Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-27

International rivalry in. warship building
shows no abatement Germany's program
of four battleshlps OF the dreadnought class
for the coming year has been increased
to six, partially overcoming the British
naval squirt from four to eight. Sharp dis
tlnctions are TO be noted In sise construc-
ton and armament. The original Of the
dreadnought class was only 1890 tons and
carried ten twelve-lnch guns. Thirteen OF
these floating forts have been added to the
British navy and each succeeding ship
progressed i'm size and power. The orion
and the Lion. launched from British yards
this month are OF the super dreadnought
class, the first named being a battleship
Of 26,350 tons displacement and eight 1875
guns; the last cruiser of 1900 tons and
5000 horse power. capable Of attaining a
speed of twenty-eight knots an hour. Ger
many's biggest battleship, the Oldenburg,
IL 5000 tons, and Austria's biggest, the
Tegethoff, Is OF 21OOo. The Arkansas and
Wyoming, the biggest dreadnoughts OF the
United States, are each to be $4,000 tons.
Cost of construction and equipment adj
vances with equal strides Brltain's new
pair will each represent an outlay of $14
10000 when completed and ready for sea.
Specializing on a possible limit Of size. and
cost is fruitless while national purses stand
the strain.
In a signed statement cabled to the New
York Sunday Times Premier Canalejas pro-
tests that the pending controversy be-
tween state and church Is not an attempt
to force new methods upon a population
not prepared for them. "Such action
would be shortsighted and dangerous" the
premier says. 1T is not the policy of the
Spanish government We have seen a great
growth of liberal opinion in this country
and at the last election we had great
majority. The government Is confident In
the continued support of the country in its
policy. What is called the religious ques-
ton in Spain is not a struggle againtt
church and religion. 1t is merely and
temporarily the strain In the working
out of q problem of recovering for the
civil law of the state certain faculties
which had been allowed to lapse have
every hope for future of perfect religious
liberty and the right of conscience, and
l hope to maintain cordial and respectful
relations with the church."
Pauperism is gradually decreasing in
England, but enough remains to form q
conspicuous blight in the nations life
Tourists observe 1t In London, for London
does not hide its poverty. According to
official statistics there were in London
on June 25 last 116,O16 paupers, persons In
receipt OF relief from public charities. This
provides a ratio of pauperism of "A pei
thousand of population. The number OF
paupers in receipt Of relief in England and
Wales on June IS was 762.11l; indoor pau
pers totalled 260,449; outdoor, 50l,662. The
rate of pauperism to population in Eng
land and Wales is 2l.S per thousand.
The selection of the Zambesi river, II
Rhodesia, as the place for an interna
tional sculling race between champions
from New Zealand and from England Il
a striking illustration of the extent t
which South Africa has ceased to be cor
rectly described as part of Dark Cont
nent" When Livingstone first described
the Victoria Fails, within sight of which
the recent race was rowed, that great cat
aract, was about the most remote OF thu
worlds natural marvels. Today, however
1t is linked by rail with the coast, and tn,
coast with the rest of the world, so tina
when these athletes sought a neutral poin
accessible to both without a Journey from
London to the Antipodes or the reverse
the great river in the heart OF Africa wa
chosen without exciting especial remark
And the wires brought news OF the result
almost as promptly as though the rae
had been rowed on the Hudson at POUCH
keepsie. see. -..-..