Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-07
LONDON MISCELLANY
Canadian-Japanese Row Has
Its Humorous Aspect.
OCEAN RATE WAR SINNERS
No Longer Any Real Dead Season in
Town"
CARDINAL MANNING MEMORIAL
Restoration Of the Rubens Ceiling in
the Whitehall Palace-Work
Now Completed.
OCEAN RATE WAR SINNERS
CARDINAL MANNING MEMORIAL

LONDON, September 30, 1907.
II 1t were not such an essentially serl-
Gus matter the Vancouver explosion might
be regarded as the ridiculous climax to
strange political story. The remarkable
fact is that it was only in January of the
present year that the Dominion parlia-
ment passed the bill under which the
Japanese immigration which is now being
found 50 troublesome was rendered pos
sIble. That measure extended to Canada
the provisions Of the Anglo-Japanese
commercial treaty Of 1894, the first clause
of which provides that the subjects of
each of the two high contracting parties
shall have full liberty to enter, travel or
reside in any part Of the dominions or
possessions of the other.
1t was Canada, curiously enough, which
applied to the Japanese government for
permission to come within the scope OF
the treaty, with the view, chiefly, of be-
ing able to enjoy its mitigated tariffs.
When the treaty was originally drawn up
between Toxic and London It was pro-
vided that any of the self governing col
onies might adhere to 1t within the next
two years-a period subsequently extended
to three The time Of grace had long ex-
pired before Canada, realizing the ex-
market after the Manchurian war, began
to crave for the benefit of its provisions.
There Is no denying that at the moment
the transatlantic steamship business Is In
particularly unsettled condition. and
that unless wiser counsels prevail gen.
eral war of rates will break out when
the westbound season ends in October.
Practically all the agreements between
the companies are awaiting readjuStment
and are receiving recognition merely from
if4 fka tow 49, he 0n0
ments is / understand. far from cordial.
Several unsuccessful attempts have al
ready been made to arrive at an under
standing. and another conference Is about
to be held in London. the result Of which
is awaited with considerable anxiety. Ii
Is generally believed that the withdrawal
Of the Hamburg-American line from the
pool" which governed the steerage pas
sengers' traffic really opened hostilities,
as the other companies were naturally
compelled to follow suit And although
the cut has SO far been confined to
the eastward rates. 1t is only the excep-
tionally good west-bound business which
has prevented an open outbreak.
Good Fall Season.
September is, Of course. the climax of
the dull season. You will find it difficult
to drive that conviction or tradition out Of
the head OF the Londoner. The town is
empty" Everybody of consequence is
away. and there Is nothing doing any
where. These are August and September
platitudes, and most people believe them
still. AS a matter of fact. il We forget
that parliament is not sitting. that the
mansions OF Mayfair and Belgravia are
bolted and shattered and that society
has gone elsewhere. 1t would be the
easiest thing In the world to imagine that
the season is at its height. Outwardly,
London has not been SO gay and bright
~ I,rri n~ he
For that we have mainly to thank the
glorious weather. May and June. when
the season was in full swing. were months
of cold and rain. Ladies hardly dared. ex
cept on an occasional fine day, to don
their daintiest gowns and hats. The
chance has come at last. Under a blazing
sun. with a shade temperature Of IS. the
west end shopping streets are as bright
with summer frocks as On the best June
days American and continental visitors
are an element in the crowds that Is abb
sent in the early summer, and they are
shopping with an assiduity that must be
comforting to the traders, who have hith
erto been lamenting disastrous year.
No Art Exhibits.
Some fine day British painters and the
dealers in their works will discover that
they no longer live in midVictorian Lon
don. There are already signs Of the
awakening. Last year, for instance,
Messrs. Agnew gave up the use OF the
term 'high-class'' in describing the pic
lures at their spring show. But August
and September bring their tens of thou
sands of continental and American visi-
tors to London, and fashionable English
people swarm at the big hotels. pausing
in town for a day or two on their way
north or south with more leisure on their
hands than they have all the season, and
yet Bond street shows hardly single
placard, nor do any Of the art societies
produce an exhibition. To societies and
dealers there Is still dead season when
persons Of taste and money dare not show
face in London. The theaters know bet
ter and produce each autumn bigger
crop Of new plays. But SO far as painting
is concerned. the national galleries have
all their own way. Some will not quarrel
with that state of things. but only those
who think that art Is dead in England
This year when there Is an unusual num-
Der of French visitors here 1t seems par
ticularly absurd that there should not be
what British artists are doing.
Whitehall Paintings.
After being engaged on the wor kfor six
months the artists commissioned by the
office OF works have completed the res
| toration of the magnificent Rubens ceiling
| of the banqueting hall of the old palace
Of Whitehall, which now forms part of
the Museum Of the Royal United Service
Institution. The ceiling Is divided into
nine compartments by a rich framework
of gilded holdings The paintings which
were removed from the ceiling have been
remounted. After the lapse of more than