The Irish standard., 1914-04-11
MORE ENGLISH THAN ENGLAND
Belfast Orangemen Have no Friendship for
The Americans
Noted Writers Comment Upon Offensive
Manners of Belfasters

there were 237 rainy days. In Octo-
ber. 1907. there were 20 rainy days;
in December 81. in May %, but in
September there were only 9 rainy
days. which might be called a
drought. In 1906 January had 20
rainy days. August "a, April 23 and
November and December % each.
The average annual rainfall for the
last forty years has been 33.523
inches.
A technical school for the special
lied training of boys for mechanics.
was established in 1902. evening in
struction in the applied sciences,
drawing. sketching. and the other
arts. and in mathematics, mechani-
cal, electrical and civil engineering,
having been given for several years
In classes maintained by voluntary
subscriptions from citizens. Five
such institutions were in existence at
that time. having between 700 and
500 students on their rolls. An act
of parliament passed in 1899 au-
thorized the consolidation Of these
schools. and beautiful building in
the very center of the city, admirably
adapted to the purpose. was erected
and equipped at the expense Of $780,
600. The school now has a stated
income of $4,000 from regular tax
alton. In 1902 classes were opened
with the total of 1881 students. At
present this number has been in
creased to over 5000 men, women
and children between fifteen and six
ty-dve years Of age. representing all
classs and castles; who are studying
everything in the way of useful arts
and trades. Thirty tecahers are ex-
clusfvely employed, with 13O experts
from different factories and machine
shops. who give evening instruction
or have special classes on certain
days. Nothing is free. Everybody
who enjoys the benefits of the insti-
tuition is required to pay a fee rang
ing from 81 term upward to $50.
according to the amount of atten-
tion required. The largest classes
are In engineering, drawing, elec-
tricity, and the commercial occupa-
tions. but nearly every trade is
taught in connection with the ordi-
nary rudiments of English, mathe-
matics, and geography in the evening
classes to those whose education was
neglected.
The municipality owns the build
ings and supports the school. The
attitude Of the trade unions, which
at first regarded the enterprise with
distrust. is becoming more friendly,
and they permit their members to
avail themselves of the facilities pro-
vided by the school. The education
of apprentices to trades without limi-
tations is still question of con-
troversy. The attitude of the en-
ployers is more favorable, because
nearly all of the recognized increased
efficiency among their journeymen
who have attended the school, and
many of them are paying part or
the whole of the fees of all their
workmen who will attend regularly
the classes in their respective trades.
The investment is, therefore, good
one for the city of Belfast. The
technical school will certainly result
in the improvement of the effic-
iency of the mechanics of the city
Belfast has quite a number of mu-
nfcipal utilities. The city owns the
gas works, the electric lighting plant,
and all the street car lines, as we'll
as the water supply. The gas works
have proven to be very profitable
undertaking, and gas is furnished for
65 cents, with a good profit to the
city. A municipal electric plant lights
the streets and furnishes power for
the street railway lines, and also
pays a profit.
The street cars are in striking con-
trast to the splendidly kept tram
ways of Glasgow. Like the tram
ways of Dublin and Liverpool, they
are disfigured by hideous advertise
ments, which makes a very poor i'm
preston on a stranger. The service
is fairly good, and, like all the other
cities owning the car system, fares
are very reasonable. I found that q
person can ride considerable dis
tance for d e cents). and for the
greater distances out into the sub
urbs a cents). Although the wages
of the motormen and conductors and
other employees are lower and the
rate of fare higher than obtained In
Glasgow. the street car system Is not
fC0nffnuod m paOA ~ ~ $9p r IS.S