Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-12
ARRANGING CABINETS
British Politicians Busy Fix
ing a New Slate.
GOSSIPS NOW LIVELY
SAY CHANGE BOUND TO COME
DESPITE PASSING OF CRISIS.
Chinese Making Definite Progress in
Reorganization of Military Forces
Many japanese Colonies.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, July 20, 1903
The political crisis is over, but talk is still
going at the clubs and in political circles
about tie change In government which is
bound to come before the end of the year.
Politicians are busy arranging cabinets. If
a general election be held in October the
liberals expect to obtain majority oc
nearly hundred, of which between forty
and fifty would be labor members these
latter forming a flying column which might
give the new cabinet some trouble. Lord
Spencer, it is expected. would decline office
owing TO Ill-heath. Sir Henry Campbell
Bannerman would then be given a peerage
and made prime minister on the distinct
understanding that he would only hold
office for one year. At the end of that
time Mr. Asquith would succeed him, hav-
ing previously been leader of the house of
commons. the drawback to this pretty pro-
ject is that &C b has not always proved a
puppet in the hands of the party wire pull
ers. and his speech last Saturday. for ex-
ample, did not attain the dignity demanded
by the current situation.
On one point all the oracles are agreed,
and that is on the personality who will have
charge of that weird entity, the British
army. The new secretary for war Is to
be Sir Charles Dixie. He is the right man
for the arduous post. and a very marked
physical contrast to the neurotic Mr. Ar
nold-Forster. for he can never exhaust his
superabundant vitalism. He will run for
an hour and then row hard for another
hour on the Serpentine. all before break
fast. Later he will put in third hour at
fenclng, in which exercise he is a master
He is almost the only prominent politician
who can dictate two important letters on
widely divergent topics to two different
secretaries simultaneously, and when COM
rlimented on the feat. he replied that it
was no more difficult than to play several
games of chess at once
Possessing the most intimate and extra
ordinary grasp of foreign affairs he will
tell you the 'backstairs reason" for each
diplomatic move, and II there is one man
in England likely to pull round the derelict
war office, 1t is he. Apart from all party
questions it is his assumption of that DO
sitlon which entails marked national
blessing, for Sir Edward Grey, like Lord
Lansdowne, would probably carry on the
foreign policy dictated by King Edward.
Reports which have been sent homo to
both the British war and foreign offices
from Peking place it beyond doubt that the
Chinese government Is making very def
mite progress in the reorganiza ton of its
military forces. Much more has been done
since the Boxer rebellion of 1900 than the
OUTSIDE world has been permitted to know,
and for the past two years the reorganiZa-
tion of the army and the chief defenses
mas been IN the hands, or under the super
vision. of some of the most capable soldiers
and engineers that Japan has produced
1t Is computed that at the end of the
year 1901 there were no fewer than 1,1OO
japanese instructors In Chinese military
employ. and in a very long and closely
reasoned report made by a British officer
In Picking, and received at the war office a
few days ago, it Is affirmed that by 1910
aff1l
trained and equipped with the most modern
artillery, of half a million men, with a re-
serve Of three hundred thousand men The
Japanese who are engaged in the work free
ly assert, according to the British officers
report that the Chinese when properIy
trained, will make splendid fighting force
and should be able when the organization
is complete. to do quite as well in the field
as the japanese themselves have done.
Twenty-Five years ago the Japanese in
Europe were as rare and quantity curious
as their own queer curiosities of art. To-
day there is no country in Europe which
has not it's Japanese colony. They no
longer come over acrobatic troupes but
as technical investigators of western in
dustrial methods. and so Systematically
are their investigations carried out that
the japanese government knows, through
it's embassies, exactly how many Japanese
are in each country, who they are what
they are there for and by the Japanese
keeping in constant touch with their en-
bassies. overlapping is almost entirely
avoided.
Each Japanese recognizes his duty to his
state, and so individualism is subordinated
to the collective good. Just now there are
Japanese students over here studying
calico printing, leather tanning, horticul-
ture, railway management, and a score of
subsidiary industries, with the intention
Of introducing the latest industrial ideas
into Japan.
The most recent field for investigation is
Billingsgate, the great central fish market.
Mr. Kato has been sent over here by the
Japanese fisheries board to see what kind
of fish the English CATCH how we catch
they sell for, and how Billingsgate han
dies them Mr. kato tells me that he is
impressed by Billingsgate distributing
center. Tokyo buys but does not distrib-
ute, fish. The use of ice. too, is novelty
In Japan the fish are carried in the wells
of the vessels, and so kept alive until sold
to the wholesale fishmonger. Mr.. Kato Is
evidently going into the question with the
thoroughness characteristic of his nation
He takes Germany, Sweden and Norway
Holland and France In his stride, and then
goes over to Washington to see how
America conducts it's fishing business
The Japanese take nothing for granted.
Admiral Rojestvensky has just reported
that his vessels suffered a great loss of
speed through the barnacles that chung to
them as the result of the long sojourn of
the fleet off Madagascar l may recall
conversation of months ago with Baron
Suyematsu. He said the Japanese were
ering In Madagascar waters, as a par
ticularly large and obstinate barnacIe in
habited them, and would diminish the speed
of the vessels by several knots. That is
fair sample of Japanese prescience. The
government, alive to the barnacle POSSIBLE
ity. had at once instructed a leading nat
uralist to report upon the whole question
as soon as II was seen that the Russians
meant to pass some weeks or the NADIA
gaScar coast.
Il 4
Goodwood week, which always marks the
approaching end Of the season." promises
to surpass itself from the socia lpoint of
view. Goodwood. which has probably shell
tered more royal guests than any other
mansion In the land. will this year be
honored by the visit of the king and pos
sibly Queen Alexandra and Princess Vic
toria. while the Goodwood house party in
vited by the Duke of Richmond and Cor
don to meet the sovereign will comprise
some Of the most illustrious members OF
English society
Goodwood House, though comfortable,
is by no means a picturesque mansion. It
In its surroundings and glOrioua avlvaU