The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-16
York Tribune, according d plans and

| York Tribune, according to plans and
\ specifications prepared. OF. at least,
1 revised and approved by II, and with
n fund of s1s0oo,000 appropriated for
| the purpose out of the British ex-
| chcuucr In the form or n nominal loan
ut al per cent. interest, TO be res
paid In twenty yearly portions and
secured by n mortgage on the entire
cunard fleet. Tho loan IS however,
so heavily subsidized that tho yearly
subsidy Will more than cover the pay
ments on the loan and will. in addi-
ton, go far toward paying the In
terost on IL at the outset when It ID
lnrgest. Thus. while the yearly In
stamcnt on the loan will he $3.50, 900,
the two ships are to have yearly
subsidy OF $4,000. In addition, they
are to receive from lie government
tile lump sum OF ss40o0O for carrying
the mails.
Under the compact. the government
has the option of hiring or purchasing
at any time any or all vessels OF the
1UHuTu Ilppt. -.-5s 4.
The company cannot charter It's
ships to others without the govern
ments permission nor raise freight
rates unduly. All directors and i'm
portant officers of the company must
be British subjects, and all shares OF
the company's stock must be held and
controlled by British subjects. More
over, three-fourths of the crews on
all Cunard steamers must be British
subjects. and on the four big ships all
the officers and at least half the men
must be members of the Naval Re
serve under penalty of $50 head for
the deficiency.
There be those in America who
advocate a similar policy for the
United States. and we may come to
ship subsidies after we are older and
more settled, but we could not do SO
now without jobbery and favoritism.
HOTHA,S GIFT TO KING EDWARD.
Gratin.d by the flattering cordially
with which tho British nation not long
ago received him General Botha has
reciprocated with little present of q
diamond to King Edward. 1t is not an
ordinary diamond at all. 1t is gem
with name, the Cullinan, accidentally
picked up two years ago in the Rand.
1t is also a gem with certain claims
to dimensions.
The Koh-i-Noor, doubtless the most
Tn, IN at oil
tare los carats. The Regent, of the
crown Jewels of France, weighs but
1876. The Orloff the magnificent da-
mond of the Cars and Czarinas. weighs
no more than 1913. In point of SIZE
none of these Is to be mentioned in the
same week with the Cullnan. which
weighs one and three-quarter pounds
and is therefore nine times as largo
as the other three put together.
The Culinan is worth around ST.
belonged to the Transvaal government.
who We're separated from it, appa-
rently, with some reluctance. They
seemed to feel that some 100000 or
100000 worth of diamond was worth
keeping The Johannesburg news
papers felt much the same way about
1T. 1t was all we'll enough for Botha
to want to give his friend, His Majesty,
a present. but 1t did seem that he ought
to do 1t out OF his own private till
Botha had been to London. He had had
stovepipe hats tossed skyward in his
honor, had clasped the hands of Eng
lands great, had stretched his limbs
under noble mahoganies, had tucked,
we hazard. the champagne of royalty
beneath his leathern belt. But the tax
payers had only stayed at home and
read about the doings in the daily
papers. What did they have to do
with it2 However, Botha was elo-
quent the government declared for the
gift, seven for and five against, and
Edward is to have the Culllnan.
Some day, 1t may be, he will appearl
with it, at some affair OF state, set
with the others in his historic crowh;l
selves away, his royal head will grow
aweary, his kingly scalp will cry out
beneath It's burden. his royal neck will
bow like reed under those pounds
of diamonds, his imperial brain will
wish that the Cullinan had never been
born When these things occur, the
nnwillingly generous taxpayers of
South Africa may feel, at least. that
they have not been as those without
vengeance.
=----
Newspapers would be able to work
more reformsJif their readers would
lend helping hand. Suppose that