The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-04
THE GREAT ENIGMA
 OF THE MOMENT
England Has No Adequate De-
 fense in Near East
so THINK THE FRENCH
M, Brinnd Has Plan of Amending Laws So as to Prevent StoppaGe of Work in Public Service
 Through Strikes

l Paris, December 3-(Special. p--That the l civilized world is on the point of being
 divided into two groups is the opinion
 of Vice Admiral Fournier, one of the most prominent naval experts of France
 and very keen observer of world poll
 tics. In signed article which has just
 appeared here and which has created
 quite stir the admiral says that 1t is
 to be feared that the alliance of Pan- Germanism and Pan-Islamism, so much
 desired by the military party predominant
 at Constantinople, will end in general
 conhagration if the British empire,
 which would be menaced to its founda- tions, does not decide to take the only | efficacious measure for its safety-the creation of a powerful national army.
 This army, demanded with insistance
 by the most illustrious of British admirals
 and generals, would be stationed accord | ing to requirements in Egypt and at sev-
 eral strategic points, in order to cover
 the Suez canal and close the access to 1 Central Asia, thus assuring to the Rus sians the necessary help on the flank op- | posed by the Turkish army.
 The admiral put this pertinent ques- | ton: "Is it in fact, only by accumulat- 1 ing Dreadnought on Dreadnought in her ports at the price even of all her gold | that Great Britain would be able to pre- vent the military forces. reorganized and formidably sustained, of the Ottoman empire from extending across the conti- nent of Asia under the crescent of the | Prophet far as Persia and the Indian Empire. the offensive and dominating | radius of the Germanic coalitioh. which aspires ardently to strike her rival at | the source of her wealth and her power? ? What would England do in face of the | evidence that she has no other means of | putting an end to this anguishng dilem- | ma to her advantage? To be, or not to be | That Is the enigma of the moment. l France, of course, would nave to play | her part in this struggle if 1t took place, and Adimral Fournier emphasizes that the first necessity Is to build up a power full navy, and to train it in accordance with the necessities of modern naval warfare So that this powerful fleet
 shall be adequately seconded, he suggests
 numerous fiotilla composed for the
 most part of submarines.
 NJ Briand intimated in the chamber the
 other day that he would shortly deal with
 the different suggestions for preventing
 a stoppage of work fin the public service. It Is stated today that the premier has in view a modification of the present leg.
 islation on the railway laws and arbitra- ton. M. Briand has, it seems, drawn up a scheme which will be submitted to the next cabinet council. Meanwhile minis ters are discussing the questions involved. -ba Iox aiat tfrsr to a nU- ciliation will create permanent councils of conciliation between employees and managers It will be based on the Cana dian scheme.
 The government, however, forsees cases where, in spite of conciliation and arbi- tration, there might be a cessation of work all the same. The proposals for en- surfing the continuity of the public ser
 vices, notwithstanding the strike, will dis
 tinguish among the services those which,
 like the railways, concerned the national defense, and those which, not possessing
 this character, concern the life and se-
 curity of the nation.
 A school of hotelkeepers which has just
 been inaugurated by M. Cruppi, ex-min- ister of commerce, has been started by the general syndicate of the hotel trade in order to enable Frenchmen to regain their hold in this important and lucrative business the biggest share of which is now in the hands of foreigners. chiefly Germans Austrians and Swiss.
 Schools of this kind already exist in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and 1t Is claimed for them that they have large ly contributed to the prosperity of the hotel industry.
 The school is situated in the Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau near the Central mar kets. It has 15 pupils to start with. It can only accommodate %, and 1t Is ex- pected that the applications for admis- sion will be so great that the premises will be found insufficient. There Is a. general concensus of opinion among those engaged in the hotel industry that something more is necessary than 8 knowledge of cuisine. cellar and the fur
 nishing of rooms. Future hotelkeepers,
 owing to the passion for travel. will find it necessary to add to their knowledge if they want to run big hotels with success. The school will have the advantage of teachers who are experts in every
 branch of the hotel industry-men who realize modern needs and know how to supply them.
 During the first year, pupils will be
 taught English, German, and Italian | thoroughly, bookkeeping, geography,
 
 ciples of hygiene.
 In the second year the members of the syndicate will take pupils to their re- | spective hotels and introduce them to the practical work in all the various depart nents, and afterwards send them to America to study the famous hostelres of New York and Chicago and thus en- able them to cater to the needs of Amer jeans tourists in France. It is pointed out
 that after completing their two years | course pupils will be well fitted to return | to the paternal country inn and transform | II into the home of comfort travellers ex- l pect nowadays, or they might prefer to | join the staffs of palatial hotels.
 Fees are paid by pupils during the first year; during the second, the training Is gratis, the pupils being. moreover, lodged | and fed by the hotel proprietors to whom l they may be sent to complete their pro- | fessonal education. The school is to be supported financially by the Paris munic- | ipal council, the council general, the Paris chamber of commerce, and proba- | ply by the ministry of commerce. A matter of great interest to smokers will shortly come before the courts. The | automatic pipe-lighters are very popu- lar in France. where they are found to be more convenient and cheaper than the matches manufactured and sold by the
 state. By the way, these matches, as ev- cry American visitor to Paris knows, |