The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-13

"I don't mind confeSsing to you
,ha. ,n,. nov lob is a sinecure. There
isn't half enough work in 1t TO suit me
bnt + can't honestly say that L would
like to be buster.
This remark was made a lie" Gay
ago " John Burns, the ex-labor lead
er who became a cabinet minister,
zone who resigned because he was not
I'm agreement with ASquith ana the
other members Of the cabinet about
the war. Burns, after he left the
cabinet, was appointed chairman OF
the government committee Tor the re-
lief of distress arising out OF the war,
and ii was this job that he was re1er-
ring TO as a Sinecure.
Never in all my experience, ana
II goes back for forty years or more,
said Burns, "have l known the Eng
Esh working people so prosperous.
There is work for everybody VINO
wants il at higher wages than ever
before. and there isn't any distress. 1t
is my business to find any If 1T exists
and l know"
Burns statement is borne out by
the experience of the Prince of
Wales fund for the relief of distress,
which now amounts to about $25,OOO,-
900. There Is little or no distress for
II to relieve. In all it has spent less
than $200.000 in six months OF the war
In relieving distress. About $5,0OO,-
600 have been spent in making things
easier for the dependents of soldiers
before the increased government al
lowance came into force, and some
hundreds of thousands of dollars have
been spent in helping the Belgian
refugees There is a big balance left
for the relief of the poverty which is
expected during the readjuStment at
the end of the war, when
the hundreds of thousands OF dis
charged soldiers are thrown on the
labor market
John Burns is working very hard
getting things in shape for that time,
which, by the way, he expects will not
be so long delayed as some people
seem to think.
do you know what will end the
war;" he said to a friend the other
day. 'All this talk about starving
out Germany and about an economic
collapse is all very fine, but will tell
you how to end the war. We want
men, and men and more men, and the
more men We get the quicker the wal
will be over"
In fairness to Burns it must be sai(
that his attitude to the war has beer
much miSrepreSented. He has beel
called a pro-German, and it has beel
recalled that the kaiser showed hin
a good deal of attention during hi
NlSltS 10 EIHSIdHu. ne KAISER, now
ever. "honored" a good many peOpl
in this way and nothing is farthe
from the truth than that Burns is O
ever was pro-German. Now tina
Britain is in the war he is doing a.
he can to help his own country to wir
His attitude at the beginning Of tn
war. or rather before Britain got int
It. was that Of the pacifist who be
lieves that no war, no matter no,
successful it may be, is ever wort
the price that must be paid II
wished England to keep out Of it, an
he honestly thought that she coul
do so.
Burns present job is unpaid as we
as sinecure. OF course, he draw
$4,000 a year as member Of parlis
menr, but that is a trifle compare
with the $25,000 a year which he ga,
up for the sake Of principle. How
ever, John Burns is not badly O.
Shortly after he took office he w,
asked by newspaper acquaintan'
why he did not take a larger hous
His reply was characteristic of tt
man.
''In these days." he said, new
paper men and cabinet ministe
should save at least half their salarie
They never know when they will
out in the cold"
Strange Town.
by a member OF the Russian eT
bassy, who was a neighbor at a lie
ture yesterday, the writer was told
strange little town in western F.
rope of which comparatively little
known by the outside world. Tt
town is Sadagora, and it is only co
pie of miles away from Czernowi
but such is its reputation for san
tity-it is mixture of Lourdes a.
Rome-that both Russians and A,
TRANS carefully avoided the pla
While lighting. 1t is the home of t
religious sect known as Chasidim.
Chiefly known for it's strict pie
the sect INDUCES in curious outbreaI
Once year all the men dance frt
their homes to the market place
Sadagora and then to the place
worship. They form up in lines
about two dozen and. taking ca
others arms. they do steps stron
reminiscent OF ragtime jigs. They
great fellows for learning and ars
mentS. and the 1ittla toxUp hos ~