Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-17

Special tCOrteSponueHCe.y
v LONDON, Oct. Arthur Bal
four philosopher and former
premier OF England, now may
.----1 boast es&ghonore~ofs eng q
Freeman of the Worshipful Company
OF PLAYING Card Makers. while Joseph
Chamberlain. Sir Robert Ball ana
Lord Cromer may claim to be ''Wor-
shipful Spectacle makers
mat may seem Il bit odd, yet IN
England membership ofthe great Lon
don livery companies is much prizeu py
statesmen, poets, authors, sclell.ists
and other aspirants to iamc. IN la i.,
the "Worshipful Companies OF Lon
don are among the most remarkable
institutions of modern times. Weld
ing enormous powers, possessed OF
trust funds" amounting to more than
500. 900. 0O0--which they administer
E"in secret and without the least pup.
lie accounting or control--the London
Inverted companies are in position
of power that the standard Old trust
might envy.
While statesmen and others vie with
each other for "honors" from the
closed corporations known as me
getty Companies" there is, on the
other hand n clamorous section of
the public that is demanding that
these great companies should no lon
ger be allowed to administer in secret
funds which they say, rightly petons
TO the people at large. But SO lar
very little impression has .been mace
by such bodies as the London Reform
Union and other "citizens rights adj
voctes-f6r the simple reason that the
companies look upon their privileges
as so ancient that they are peyonu
present daytlaw. Only: L special act.
OF parliament can force them even 10
10 an
able TO prevent, through their enor-
Eomus influence in and out of Parlia-5
mont. the passage of any such meas
&ure of reform.
100000 FOR BANQUETS.
Meantime, while the agitators in
Weigh against them, the city companies
30 festively on their way, spending
every year not less than 100000 for
s..banu,Iets" alone; while another hair
Il million dollars is devoted to salaries
for various soft jobs" and sinecures.
Though controlling funds, which bring
them an income of not less thafl'
s5,00o.O00 a year the Lord Chancel-i
Tor recently has rendered decision
that .tThe 800 members of the self =
appointed corps of; assistants TO these,
companies are accountable toAnoR one. q
And thus England, with all its boosted
freedom from the trust, such as 1t is
known in America, is shown to have
some of the most absolute trusts OF
modern times. The powers of the.
London City companies are enormous: 4
but, fortunately for London. perhaps
they have allowed several of their
privileges to lapse and get into the
state described in the simple language
of Grover Cleveland as innocuous
8dcsuetude.
# EXERCISE WIDE sINFLUENCE..
i 81
Though shorn of much of their carly
Misunderstanding powers, these city
companies, which are survivals of the
old trade guilds, exercise even today
wide influence In their own spheres.
For instance all druggists in England
must obtain their licenses from Apoth-.
ccaries. hall; the 6ioldsmiths' company
does the hall. marking of all gold and
silver in England: the Fishmonsers'
company still 8inspects regularly and
has COVER to condemn all fish brought
to the London market; the Gunmakers
company tests and stamps gun barrels;
the StationerS company attends to
copyright registration; while companies
OF plumbers, turner's achbnsiders; and
Others exercise similar overwhelming
functions.
The City company which holds preee
dence today Is that OF the MERGERS, but
they are not the Oldest. The Weavers.
are said to have been Incorporated in
1854: while the '.Worshipful Pepparers'
claim to have come into existence in
1850. The MERGERS have a total income
of AIS 600 a year. while other great COM
ranies also control enormous SUMS.
HUGE INCOMES.
The 10 principal city companies alone
have an Income of s2,o45. 600 year. In
addition to these, there are IL minor
companies, each with large incomes;