Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-15

one Of the chief glories Of the French
people IL thrift. It is a distinct national
trait. and tie steadfast growth is envied
by other races. Other nations have greater
wealth. In none is the wealth OF the nation
more widely diffusod. There are 12,st7.bee
depositors In the savings institutions Of
France. with a credit to each one OF 37A.S2.
BY reason OF investments made abroad.
chiefly In Russia, a~ggregating S,OOO,OOo.OOO,
the national wealth has been largely in
creased during the year, the total increase
from all sources being placed at tt,OOO,O oO, 900.
In the United States, with a population
double that OF France, there are 1881. s6S de-
posltors In savings Institutions, as shown
by the report OF the comptroller Of the
currency. or about one In niue. against
one In tnur In France. The average credit
to each depositor in this country Is si2o.45,
better than five times the French average.
Hungary has the largest average Individual
deposit OF any foreign country, S2S2.6S, while
the United Kingdom has an average OF $50
7O-10 a person. Japan has the smallest
average amount per Individual, s6S6, lille
she has next to the largest number OF de-
positors. 14.l7l,5e0. Germany alone exceed
ing her with 1S,65S, 40 depositors. with a
personal average of s171 7-lO0, The total
amount deposited in all foreign countries
Is 50, IN 1885, SIS. by s5,524.Ssl deposltors, an
average OF S10l.6 for each deposit account.
The new labor law Of Germany, which
went into operation on the first of the
applies to the employment Of women
and has for its object the shortening of
their hours Of labor. Every r,dustrial
establishment employing not less than ten
persons comes under It's provisions. The
new law provides that women over 10 years
of age must not work for more than ten
hours daily, instead OF eleven, as hereto
fore, or more than eight hours on Satur-
days, as against ten formerly. They must
not be employed before, 6 o'clock in the
morning or after 8 o'clock in the evening,
in factories, workshops or other establish
ments to which the law applies. Further,
they must be given an unbroken intermis-
sion from work of at least eleven hours
between the occupation of one day and that
OF the day following. Thus, if work ceases
at 8 o'clock in the evening, II must not
begin again for the same women before
Z o'clock on the next morning, and, even
II It stops at s p. M, 1t cannot begin
again before 6 a. m. In times of pressure
or rush of business, the authorities have
bower TO grant certain exemptions, but only
for limited periods, and. in any case,
women are not allowed to work in factories
for more than twelve hours, a day.
se
Attention drawn to Belgium has conferred
on rulers rather than the country, on the
Ornamental headship of q nation where In
dustries are more useful and profitable
than kings. The absence Of the drain Of
naval and military establishments leaves
the country's resources free for general de.
velopment. Belgium has $500 miles of rail-
road, all in state ownership. 1t has poured
millions into the creation Of = first-class
port at Antwerp, sixty miles from the sea,
on the River Scheldt, that wanders slug
gishly through a Doggy country. The con-
sequence is that Antwerp is the chief out
let and inlet of the commerce of Europe.
Belgium railways participate in the traf-
fic. So intensive and well distributed are
its industries that AZ, 600 men and nearly
$1,000 women are employed at manufactur-
ing In their own homes. There are 2f2,90
manufacturing establishments outside the
homes OF the people in which 100000 peo-
pie find employment. In spite of the fact
that Belgium is a country of few natural
resources and with a population number
ing more than 600 to each square mile, nj
migrants from France, Germany and the
Netherlands gravitate to its cities seeking
better employment than they have at home.
Italy threatens to make another raid on
church treasures in an effort to increase
the national revenue by $4,000 900. In MAX
ing the impost the government disclaims
any desire to add to the historic dispute
between the throne and the Vatican. but
declares that only the need of having more
revenue to support the public welfare of
the nation compels this extreme step. So,
figuratively speaking, when the plan goes
into effect the tax collector will go to st.
Peters, st. Marks and many other famous
structures that are the mecca Of American
tourists and there declare what sums are
due in taxes. Not only must the churches
yield their tribute, but all the other places
OF religious residences. such as monster
les and converts, will be called upon for a
contribution to the resources of the COM
monwealth. Church members the world
over. whose contributions sustain these in
situations. will be all the happier in the
knowledge that they are fattening the Ial-
ian treasury.
A recent announcement of the compile
tAJH VI nv oElllhn dnO COHBO ulNlblUiS VI
the Cape-to-Cairo railroad emphasizes the
steady progress of the greatest railroad
enterprise in the world. The road is now
open from Cape Town to the Congo from
tier, which Is a distance of about 2,147
miles and not much over one-third Of the
entire distance which must be traversed in
the realization of the original Rhodes con-
ception. Work is now under way on a
section which, when completed, will pene-
trate 100 miles into the Congo territory. In
the progress OF construction northward the
southern borders Of the Equatorial region
have been penetrated, though the north
ernnnost extension is yet far way from the
equator. That portion of the road yet to be
built will lead through the equatorial
Jungles, crossing the territory where Col
onel Roosevelt has been bagging rhinoceri
and other game. And further to the north
ward, before the lands watered by the Nile
are reached. the Nubian desert must be
CROSSED.
One OF the nonconformist ministers OF
London made a telling campaign point
sgainst Lords Curzon, Miner and Cromer,
three British peers who have been exceed
ingly active on the stump. The minister
1ikened them to returned '~proconsuls'
having ruled as dictators over subject