The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 16, 1903, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1903. Addoess All Communications to W S. LEAKE. Manager TELEPHONE. Ask for THE CALL. Tke Operator Will Connect | You With the Department You Wish. PUBLICATION OFFICE EDITORIAL ROOMS. . rket and Third, §. ¥, to 221 Stevemsou St. Delivered by Carriers, 15 Cents Per Week. Single Copl Mni =. 5 Centx. Terms by Including Postage: DAILY CALL nday). one year *.56.00 DAILY CALL months DAILY CALL nd 3 months DAILY CALL Mont SUNDAY < WEEKLY All postmasters are subscription Sample coples will be forwarded when requested Mail subscribers in change of address should be partioular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDR to insure a prompt OAKLAND OFFICE. ... ; ..1118 Broadway C. GEORGE KROGNESS, Manager Foreign Advertising, Marguette Building, Chicage. (Long Distance Telephone “‘Central 2619.”") VE compliance with their request YORK REPRESENTAT STEPHEN B. SMITH. NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT © B CABIEON. .c2s-artrsenssss Tab NEW YORK NEWS STANDE ‘Waldorf-Astoria Brentano, 31 Union Square; Murray HI C ue Hotel and Hof an House. Sherman House, P. O. hern Hotel; Tremont House; Auditorium Hotel; Palme: House WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE. ..1406 G St., N. W. MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—327 M unti! 8:80 o'clock. 300 Hayes, oper until 9:30 o clork‘ 633 MeAllister, open until 9:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin, open until 9:80 o'clock. 1841 Misslon, mtil 10 c'clock. 2261 Market, corner Sixteenth, open until 9 o'clock. 1098 Va. lencia, open until $ o'clock o'clock. NW. corner Tw 108 Eleventh, cpen until § second and Kentucky, open until 9 o'clock. 2200 Fillmore, open until 9 p. m. BUSINESS. T is remarkable how trade continues to expand. l A year ago it was thought that the limit had been reached, but we are doing much more business now than then. The bank clearings for the week just pait show a gain of 11.7 per cent over the corre- sponding week last year, with aggregate clearings of $2,370,880,000; the railway earnings for the first week in March show an increase of 14.1 per cent over the same week in 1902, and 16.3 per cent over 19o1. Rail- road men say that railroad extension and construc- tion this year will almost certainly run far ahead of even last year's enormous figures, and constructors of buildings and bridges make similar estimates as to their lines. The prosperity road is certainly not endless; it must stop somewhere, but that somewhere has not yet appeared. As the spring advances the car shortage, which was less acute during the winter and which many thought was practically over, is again looming up and seri- ously interfering with the transportation of the heavier forms of merchandise, such as iron, lumber, flour, grain, etc. All sections of the country report a brisk demand for spring and summer goods, but many dis- tricts are reporting a noteworthy and increasing slow- ness in collections, due somewhat to the recent bliz- zards, rainstorms, floods, etc., which have checked travel over large of country. Still, fewer failures are reported than in 1902, those for the past week being 176, against 224 last year. Another un- satisfactory factor is the increasing restlessness of labor, manifested by more numerous strikes and threats to strike, which are scaring off capital from embarking upon new enterprises which would give ployment to thousands of men throughout the country and distribute just so much more cash money among the people. But with these two exceptions— slower collections and the labor difficulties, actual and menaced—the commercial situation is highly sat- isfactory. Floods have done more or less mischie in the South, but this is merely incidental, a ripple on the surface of the commercial sea, with no bearing whatever on the tone of the subject body. It was feared a month or so ago that the upward trend in prices, observed in February, would shut off the public demand ané cause a recession in prices; but it has not yet done so, for the present level of prices is the highest for three years, and some lines of goods are still pointing upward, notably meats. There does not seem to be enough cattle, sheep and hogs in the United States to satisfy the demand, and high as beef, mutton and pork are already, they are #till rising, with increasing scarcity reported from week to week. This 1s a great era for stockmen. Wall street is about the only dissatisfied spot in the whole country. Wall street is afraid that money is going to be tight and high. Wall street is looking .forward with more or less anxiety to enormous out- 1 of cash later on, such as the Panama canal pay- ment, the Transvaal ioan, etc.: and would Secretary . Shaw’ kindly step aréund to Wall street’s office some - time during the day and talk over the matter with a adew to accommodating Wall street with another of a few millions? So Secretary Shaw Js around at the office as requested, but declines to atertain the request for the loan, saying that the United States treasury is getting to be considered a yeserve fund for Wall street and that it is time this npression A areas is corrected financiers in the country whose opinions are weight agree that we need a more currency and that they will very properly con- entitled 1o any tifise to insist upon it until Congress remedies the present castiron and inelastic currency laws and gives financial interests of the country a2 more modern s convenient, not to say safer, system; but the New York bankers, who are among the very best financiers in the world, are beginning to suspect that there is growi disposition among certain plunging and intrigy elements tc use the national treasury as a catspaw for their little Wall street games, and the treasury cfficials are coming to the same conclusion. The outcome probably will be that Congress will find seli compelled to devise some elastic currency which will enable the business of the country to be carried on in a noiscless and well-oiled way without having the treasury continually called upon to patch up the tottering fences of Wall street’s cheerful plungers. B — An Eastern educator has taken counsel with him- self and in fitting gravity has announced that mogt men are dunces. This is one of the cases, where the people criticized have made the critic pos- sme Carnegic or Rockefeller is probably itution at which this educator business sible the patron of the in bolds forth WORTH FIGHTING FOR. HATEVER differences of opinion may exist as to the probability of bringing the next Republican National Convention to this city, it will not be denied that the chances in our favor are much better than ever before. Every change which has taken place in the conditions of the city and the country since our last struggle for the convention has been to our advantage. Consequently, if it was worth our while to bid for the convention of 1896, it will be worth our while to fight for that of 1904. | to the people of the East. When first the tlaims of San Francisco as a con- vention city were put forth they came as a surprise At that time California | was looked upon as a remote region, out of reach of | our bid as a serious proposition. Comparatively few national Railway rates were the Eastern public. gatherings had been held here. g high and the time required for the trip was much longer than at present. Under such circumstances the mass of the Eastern people hardly looked upon We had to make | Y . | explanations on every side and upon every phase of ! the question. § in order | Nowhere did we find a sentiment al- ready formed in our favor. In short those early ei- forts hardly amounted to much more than a cam- | paign of education preparatory to success later on. ! Very different is the situation now. For several | years past San Francisco has been one of the most noted convention cities of the Union. .30 Tritune Building | | in attendance upon some national gathering here. In ch year has seen men and women from all parts of the country cvery instance the visitors have been highly delighted | with the trip and have carried back to the East re- | ports of the attractions of our summer climate and the abundant hospitality of our people. The handling of these conventions has also proven that the rail- road and the hotel accommodations are fully equal to all the demands that a Presidential convention would put upon them. On that score, therefore, the campaign of education has been complete, and in making a bid for the convention of next year we will have an intelligent rather than an ignorant East to appeal to, and the intelligence will be on our side. In addition to the proof already given of our ability to take care of national gatherings, we can assure the Republican National Committee that by next vear the city will be in a far better condition to entertain large crowds than ever before. This has been a season of unwonted activity in the building trades, and among the new structures a very large percentage consists | of hotels, apartment houses and first-class boarding and lodging houses. There can be then no question our ability to entertain all who come and to fur- nish them better and pleasanter summer accommoda- tions than can be found in any other city in the Union. Finally it is to be noted that we will have this time among the members of the national committee a strong sentiment already formed in our favor. Presi- dent Roosevelt prefers a Western city for the con- vention. Chicago has shown no signs of entering the contest. St. Louis will be so crowded by the multi- tudes attending the great exposition that she will hardly be able to accommodate the special rush of sitors to a national convention. Two of the more formidable of our possible opponents are therefore out of the running, and thus while we are stronger than ever the opposition was never so weak. There remains a sentimental consideration in our favor. For a long time the eyes of the American people have been turned toward the Orient, and in- evitably there has been more attention given to San Francisco.,_ It would be pleasing to the sentiments of many people of the East to have the first national convention of the twentieth century held on this side | of the continent. Tt would appear as a popular recog- nition of the expansion of the nation, and patriotism would be gratified by the nomination of a Presi- | dential candidate on the shores of the Pacific. The time for the selection of the place of holding the convention is as yet distant, but it is none too early for us to begin preparing for the struggle. The contestant that first actively enters the field will have the better chance to win. As has been pointed out, the President and Senator Quay are already inclined in our favor. Our superb summer climate. whose de- lightful contrast to the sweltering heats of the East is now fully understood, will incline many others to support us. We have, therefore, bright prospects of success, and it will be well worth our while to make the fight and make it with all our vim and vigor. e Austria has decided that she will not be repre- sented at the St. Louis Exposition because she be- lieves ‘that she can reap no material advantage from participation. She probably has not calculated the tremendous loss she will suffer by not being in the best company in the world. THE FROST-PROOF ORANGE. OME time ago, in commenting upon the report S that the Department of Agriculture had suc- ceeded in developing a frost-proof orange, at- tention was directed to the statement of one of the experts of the department, before a Congressional committee to the effect that no such orange has been produced, but that experts hope to produce one by further experiments. It is evident from that statement that the original report was an exaggeration. It ap- pears from the statements before the committee that the experimenters have succeeded in developing a frost-proof lemon and that they are now trying to con- vert the lemon into an orange. An appropriation from Congress to continue the experiments was ob- tained and doubtless the work is going forward. In the meantime new reports on the subject are going the rounds of the Eastern press. Recently a dispatch from Washington to the Baltimor¢ Ameri- can said: “H. J. Weber of the Agricultural Depart- ment declares that orange treces are now living and bearing fruit in Baltimore and other places in a similar latitude. Mr. Weber predicts that before the department is through with its experiments with the hybridization of the orange the people of. Pennsylvania and New York will be able to cultivate and market their own oranges.” One part of that story is about as good as another. 1f it be true that orange trees are now living and bearing fruit in Baltimore it may be equally true that when the Agricultural Department gets through with its experiments the people of New York and Pennsylvania will be able to cultivate and market theif own oranges. We note, however, that there is no great demand for Baltimore oranges in any mar- ket, nor is it likely there will ever be much of a de- mand for New York oranges. It is one thing to produce an orange, but quite another to produce oranges that are fit to eat and in cuantities that are commercially profitable. Tt is to be noted that while one set of experts are trying to produce a frost-proof orange from a lemon, another set are engaged in trying to produce a breed of featherless chickens. The success of one experi- other. ~The frostless orange and the featherless chicken will be pleasing varieties for pouitry fanciers and fancy orchardists, but neither is likely to have much effect on the public demand. The New Yorker or Pennsylvanian who wishes to grow oranges had better come to California and start in. There is more safety in a frostless climate than in a frost-proof hybrid any time. " | | | I | | | BIRTH RATE FIGURES. i of tubes or bursting of steam pjpes is not an infrequent occur- In a spirit of advice Emperor William told one of his prominent subjects the other day to come to the United States, where he will learn something. The Emperor may in serious justice to himself and his people reflect that we can teach him several les- sons which’ might be painful in the learning. —— TRADE IN BABIES. ~ HILE we are as yet a young peoples and Wh"' hardly emerged from the simple democracy of rural and pioneer life, it ap- pears that in some of our larger cities we have already learned about everything the Old World can teach |us in the way of good or of evil. With each new swing of the searchlight over New York there is re- vealed another mysterious source of money-making, and naturally enough the latest always appears to be | the worst Just now the development that is surprising the New Yorkers is that brought to light in a case in- | volving the charge that a woman obtained a baby for the purpose of passing it off as her own. In the course | of her testimony the woman from whom the baby | was procured amazed the examining attorney by say- ,ing: "I cannot recall who was the mother of the baby which was taken to Mrs. Reikert's house last June, and which I understand was given to Mrs. Mar- {tin. I cannot even recall which baby was sent. I had several similar cases about that time, and cannot now separate their histories.” 4 From that statement it appears that the purchase | and sale of babies in New York is by no means an| | uncommon or infrequent matter. I a single dealer | |in babies has several transactions at the same time it | | is clear that taken in the aggregate the traffic must | | be fairly large. The matter has attracted the atten- tion of the press, and investigations have been under- taken to bring to light something at least of the ex- tent and the manner of the trade. While nothing particularly startling has thus far been developed in the course of the inquiry, it is al- leged that the purchase of babies is recognized as so much of a legitimate trade that some reputable phy- sicians do not hesitate to share in it. The New York Press quotes a physician as saying: “The practice has been going on for a loug time, and if any reve- lations ever are made'it will be a surprise to the pub- lic to learn the character of the men who have been engaged in it. 1 have known of more than one case | in which a wife has arranged to go away from her | husband on a protracted visit with the single object | of obtaining a child in this way, and the doctor who |is called in to file the birth certificate rarely is de- ceived. He knows what is expected of him, however, and realizing perfectly there is no danger of a sus- picious death to provoke inquiry. accepts such ob- vious evidence as is presented to him and pockets a substantial fee. The husband usually is the victim of | the fraud, though in some cases, especially where an| heir is needed in order to keep property in the'fam- | ily, he may be in the plot with his wife.” Qf course there is nothing in the offense itself to | ‘occasion surprise, for it is an old From the ear- liest ages there haye been instances of the kind, and not infrequently royal families’have been involved in such scandals. When a child was born to the Queen of James II of Great Pritain a large number of people | suspected that fraud had been practiced for the pur- pose of providing a heir to the throne. That belief had much to do with developing a popular sentiment in favor of expelling the King. The surprising fea- ture in the New York story is the announcement ol the frequency of such cases. For a long time it has been noted that among the rich peaple of the city children are rare. Is it now to be discovered that even in those rare cases the child is after all bought on a bargain counter and smuggled home on the sly? O much has been said of the declining birth S rate in Great Britain and in some parts of the United States and so many gloomy forebod- ings have been drawn from the statistics that it is gratifying to have at least one recognized student of social affairs draw from the same figures an optimistic argument. That service has been *rendered to the British by H. G. Wells. He has recently reviewed the statistics revealing the diminished birth rate of the kingdom and pointed out that they prove nothing more than the advancing civilization and social im- provement of the people. The essence of Mr. Wells' argument is that the per- centages are deceptive. If the death rate of a com- munity be large, so that there are not many old people or children living in it, then the birth rate is apt to be high; but if the health of the whole race improve so that infant mortality falls off and men and women live long after they are too old for child bearing, then even if the birth rate among those of vigorous years continue as high as ever, yet in com- parison with the augmented total of population it will appear as a much smaller percentage. Applying that simple truth to the figures of the re- cent British census, Mr. Wells denies that there has been any genuine decline in the birth rate of the Brit- ish people. A summary of his argument says: “In England and Wales, in the years 1846-50, the rate of births per thousand was 33.8; in 18961900 it%was 28. This seems to leave a deficit of 5.8 against the later period. But, on the other hand, in 1846-50 tife death rate was 23.3 per thousand and in 1806-1900 it was only 17.7. This, on the other hand, marks a fall of 5.6 in favor of the later period. This works out as a total fall of .2 per thousand in the birth rate during the period 1896-1900. But, be it observed, in 1846-50 illegitimate births were 2.2 per thousand, whereas in 1896-1900 they had sunk to 1.2. Conse- quently the net result is that during the lustrum ending 1900 there was a net rise in the birth rate of .8 per thousand over the corresponding rate of fifty years ago. As Mr. Wells observes, society is be- coming not only “more hygienic and rational, but more moral and more temperate.” The conclusions of the argument are that the seem- ing decline in the birth rate is due mainly to an in- creased proportion of the poptilation who are either too young or too old for child bearing. Where there has- been a real falling off in the rate the cause can he found in the increasing morality of the people and in the later age at which women marry. Each of these causes is an evidence of a higher and not of a degenerating civilization. We are therefore a better people than our ancestors, even when judged by the birth rate, and the pessimist will have to search for ment will be about as valuable as the success of the {some other argument to sustain his views. HEIRESS TO EVER SO MANY MILLIONS WILL ENTERTAIN ON MT. TAMALPAIS By Sally Sharp. EW of the young set ever come among us with so faverable an im- pression as Miss Viola Piercy. This voung favorite lives ever so quietly | with her aunt, Miss Dunphy, on Wash- ington street, and one would not think that ehe is an heiress of—but I will not | embarrass you by mentioning the exact number of millions. It gave me some- thing of a shock. We have a wa: pecting heiresses out her in the West to have a conspicuous limitation of mental capacity, an ¢xaggerated taste for mate- rial things and looks and manners infier- ited from ancestors who are bettér kent | in the background as much as possiblc | . however, is beautifully bred and is gifted with temperament and a charming personality. She iikes doing original things, and this week will enter- tain a party on Mount Tamalpais. dozen or more will be asked, with chap rons. The party will go up in the after- noon, returning the following day. The invited guests are quite enthusiastic over the coming event. There was a time, not o long ago, when a woman if asked whether she sang or| | played professionally hastiiy Teplied, “Cb, no!” Had you ventured to express regver | | you would only have added fnsult to in-| | | | jury. Americans particularly are growing broader in their views every day. how ever, and the artist who makes the best | use of his gifts is the one most souzht after by thinking people. Mrs. Beauford | | A. Mason will be the next to make her| | musical debut in the professional world. | | She is sending out cards for a recital to| be given at Steinway Hall on April id. | Professor H. J. Stewart will assist her. Mrs. Mason is a popular soclety woma and her presence, together with, the pa tronesses, will make the recital' a very smart affalr. She is a cousin of Mrs. | Henry J. Crocker and Miss Ives and a| | sister of WIill McLaine, but since kher| | marriage eight ye ago she has resided | | in Pittsburg. Mrs. Mason has an excel-| | lent voice, but as she does not intend to | | g0 Into grand opera she will probably | | do concert work. The patronesses of the | | coming affair will be: Mrs. Henry I.| Crocker, Mrs. A. S. Baldwin, Mrs. S. G. Buckbee. Mrs. Harry N. Grey, Mrs. E.| G. Rodolph, Mrs. Maurice Casey, Mrs. N. | D. Rideout, Mrs. A. H. Voorhtes, Mrs. L. | | H. Bryan, Mrs. Charles Moore, Mrs.| | George Bates, Mrs. H. C. Watson, Mrs. | | Eleanor Martin and Mrs. P. Hearst. | | | i SF e N | Miss Louise Hoffacher is receiving no end of exquisitely wrought cups and sau- cers, now that her engagement to Charies | R. Page has become known. Those who have not met the fortunate man in the case are safe in putting him down as a Prince Charming in every sense of the word, for did net Miss Hoffacher pick | | kim out from a number of suitors? Ask | any one who knew her abroad, and you | will learn that she received devoted at-| | tentions from a Count and two Barons in Germany, to say nothing of the others. Yet none was considered with Mr. Pag and what a pretty romance it has been. 1 believe it began in childhood. Miss | Hoffacher is a stunning beauty of the brunette type, with a warm-hearted and comfortable personality. She is quite un- like her cousin, Miss Lurline Spreckels. winter in our c wedding will take place in the ncar fu- ture. The exact date is not set, but *he | engagement - will not be a long one. AL Page 1s a graduate of Yale and is estab- | in April and May lished In the fnsurance business in this | Buchanan street. city. . ¥ “e | The Misses Musto of Stockton are pay-| hav ing a visit to San Francisco, where they DANGER TO LIFE ON SUBMARINES NO they are warm friends ax she cares little for society, but is fond | * = of a few friends. She lives at the home | way and winning new friends on every |of "her parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. J. hand. I belfey Hoffacher, on Pacific avenue, where the | of Genevievé Peters, who spent last ‘ Mrs. A. W. Scott will receive on Frida; Miss Kathryn Robinson and her mother tucked themselves away in the San- ta Cruz Mountains, on the Jarboe ranch, are being p'eas.ntly en‘ertained in a guiet | sc that the fair Kathryn may get strong | three doors from the Call building YOUNG HEIRESS, WHO I8 ING TO ENTERTAIN HER FRIENDS EXTENSIVELY. PRETTY PLAN MANY She has s were quite shattered by the gay~- eties of her “coming out” season over i year ago. After a few weeks of recuper- ating both mather 4 4 hter wiil | | come back to old friends again Ex. strong noarhound candy. ‘fownsend's * Paradoxical though it may seem, a new tch is a second-hand article. —_—————————— Townsend's California glace fruit an | candies, 50¢ a pound. in artistic fire-etehed boxes. A nice present for Eastern friencs. 639 Market st., Palace Hotel building. * — ———————————— Spectal information supplied dally to business houses and public. men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's). 28 Ca- fornia street. Telephone Main X = at her home, 35 —————————— W. 8. Townsend, manufacturer of Cali- fornia glace fruits and cheicest of ¢andies will remove about April 1. 1%8, from the Palace Hotel building to 715 Market stree . GREATER THAN ON ANY OTHER CLASS OF FIGHTING SHIPS N explosion occurred on one of the submarine boats at the Barrow yard last month. Six men were more or iess burned, but all were expected to recover. The acci- dent was caused-bv escaping gasoline vapors fired by in electric spark and similar to the occurrence on board the submarine boat Fulton in our navy last year. Opponents to submarines will undoubtedly endeavor to make capital out of these accidents and protest against continuing experiments of such a dangerous character, but lives on board modern ships of war are no more safe on a battleship or torpedo boat than on a submarine. With steam at 250 pounds pressure, splitting rence, generally resulting in loss of life, and the recent prema- ture explosion of a shell in the turret gun of the Massachu- setts, by which nine men were killed, goes to show that with- out proper precautions there are ccnstant dangers of accidents in the manipulation of explosives of either steam, powder, oil or gases. Troubles still continue with the trials of the British armored cruisers of the Kent class, The Kent and Bedford failed to reach the calcgulated spceds by about half a knot and one knot, respectively, and they are now undergoing repairs to de- fective machinery. The Mormouth is credited with having de- veloped 16,000-horsepower and 22.5-knot speed under four-fifths power, but had to terminate the trial on account of heated crank-shaft bearings. The horsepower maintained for over twenty-four hours reflects great credit on the builders, but there is doubt as to the speed of 22.5 knots. The latter was, according to practice in the British navy, taken by log, which is admitted to be inaccurzte, and in this instance considerably over the mark. These ships are calculated to develop 22,000- horsepower and 23 knots speed. The Kemt gave 16,209 horse- power and 20.43 knots as means of a thirty-hour run, and av- eraged 22,249-horsepower and 21.70 knots during its eight hours’ full power trial. Thus an increase of 6040 horsepower added 1.27 knots to her four-fifths power trial, which in the case of the Monmouth would presage a speed of 23.77 knots under full ower if her performarice under 16.000-horsepower was correct. 'his is manifestly absurd and the mistake will be found in the claim of 22.5 knots, which will be nearer correct when cut down to 20.5 knots. The four hours’ run of the Britislf torpedo boat No. 109 gave an average of 25.213 knots with 2740-horsepower. Steam was carried at 214 pounds and the revolutions averaged 3%. The boat was down to a mean draught of 5 feet 315 inches, and the average speed of six runs over the measured mile course was 25,197 knots. Thornycroft is building five of this type of boats which closely compares with the Foote, Rodgers and Winslow, built six years ago for the United States navy. These boats were calculated to make 24.5 knots with 20M-horsepower, and averaged 24.534, 24.49 and 24.82 knots in the order named during a two hours' trial. They have proved themselves the best hoats yet designed for the navy, superior in every respect to later productions in which too great speed was planned with disappointing resuits. Some interesting armor-plate trials took place last month in England. The plates were made by the Krupp process by Cammell and are to be placed on the Chilean battleship Liber- tad. The plate selected was seven inches thick and four rounds were fired from a 6-inch gun with a 100-pound projec- tile at velocities of 2110, 2124, 2104 and 2104 foot seconds, inflict- ing only slight dents on the plate. One shot fired with a pro- jectile naving a Johnson cap at 2116-foot second velocity pene- trated the plate, carrying a piece of the latter thirty-eight feet to the rear. The final test and utter demolition of the plate came with a Tl-inch shell weighing 200 pounds, containing a bursting charge of six pounds. which was fired with an initial velocity of 2167-foot seconds. The shell penetrated the target, skin backing, timbers and embankment carrying large portions of the plate to a distance of 300 yards beyond the structure. PR ek Steam trials of the German battleships Wittelsbach and ‘Wettin gave the following results; Wittelsbach, 10-000-horsepower. % revolutions, 16 knots and 1.87 pounds coal per unit of horsepower; under full power, 14, M:ompowar and 104 revolutions, 18 knots and 1.85 pounds of coal \ ‘Wettin, under 10,300-horsepower and 9 revolutions, made 16.3 knots; under 14,500-horsepower and 104 revolutions she reached 18 knots. The coal consumption of the Wettin was 18 pounds during the two trials. 3 3 e The Russian fleet in Asfatic waters will consist of no less than forty-two vessels of war, composed of six battleships, eight first-class and four second-class cruisers. seven seagoing gunboats, two transperts, three torpedo cruisers and twelve seagoing torpedo boats. In addition there will also be severa! auxiliary vessels and a number of torpedo boats designed for harbor use and short trips along the coast. There is a decided lack of intelligent naval legislation on the part of both houses in Congress which is sure to result in great waste of money and serious complications in the service. Unmindful of the fact that ships without officers are of very little use, money has been appropriated for a navy without at the same time providing for their complement of officers. There was a sufficiency of the latter until about five years ago. but since then seventeen battleships, eleven armored criiisers. four monitors, six protected cruisers, sixteen destroyers, four gunboats, twenty-three torpedo bo#s and a large number of auxiliary vessels have been added to the navy without corre- spondingly creasing the .personnel. The number of ships which will be completed within three years will require as many officers of the leutenents and lower grades as there are on the list at the present time, making a shortage of not less than 300 line officers. At the session just closed Congress in- creased the admissions to the naval academy and there will be no less than 600 vacancies to be filled within the present year. The accommodations at that institution are barely sufficient for ome-half ‘of that number, and to make the situation still more complicated a large increase in the academic staff is nec- essary, for which there is no surplus of officers. It is a repe- tition of the experience of the Civil War.of forty years ago, when the large number of midshipmen appointed at one time ultimately congested the several grades. The law just enacted is to remain in force until 199, and during the period of 1863- 1912 about 1800 midshipmea are likely to graduate, ranging in ages from 20 to 23 years. The personnel law of 139 relieved the congestion of the navy by promoting and retiring officers and a similar course will have to be adopted again as a result of ill-considered and spasmocic legislation by Congr . The retired list of United States navy officers has increased from 303 in 1883 to 803 on January 1, 1%3. The active list num bered 1515 twenty years ago and is now 1927, thus showing = disproportionate increase of the retired list. It is to be notec by a comparison of the tables of 1883 and 1303 that there has been a surprising increase in the grades of high rank officers due to the operation of the law of 1500, which has enabled many cfficers to retire with increased rank. Some of thes~ have been retired for the good of the service, but a large num ber have preferred an inactive life on the retired list with in creased rank and pay rather than te continue in active servie. The retired list gives promise of equaling in number that of the British navy within the next iwenty years. AVY, RETIRED LIST OF UNITED STATES CORPS SRy dBay Sadopowuio,) | slapuvmmay Line officers 611211 Staff officers. 2023 10(1 a4 ‘Warrant officers. . toi Totals. . i ‘ZH.\»"-BAN-'“ 30045 120 RETIRED LIST OF UNITED STATES NAVY, lANl‘QIY TVW T IR N AL I £l3 B SHE >|3231%is HE 1§13 302 1 CORES. LI 3 : 33/’ 2 '3 3 Line officers. Staft officers..... Warrant officers. 2391 To the above total of 5 there is to be added (wo warrant machinists and two pharmacists retired after a service of twe years In their respective grades.