of &C
counts; and finally it has been brought
to the arrangements of the leading Brit
ish Ines that the day has gone by when
a railway directorate can be regarded
DIS a soft job for titled noodle, and
that the control of great railway sys-
TENS must be placed in the hands of
shrewd business men.
The railway reformers singled out the
Board of the greatest Of English railways,
the London and Northwestern railway,
for first attack. Among the shareholders
of the company are men like Lord Bras
sey, and they, in conjunction with share
holders from Thra gmorton street, have
set the Northwestern board upon its de-
tense in fine fashion. At the greatest
meeting of the company yesterday the
two sections began their fight-Lord Stall
bridge, the chairman, and his colleagues
of the board standing out for the present
mana gement with its old-fashioned ways
and slow changes; Lord Brossey. Mr.. Bur
dett-Coutts Mr.. Spens. and other share
holders demanding newer methods and a
change of directorate. 1t was a, fore
gone conclusion that Lord Stalbridge and
the present board would not be defeated
in open conflict, for they have on their
side the tremendous support of national
English conservatism. but it is certain
that, thanks in a large measure to this
agitation, the Northwestern Board will
henceforward come more into line with
newer methods. They win not go as far
as many would like until dividends again
begin to dwindle. The Northwestern div
idend has Just been declared at IA per
cent. and the Board can point to the fact
that improved methods have enabled them
TO carry !. 100 00o more tons of freight than
last wear at less expenditure. They have.
too, to aid them the argument Of the
American analogy. ours" in America.
he is reported as saying. lis a whole
sale business. Yours in England is re-
tail. We get bigger lots than you do. AMI
we can handle them to better advantS ge;
but in regard to general merchandise your
arrangements are better than ours; and.
as a railway man. tell you frankly that
I do not think your companies charge
enough for what they do But for all
that the American example Is telling in an
increasing way with the English railway
manager. and II must continue TO do so.
One Of the probabilities Of the future IS
such a cooperation among English rail-
ways he will put an end TO the neck-and-
neck rivalry now going on between such
lines as the Northwestern. the Great
Northern and the Midland without pen
nv-s worth Of advantage to the passer-
ger and trader. English railway cooper
alton already covers $4,000 90 year 1T
VIII soon cover much more
In another direction the Engiishman is
waking up. He begins to realize that the
astute American gentlemen who come 70
England are not philantrophists in their
eager desire n supply him with better
CITY traction. Thanks 70 this awakening
interest. means Of locomotion in London
are. IS YOU know undergoing such a rev
olt,tfou that IN five years time the Lon
done- himself viii hardly know his citg.
and taking the kingdom IS a wkoie. r.
u,arkabIe changes are in progress n ths
direction % A closer adaptation Of means
N ends Al official report relating %
trsrnwav urldertakinSs shows that IN the
United kingdom. AZ The erd of June
las. there were f.4sf miles - tramEay
o-an 10 traffic. - miles being n the
hands OF the local aufhcrities The cspi-
tai expenditure OF thesa lines Ess IL -
81 ~ which 81 90 * vas sne-T hT Re
,o,-t authorities Ths snfzi exnr-tifure
q e-rttal account Vas fi57.sl1-sAs TIE
nur,h~- ~ horses EMPLOYED zss zL1.a.
of locomotive surir@s ~ ard = cars.
The passengers CARED duriag -
year tosanes CD - -. - - ard TIE
zross receipts zere ~ -. TIE IT
rtcesnts we're s. ~ sea the WORKING er-
uenses beinS 80 ~. X TIE -st receipts
IN 1ss. xseu .ss-e were l-st 7siies =
lines ooeu = trzfsic yer. f-isl.l55- -
Iss niles % Tires = EuEiars ans waisz.
-ovw or~r - are zefsed hs a.scfEicstv-
Turn % another gsas;isErentasF pzFe-
ssSus~s tbs wcek fc- evsfcncs 4 in3us-
49, $1,000. A xr.as sf~zf Az~ r<e-