The Detroit times., 1908-09-15
NEVER SAW SUCH
= POVERTY As IN
LONDON
LAND QUESTION AT ROOT OF
TROUBLE, SAYS DETROIT PRE-.
IATE-eRIToNs AHEAD OF YAM.
KEGS IN SOME LINES.
BISHOP WILLIAMS.

Il never before saw such poverty as
saw in London said the RI. Rev.
Charles ID. Williams. bishop OF the De
troit diocese, who returned Saturday
from a trip or over three months
spent IN England, Scotland and Wales.
While In England the bishop attended
the Pan-Anglican and Lambeth CONFER
ences or the Anglican church.
The social question IS very press
ing" continued the bishop. In Glas'
gov IA great army OF unemployed
marched TO the council chamber and
made a desperate appeal 10 the coun-
ell for work. The wage there Is very
low. | found that the cheapness which
We hear so much about over there en-
tiers only into the labor question. IL
is the labor element that makes
things cheap over there. When II
comes 10 food IL costs as much "a IL
does here, but you can get servants
for six or eight shillings week, ana
an engineer for about zoo shillings.
while We would pay the same labor
here about 500.
The conditions there are becoming
more serious every day. AT the bot
tom .of the whole thing lies what We
call the land question. the Ownership
OF the natural resources OF the island.
The whole OF England Is owned by
| comparatively few people. Go any
where you Will and ask who owns q
place and Il IS Lord So-and-So.' He
owns the farms and villages, the
houses and the people. The man who
tills the soil doesn't own IT, Agricult-
ural labor Is extremely low.
The Conservative party is making
an appeal for protective policies
while the Liberal stands for the main
tenance OF free trade. but am afraid
that protection will come there event.
ually. II seems TO be In the air. II
will be bad day for England when II
does With such an immense popu-
lation and small territory II cannot
possibly produce its own foods. II
must get these things from outside,
and II they pass tariffs on imports II
will mean a heavy burden. Any ma.
ton that puts taxation on breadstuis,
brings starvation prices. Foods are
too high there now. Meats are higher
than they are here.
IF by any chance England should
adopt a tariff system and We should
get free trade, the financial center
would move to New York at once.
They have an idea that a protective
tariff would Increase the wage OF az.
ricultural labor by keeping out foreign
products.
while England Is away behind the
times In a good many respects. II Is
ahead Of us In other things. The con.
veniences OF life are much better
there than they are In this country.
For example, take the telegraph and
express systems. Here. they are
owned by private companies and are
very expensive There, IL Is the gov
eminent that owns these companies
and the service Is very efficient. Then.
too. the protection OF life Is much bet
ter there than It Is here. Railways
are more carefully guarded. and the
police system is much better. The
English have the greatest ability for
organization and administration OF any
people | have ever seen.
still am thankful TO get back
and am more an American through
and through than before | went.
am sure our Democracy will solve all
its questions in good time"