The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 13, 1902, Page 4

TI‘IE SAN FRANCISCO JALL, MONDAY, JANUARY 1 1902, The— g Call. T..JANUARY 13, 1902 MONDAY.. JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Atéress Al Commusiestisns fo W. 5. LEAKE, Manager. MANAGER’S OFFICE........Telephone Press PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, 8. F. Telephone Press 201. EDITORIAL BOOMS. ....217 to 221 Stevenson St. Telephone Press 202. COarriers, 16 Cents Per Week. llollnru:r NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: €. C. CARLTON........cc00z0esq.Herald Square NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH 30 Tribune Buildiag NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Waldorf-Astoris Hotel; A. Brentano, 31 Union BSquare: Murrey Hil Hotel CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Shermer House: P. O. News Co.: Great Northers Hotel; Fremont House: Auditorium Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE....1408 G St., N. W. MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—S527 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open untfl 930 o'clock. %0 Hayes, open until 3:30 o'clock. 633 Alcazar—"For the White Rose.” Columbia—*Macbeth.” Urpheum—Vaudeville. Grand Opera-house—"‘Claire and the Forgemaster.” Chutes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon and RAILROAD CARS AND TRADE. GOOD deal has been said during the past year A about the scarcity of freight cars throughout the country and the damage to trade result- ing therefrom, but the real extent of the damage is only now becoming apparent. The close of the year is bringing in railroad and factory reports which show an enormous loss to business on this account. Large as the volume of trade was last year, it would have been millions larger had there been sufficient cars to handle all the freight offered. One Pennsyl- vania railroad has compiled statistics showing that although 150,000 cars were built in 1900, there were not nearly enough to fill the demand, and almost all the Eastern lines received offers of 25 per cent more traffic than they could handle. The loss to the rail- roads alone from this deficiency is placed at $30,000,- 000, and that to merchants, manufacturers, farmers and the general public must have been much more. Had there been sufficient transportation facilities to accommodate interstate business the volume of trade would have broken all previous records. At this very moment the Pittsburg district alone is short 5000 cars, and double the amount of business could be done were it not for this drawback. The Ameri- can steel and iron mills are so full of orders that a contract for 105,000 tons of steel rails for Mexico went to England last week, no American bids being received. The situation in regard to cars is clear- ing somewhat, owing to the deficiency in the corn crop, and the shutting down of some Chicago fur- naces has resulted in sufficient accumulation of coke to permit 2 number of them to resume. New busi- ness for the coming year is reported large, and most of the mills are engaged away ahead. Cars are still being turned out as fast as possible, and in the course of a few months the railroads may be able to accept all the business offered. The deficiency has been common to the whale country, the California hay farmer, Maine lumberman and Pennsylvania iron manufacturer having been equally hampered by the lack of railroad rolling stock. Aside from this car scarcity trade is practically featureless. The bank clearings of the country again rose last week, the increase over the corresponding week in 1901 being 6.4 per cent, against a decrease the previous week of 9.4, making a net gain last week of 15.8 per cent, while the business of New York City showed a gain over the preceding week of more than $500,000,000. The horizon of the cur- rent commercial prosperity is still unbroken, if the record of trade last week be any guide. The failures were 373, against 324 in 190L. In California the weather is becoming the principal factor in trade. We have had a long dry spell at the very time of the year when we usually get our heaviest rains, and while no actual suffering of crops has thus far been reported, we need seyeral weeks’ rainfall to put the orchards and vineyards of the State into good condition to encounter the long dry sum- mer. The surface of the ground has had moisture enough for the shallow rooted grain, which has come along all right, but the roots of trees and vines need 2 good deal more moisture. General trade has thus far not been seriously affected by the deficiency in the rainfall, and if we get good storms henceforth it will not be. But unless we receive 2 copious fall from now on the quantity and quality of the fruit and grain crops and the volume of mining operations may suffer. But this is 2 bridge still too far away to cross now. We will probably get all the rain we need, and may be praying for it to stop raining in another month. Otherwise there is little new. The whole coast is doing 2 large business and everybody seems con- tented. e ————— According to fier:poflofzheke‘ianqu-‘lol Ireland the birth rate exceeded the deaths last year by 13853, but the emigration amounted to 45,228, so thnthewpd&iondecmmddningtheyurby 31,435. The only gratifying feature of the report is that over 86 per cent of the husbands and more than 89 per cent of the wives who were married during the year could read and write, so that education is in- ~reasing at any rate, even if the population declines. THE OIL RATE INJUNCTIONS. INCE the railroad companies have obtained S from the courts temporary injunctions against the enforcement of the decision of the Railroad Commissioners in the oil rate cases, it becomes a matter of public importance that the issue be brought to a speedy determination. It will not do to subject industrial and commercial interests affecting the whole community to what has become known as “the law's delay.” The cases should be advanced on the calendar, heard at once and promptly decided. Every day of delay in deciding the suits is for that day a victory for the roads. The injunction nullifies the decision of the Commissioners. It is but a tem- porary nullification, it is true, but “temporary” is a word of very elastic meaning. If the railroads are permitted to have the trial of the cases postponed from week to week and possibly from term to term they will have achieved the indefinite nullification of the ruling made against them by the commission. It is well remembered by the American people that when the validity of the income tax was contested the courts advanced the test cases under the act so rapidly that they were twice heard by the Supreme Court before a single dollar of the tax was turned into the United States Treasury. That incident pro- duced at the time a profound impression upon the public, and the impression has not worn away. The people have learned from it that whenever the courts choose to be prompt they can be prompt. It is, more- over, well understood that the speedy decision given in the income tax cases was due to the fact that the large corporations ef the country desired the issue settled at once. What can be done for corporations can also be done for the public. The oil rate cases do not affect so considerable a body of citizens as the income tax, but none the less it is an issue which concerns the community as a whole and has there- fore a right to priority of hearing over suits between private individuals. [ The Railroad Commission is a part of the govern- mental system of California, and in accordance with the principles of constitutional law it is co-ordinate with the courts. The Judges, therefore, owe to the decisions and the acts of the commission a deference due to the representative of a branch of the govern- ment. The decisions of the commissions should not be set aside for slight causes, temporary injunctions should not run against them for any considerable length of time, nor should corporations or citizens be permitted to profit by delay on the part of the courts in giving a hearing to any suit arising out of an appeal from a decision of the commission. The peeple of California maintain the Railroad Commission at a great cost, and for an important pur- pose. The commission was established in order that railroad corporations might be compelled to obey the laws of the State and that all questions affecting transportation over the roads might be promptly set- tled. If the courts interfere and by delay prevent the prompt determination of controversies between ship- pers and the railways the commission might as well be abolished. The courts will in fact destroy the ef- ficacy of an important part of the State government if they do not co-operate with the commission in bringing to a speedy determination all controversies over freight and passenger rates and other questions of the kind. In this case the courts should follow the example set by the Federal courts in the income tax cases. They should ‘take judicial cognizance of the fact that the issue is one arising from a decision of a co- ordinate branch of the government; that it affects in- dustry and commerce; that it concerns well nigh every community in the State; that it is in the broad- est sense a public matter. For those reasons they should bring it to trial at once. The railroads should not be permitted to convert the temporary injunction into an indefinite injunction. EEE— A significant feature of the short debate in the House on the canal bill was the assertion made by several speakers that the bill should be passed as it is, and that any defects in it could be remedied by amendment in the Senate. That looks like a formal surrender on the part of the House of all pretension to careful legislation. It is up to the Senators to look out for everything. GERMAN VIEWS OF TRUSTS. OR a variety of reasons the people of Germany Fhavc given to trust problems more attention than has been given by the people of any other country. In the first place industry in Germany is more largely under the domination of trusts than it is elsewhere, and in the second place the industrial depression, which has thrown thousands of working- men out of employment, has presented to them as matters of practical and pressing importance many phases of the subject which in this country are looked upon as subjects for mere academic discus- sion. B Dr. Frederick Rose, British Consul at Stuttgart, has made an elaborate report to his Government on the industrial situation in Germany, and in the course of it has given a review of the various opinions held by German thinkers concerning trusts. He notes, in the first place, that in his judgment the depression is due not so much to a monopoly of manufacturing by trusts as to over-speculation on the part of financiers and the recklessness with which banks and financial institutions expanded their operations during the years of prosperity that immediately preceded the present situation. Whatever may have been the cause of the evil, however, the effect has been that of arousing something of hostility to the great indus- trial combinations of the country, and an excited dis- cussion is going on concerning them. As a matter of course opinions on the issue are divided., Some authorities defend them as necessary and beneficial, while others denounce them as de- structive and subversive of normal industrial devel- opment. Among those who regard them as evils wide differences of opinion exist as to the best meth- ods of dealing with them. One set of economists would have them suppressed by statute. Another set advocates the formation of state monopolies as a means of restoring the commercial equilibrium. The latter advise, for example, the operation of state coal mines so as to enable all manufacturers to ob- tain coal on fair terms instead of leaving the mines under the control of private corporations, who show favors to certain parties at the expense of others. A third set of economists suggest the establishment of coalitions on the part of those affected by the trusts so as to protect themselves against extortion |or injustice. By their plan there would be organ- ized, for example, a coalition of gas and smelting works against a coal monopoly, a coalition of beet- growers against a sugar trust, and a coalition of spinning mills against a weaving manufacturing trust. It is not at all likely that either of the three plans will ever be adopted in its entirety. The socialists are strongly in favor of the establishment of Govern-. ment competition, and it is said they are utilizing | up a sentiment in favor of their party and their pol- icy. At present they have the advantage of working as an organized force for a definite platform while their opponents are divided. It is not believed, however, they will attain much success. In fact, when the present hard times in the empire pass away it is probable that extreme state socialism.in Germany will collapse almost as completely as the free silver agitation in this country after the passing of the industrial depression which led up to it. S TR S IR TN TAX-SHIRKING RAILROADS. N Saturday last The Call published a series of O statistics gathered from official sources which show in a striking manner the extent to which the railroads of the State, and particularly the. Southern Pacific Railroad, have been permitted by the State Board of Equalization to shirk taxes. The publication is pertinent to the time because the period is approaching when new assessments for tax- ation are to be made, and it is the right of the people to see to it that they be made fairly and im- partially, doing injury to none, but justice to all. It is known that there is necessary every year a certain sum of money to carry on the State, county and city governments, If that sum be raised by fair- ly distributed taxes no man will feel the burden heavily; but if one set of men be permitted to shirk taxes another set of men must make up the de- ficiency, and upon them will be imposed not only an undue amount of taxation, but an act of injustice and of fraud. Every tax shirker cheats somebody, and every Board of Equalization that permits tax shirk- ing where it can be prevented connives at the com- mission of a fraud upon the public. The statistics published in The Call were obtained mainly from statements filed by the railroads in the office of the Railroad Commission. For some reason the annual statement of the Southern Pacific Com- pany for 1001 has not yet been filed, although it is due. Consequently figures had to be taken for the preceding year. They show that the South Pacific Coast lines, all of which are in the State of California, were carrying a funded debt of $5,500,000 and stock amounting to $6,000,000 on 101.10 miles of track, or $11,500,000 in all, being an average of $113,748 76 per mile, as reported by Messrs. Huntington and Will- cutt. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California, whose tracks are in this State, had a fund- ed debt of $77,803,500 and stock of $101,280,160, the total being $179,092,660 on 2690.41 miles of track, the average being $6(,065 60 per mile. The Central Pa- cific Company, whose productive business is mainly due to this State, carried $120,672,086 70 in funded debt, $79,275,500 in stock and had 1348.66 miles of track; so that the average, as stated under oath, the statements of averages being made by Messrs. Hunt- ington and Willcutt along with the other figures, was $148,275 15 per mile. That is the showing made of the value of the rail- road lines by the railway officials themselves, yet the State Board of Equalization in 1901 assessed the Southern Pacific Company’s lines at $10,500 per mile and the lines of the Central Pacific Company at $17,408 per mile. The gross injustice of permitting such tax shirk- ing on the part of the roads is too patent to re- quire argument. Many of the farms in the counties through which the railroads pass are mortgaged. The owners of these farms are aware that they are taxed to at least the full extent of the mortgage. If railroads were taxed in anything like the proportion laid upon farms the rate of taxation would be much less than it is. The railroads, however, have been permitted to shirk taxes, and consequently the peo- ple have been compelled to make up the deficiency. It is time to put a stop to that kind of fraud. The people should see to it that this year the Board of Equalization fulfills its duty of equalizing taxes, and prevents the shifting of taxation from the railroads to the people. | I t——C———— WRIGHT ON LABOR UNIONS. R. CARROLL D. WRIGHT, United States M Labor Commissioner, has been always recognized as one of the foremost advocates of labor unions. In his report on the railroad strike of 1894 he went to such extremes in justification of that movement as to antagonize the admini_stration, which put it down by use of the regular army. It has come to be taken for granted that he speaks almost as a representative of organized labor, and for this reason his utterances have a significance greater than they derive from his official position. In a recent address to the Merchants’ Club in Chi- cago he said that the organic law of all labor unions must contain a provision for the punishment of all members who commit or instigate violence during a strike, and that the laws of the country must require the legal incorporation of labor unions in order that they may have a standing in court to enforce con- tracts against employers and respond to breach of contract themselves. * Should it be that Mr. Wright speaks for the unions, these propositions are in the nature of a proposition emanating from them and submitted to the public for its consideration. The second of these propositions has been heretofore advocated by The Call, and we approve it now ‘as coming from the unions. The unions have power, and power and re- sponsibility are inseparable. Much frigtion between employers and employes and great loss to the pub- lic may be saved by the speedy enactment of Mr. Wright’s proposition. No intelligent man can ques- tion the benefit to the unions of a legal status and a standing in court which will enable them to enforce contracts when violated by employers. Nor can any one object to legal cquality in that respect between them and the employers. Both should be free to con- tract, and neither free to violate a contract. As for Mr. Wright's first proposition, it is a sur- prise to the country that there is not now in the organic law a provision for the punishment of mem- bers who resort to violence or instigate it. - Every- body thought that was the case. The belief that it was originates in the declaration of labor that mem- bers of unions never do any of the violent things that mark the history of every great strike, and taking human nature as it i3, it was supposed that such ab- stention was possible only because the union rules forbade and punished it. That branch of Mr. Wright's proposed reform may be dismissed, and the whole attention of the public may be centered upon the legal incorporation of the unions. The various meetings of the different federations of labor should attend to the matter and bring it before Congress and the State Legislatures. 3 ——— According to the latest compilation there are over 4000 persons in this country who are known to be millionaires, and there are probably a good many more who keep their wealth hidden in order to shirk taxes. In fact a millionaire will soon cease to be anything remarkable in any community in this the present discontents for the purpose of working | country. BRITAIN’S FAST CRUISER AND SLOW B British armored cruiser Ba- chante of 12,000 tons made a suc- cessful eight-hour trial under full power last month. The ship was down to her intended mean draught of 26 feet 3 inches, with one-foot drag, and averaged 21.7 knots speed, an excess of seven-tenths of a knot over the calculated speed, The principal trial data are: Steam in Belleville boilers, 285 pounds; vacuum, 26.5 inches; revolutions—star- board 119.5, port 120.4; horsepower de- veloped by starboard engines 10,812, port engines, 10,708; collective horsepower, 21,520, exceeding the contract by 520. The coal consumed during the trial was 292,000 pounds, equal to 1.7 pounds per unit of horsepower. A recent return of the Admiralty re- garding 113 torpedo-boat destroyers in the British navy gives some highly interesting and valuable information. The difficulties attending the efforts to obtain high speed g0 to show that the contractors have lost heavily and that the Admiralty has paid dearly for these boats. Some of the most noteworthy instances are as follows: The Express, tendered for 33 knots, has up to the present time had twenty-seven pre- liminary and ten official trials, and is not yet up to the contract speed. The Alba- tross, contracted for at 32 knots, was ac- cepted at 81% knots after seventeen trials. Of the 30-knot boats the Otter had twenty- two builder's trials and eight official; the Brazen, after twenty-one trials, was final- ly accepted at 29% knots; the Vulture had twenty trials, the Avon sixteen and the Bullfinch and Gipsy each ten before they were finally accepted. The jll-fated Cobra had no preliminary trial and only two of- ficlal ones. Two small but serviceable vessels in the British navy have had their trials with varying results. The Mutine, a sloop of 980 tons, made 13.6 knots with 1409 horse- power, and the Vestal, of the same class and size, made only 12.4 knots with 1438 horsepower. A possible explanation lies in the fact that the machinery of the Mu- tine was built by Laird’s, while that of the Vestal was constructed at the Sheer- nesss dockyard, which has not had much experience in this kind ofy work. Oil fuel experiments hate been carried on with topedo gun boats and torpedo B e e e T e I e ANSWERS TO QUERIES. FIELD MARSHAL—F. 8. According to military definitions, field marshal is the highest rank in the German army. THE PHONOGRAPH—S. A. W., City. The phonograph was first exhibited in public in San Francisco at the Grand Opera-house on the 2d of May, 1878. MINING REGISTRY—S., Rochester, Ind. No one engaged in mining business in San Francisco knows of such an insti- tution as the Washington Mining Regis- try. BICYCLES—A. H., Oakland, Cal. Some bicycles have been built in which the greater part of the vehicle was of alumi- num. The general run of bicycles are of iron and steel. COURT INTERPRETERS—I. L., City. The interpreters of foreign languages for the courts of San Francisco are appoint- | ed by the Superior Judges and are not under the civil service rules. STATIONARY ENGINEERS—D. A. L., Glant, Cal. There is in San Francisco a branch of the National Association of Stationary Engineers. ft meets every Tuesday in Foresters’ Hall, 20 Eddy street. A. H. Day is the secretary. WOODWARD'S GARDENS—C. G. M, City. An order was made by Superior Court Judge Wallace on the 10th of June, 1891, directing that the animals in Wood- ward's Gardens be sold in accordance with a prayer for partition of property. ENGLISH COLONIES—Sub., Calistoga, Cal. In this State it is customary to class the people of different foreign na- tionalities as colonies. The largest Eng- lish colony in California is in San Fran- cisco. The largest in the State of Wash- ington is in Jefferson County. VESSELS—D. B. E., City. The com- pany that has the largest tonnage in the world is the Hamburg-American. The tonnage amounts to 668,000. The company owning the largest number of vessels is the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, Limited, of London, it owning 112 vessels. ‘The firm owning the,largest number of sailing ves- sels is A. D. Bordes & Sons of Dunkirk, having on its roll thirty-four vessels, TOO GENERAL—G. H. D., Lodi, Cal. The answer to the question, “What pre- mium do you give for a coin of 18207 is that this department does not give any premium for any coin, as it is not in the business, and second, the correspondent does not state what the coin is, therefore it is impossible to state if it is of mote than intrinsic value. There were hun- dreds of different coins issued in 1820. - FROM CIVIL LIFE—-L. C. C, City. Persons may be appointed from civil life to the United States army. Appiications are made to the commander in chief of the army. The qualifications are those re- quired for the branch of the service In which the applicant seeks admission. A man may also enter the army as a private and within two years take an examination for a commissioned office. LEVEL AND SQUARE-W. Santa Cruz., Cal. The expression, “We meet upen the level and part upon the square,” is an expression that is used by many members of the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons and is based upon the teaching of the craft. As far back as 1517 there was discovered a square upon which was inscribed: “I will strive to live with ease and care, Upon the level, by the square.” The level and the square are working tools in a subordinate or blue lodge. LIGHT AND SOUND-T. W. B., City. Light travels at the rate of 186,660 miles per second, and it takes dight minutes and eighteen seconds to travel from the sun to the earth. Any phenomenon, therefore, occurring on the surface of the sun, is not observed by the inhabitants of the earth i1l that time afterward. Sound travels in still air at the freezing point at the rate of 109 feet per second. The report of a gun one mile distant would not be heard till nearly five seconds after the flash was seen. The molsture in the air and di- rection of the wind, as well as the tem- perature, to gome extent modify the time elapsing between the flash and the report. B b e FENCES—A. 8, City. The general law of this State is that it is unlawful for any person In any city or town owning real RUSSIAN CRUISER RETVIZAN, THE SWIFTEST OF HER CLASS AFLOAT. * boats in the British navy for more than a year and have given results justifying its use in larger ships. The cruiser Ar- rogant of 5800 tons and 10,000 horsepower Is to have her six after boilers fitted to use petroleum, and two battleships and a couple of cruisers in the Channel fleet are to try a fuel consisting of oil and coal mixed. s s . A complete reorganization is contem- plated in Spain of its dockyards and ar- senals. Caracas and Cartagena will be utilized for building of ships of less than 5000 tons; Ferrol for ships over 5000 tons, and Cadiz for the manufacture of guns and storage of ammunition. The Cortes is asked for $2,400,000 with which to com- plete or advance eight armored cruisers and gunboats that have been in hand for several years, among which the most no- table are: Cisnero, requiring §177,000; Re- ine Regente, $377,500; Catalonia, $1,140,000, and Princess Asturias, $375,000. Cisnero and Asturias were launched in 189, while Catalonia, begun January 23, 1890, was not launched until September 24, 1900, and is only about two-thirds completed. Two gunboats, Bazan and Molina, each of 823 tons, are likewise incomplete, although they were launched nearly six years ago. s s 0w The French Budget Committee has re- fused to grant the funds necessary to carry out the naval scheme adopted last year. The Government has asked for four battleships to be lald down in 1902, but the committee will allow only. for one. PERSONAL MENTION. General C. F. A, Lask of Los Angeles is at the Palace. { James Feeley, a frult grower of Red Bluft, is at the California. President David 8. Jordan of Stanford University is a guest at the Occidental. T. B. Walker, a leading lumber man of Minneapolis, is staying at the Occidental. E. A. Forbes, a prominent attorney of Marysville, is among the arrivals at the Grand. J. B. Lankershim, a capitalist of Los Angeles, is spending a few days at the Palace. G. W. Strohl, an extensive fruit grower of Napa, is at the Lick, accompanied by his wife. Speaker C. W. Pendleton arrived from Los Angeles yesterday and is staying at the Grand. General William H. H. Hart has re- turned from an extended tour of the East and has made his headquarters at the Palace. @ i i @ property or having -possession of the same to erect or maintain on said real property any fence or partition wall which shall exceed ten feet in height without first obtaining the consent of the Board of Supervisors. The question asked in regard to the destruction and recon- struction of a fence more than ten feet in height is one that would depend upon con- ditions, and would be answered only upon trial of an action in court. THE POLICE FORCE-J. R. B, City. To tecome a member of the police de- partment of San Francisco the applicant must be a citizen of the United States, of good character for honesty and so- briety, able to read and write Eng- lish, and have been a resident of the city and county for at least five years next| preceding appointment. He must not be less than 21 nor more than 35 years of age, | and must possess the physical qualifica- | tions fequired for recruits for the United States army, must pass a satisfactory medical examination. The pay of Chief is $4000 per annum; captain of detectives, $3000; sergeant of detectives, $1800; cap- tains, $2400; lieutenant, $1630; sergeants, $1500; corporals, $1404; patrolmen, $1224. Examinations for appointment are under civil service rules, and are held when oc- casion requires. BELL AND TIMECurious, Oakland, Cal. Time is kept on board of ships by means of bells, although there is but one bell on the ship, and to strike tha clap- per properly against the bell requires some skill. First two strokes of the clap- per at an interval of a second, then two more strokes with a second’'s interval apart, then a rest of two seconds, thus— Bell one second, bell two seconds, bell one second, bell two seconds, bell one sec- ond, bell two seconds, bell. The follow- ing are the bells that are struck forenoon and afterncon: ~ 008 Bel Op shipboard, for purpose of discipline and to divide the watch fairly, the ecrew is mustered in two divisions—the starboard (right side, looking toward the head) and the port (left). The day commences at noon, and fs thus ai- vided: Afternoon watch, noon to 4 p. m.; firse dog watch, 4 p. m. to 6 p. m.; ‘watch, 6 p. m. to 8 p. m.; first watch, to midnight; middle watch, morning watch, 4 a. m. watch, § a. m. to noen. ‘watches, which enables the alternately, as the watch hours and 8 p. m. into two watches. TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYERS Of the six battleships Intended to be bullt and completed up in 1906 three have been struck off, and there is intense dissatis- faction in naval and colonial circles, ‘which will be carried into Parllament. The recent launch of the French arm- ored cruiser Leon Gambetta, 12,550 tons and 24,000 horsepower, took place nine months and ten days after her keel was laid. The vessel weighed 3430 tons at the time of the launching. The number of working days was 800,000, giving 8.2 days to each ton of material worked into the hull. There has been a marked improve- ment in the rapidity of shipbuilding in the French navy since 13%, when Charlemagns showed 1169 days to each ton; Gaulols, launched in 1896, with 116.4 days; Jene, 80.4; Suffreso, 92.8; La Marsefllaise, 919, down to Gambetta, with 82.6 days’ labor to each ton of material. The working day In French dockyards has been reduced from ten hours id nine hours and thirty-five minutes, . - . A twenty-four-hour race took place last month off Naples between the two Italiax cruisers Garibaldl and Varese. Varege, fitted with Belleville bollers, was given a start of twelve miles, when Garibaldi, fit- ted with Niclausse boflers, started in pur- sult, overtook Varese and finished tha race several hundred yards ahead. Gari- baldi made seventeen knots with an aver- age of elghty-seven revolutions and con-~ sumed 178 pounds of coal per unit of horsepower, and had sixteen of her twen- ty-four boilers in use. Varese was under similar conditions and used a little less coal. The object, to determine the rela- tive efficiency of the Belleville and Ni- clausse bollers, was not settled to satis- faction, for while the first named gave Dbetter results in work the latter had the advantage in the facility with which par- tial refitting could be made. tue 9 Two Russian cruisers have falled to reach their calculated speed. The cruiser Pallada, of 6630 tons, intended to make twenty knots, made only al- though the horsepower of 13,100 exceeacd the contract by 1500, and Diana, on the same lines, fell short .7 knots of her speed with 12,129 horsepower, or 519 in excess of contract. ° A CHANCE TO SMILE. Bacon—When that girl begins to sing I know I'm going to be bored. Egbert— I can say the very same thing about a mosquito.—Yonkers Statesman. A Cool Reception—*Did you notice? I have a new electric fan in my affice.” ““Oh, yes; I got wind of it thé minute I opened the door.”—Philadelphia Even- ing Bulletin, The following was posted up in a small country villaage: “Notice is hereby given that the squire (on account of the back- wardness of the harvest) will not shoot himself or any of his tenants till the 14th of September.”—Tit-Bits. “I notice you've got your summer pants on,” remarked the dog fancier. “Yes,” gasped the exhausted terrier, “but they're not loud; certainly mnot as loud as some of this season’s flannels.” “True. Nevertheless, what you need is muzzlin’.”’—Philadelphia. Press. “Mame says she doesn't expect to en- joy herself so much as usual at the shora this season.” “Why not?” ““Oh, she's getting on, you know, and her mother tells her it is time she made an engagement with the intention of keep~ ing it.”—Philadeiphia Bulletin. “No, sir,” exclaimed the loud-voiced drummer in the smoker. “I'm proud to say that no house in the country has more men pushing its line of goods than ou hat do you sell?”” asked a curioug one. “Baby carriages.”"—Syracuse Herald. —_— Li Wrote to Both Men. Many tales are told of the dealings of Li Hung Chang with his diplomatic subordi- nates, says the Candid Friend, and thers is a characteristic story afloat with re- gard to his relations with the present Minister to England, Sir Chih-chen Lo Feng Luh. The time was that of the siege of the legations in Peking, when all the civilized world was In fear as to the fate of the beleaguered and when China, with her emissaries and all pertaining to her, was looked on with no very friendly eye. LI Hung Chang was the virtual ruler of China, and it was from him that the various Ministers and .Embassadors re- celved their instructions. There had ap- parently been some fresh manifestation of European displeasure, when one day the Minister to England received from Li a ‘message, the purport of which was as fol- lows: “We are not satisfled with your efforts in London. The English are hostile, and you must do something to alter matters, You are not energetic enough. You are neglecting to influence the Government. The man who is doing all the work is your colleague in Washington, Wu Ting Fang. He is the man you should imi- tate.” Unfortunately for Li's little game, Sir Chih-chen and Wu Ting Fang happened to be close friends, and the Minister here confided what had happened to his friend in Washington. Wu Ting Fang was, to say the least of it, surprised. “This is very extraordinary,” he replied. “I also have had a message from Li Hung Chang. This is what he says to me: “Your efforts are not giving satisfaction, ‘We feel you should be more energetic and that you should try to influence the Amer- fcan Government to take our side in this affair. You are not doing half enough, and if you want an example you should turn to Sir Chih-chen Lo Feng Luh, the Minister in London. He s the man who is doing all the work."” — Marsh Mallow Kisses at Townsend's, * —_—— Ex. strong hoarhound candy. Townsend's.* —_—— Cal. Glace Fruit 50c per Ib at Townsend's.* ——— e ySpectel, intoruamtion supplled daily to uses and pi c S Press Clipping Burean Chlion s 510 Mos gomery street. Telephone Main 1042. * —— The last American camel died in South- western a few weeks ago. The camels came to the United States from HOTEL gmb CORONADO, choleest Resort in the world, offers best living, climate, boating, bathing, fishing and most amuse- ments. E. S. Babcock, manager, Coronado, Cal, ‘Winter Egypt and Smyrna in 1857. —_— What you pay for extracts Is important, but what you get is ten times more important. Bur- mett’sVanilla costs more because it's worth more.