BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 69, 14 December 1907, Page 12

BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

■''-.' I : ' ' ' - ' ' ' THE UNITED KINGDOM

'--••; BEATING THE DREADNOUGHT. London, Octobor 30. A -Barrow-in-Furness "Standard" correspondent states that - information is to hand that the'now 13.5 guns which are beingmanufactured in England are intended for the two Brazilian battleships now building at-Barrow-in-Furness and Elswick. Each vessel will carry four of these great weapons: built up on a central barbette, but-so disposed that air the guns' can fire forward'or; aft or on either broadside. This is tho first occasion on which such heavy gunk have; been adopted on ' battleships, and also thol first'occasion on which the guns have been! •o arranged as to : .fire,' simultaneously for-' ward, aft, or on either broadside. The now 1 battleshipsareto.be of 21,000, tons dis-j placement, with a beam of 84ft., and they, tare to bo of exceptional longth. They will; be of 23,000 indicated, horse-power, and the ordinary reciprocation engines ; V,arp to, bo! ..used. They aro in advance of. the-British; Dreadnoughts, and when completed will be, the,most destructiv'e battleship's, 'afloat:' y

;; :".j ' A CHEAP NAVY; The' "Standard's" naval - correspondent Bays:— .'-•"• (■'!> ' : '■■:• Great astonishment, has been caused _in; • circles by the'., announcement' that; short service "satisfies" the Admiralty. It has been generally, understood that it' was ; so'notorious a failure that it was to bo given' up.' The news of its continuation comes, therefore, as a'shock.'' No' officer'outside ( (Whitehall' has ever boon found to say a ■ good'word for the 'short- service system, while the men thoroughly detest it. Indeed, one.of the most emphatic arguments, in tho ;. -■ recent'- "loyal appeal" of''the Lower Deck was directed against the ."ticklers," . ,'as ~'., the jhbrt service men are generally called. ... ' The normal bluejacket regards the service Bs.a-.life profession., . Short service men '-''-.", we, entered'for-five years, with seven-years: • , in 'the reserve. They get about six weeks', -training, and are then ostensibly "qualified -.ordinary seamen." They are, as a matter ; of fact; of very. littlo_ use for: anything .' except in exceptional circumstances, and in '.-..-• all' cases lack that training ■ from boyhood which has made the British bluejacket what heis'. Picked up anywhere, they arequite' : unused to discipline, and have ; no ' tension ,of its needs _ or ''uses.. ' Consc- -''. • quehtly, the collar continually "galls','' and tho "fact'that they'have no,.prospects',does not '"'."- 'improve matters. ; . ' ; '".There -is ''adsolutely' .- 'nothing,, save. '''economy;" to justify': the.'..'short"servicoM .-' system. •' There, isno dearth of, boys,; nor, • is there any scarcity of men, who. would Kkbto re-engage after their first term of service.' ' Men who serve'on'ifor the'full: period are,':however, entitled'.'to"pensions,: : gmaJl enough it is true, ,but not 'too small ,:: : /or the cheeseparing system of bur present ,'Administrators. ' :'•'•-.' ' .'."■ ■> : :'Ntf captain in tho Navy has reoommonded short service; no officer has spoken well of '.'-.• .it. ;Its allurements to- the politicians.and semi-politicians who havo now taken .the • /place of responsible'-.naval officers working --.'for vthe Navy's- welfare is that it "saves ' f : ';money." In.order to save money—to save ; ' ..' paying, few'pensions to jnost '. elaborate ' efforts.: are. made.; Everything, is dono'.to discourage men from, re- . '''engaging to serve on.-for pension. ~': First .',- ;'of 'all; open : discouragement was tried. That ;„ failing,' new pay regulations,-have been in- . troduoed, .whereby-tho twopence a day extra - s'pa'Vj tbat a bliieiacket got on re-engagement '•} was' abolished!•_''Tho need, however; oftoak- : ing, somo' political' capital out: of the-r'e-ar-' ranged pay of'tho Navy led to so much semiofficial "booming of-its merits that men still exhibited a-tendency, to stay oh.. -...'. Under the present' Administration many v , /nischievous things have been done, and the >, efficiency ;'6f the .Fleet.seriously, impaired un- ~\ "v der the name of Progress, which is really only i : a feverish desiro for cheeseparing economy. - But it.: is doubtful whether any action has been so deliberately;taken against ;the sense -'.. of the Navy, and the opinion of every Capable , officer, as this-attempt to foist: a notorious , theap failure upon the country. ■!■■■-:■'■.

' ' ;'; SOMETHING LIKE A. FEE.- ,• - A story is .'told in the "Gil Bias,"., but without the names being given, of a French nerve doctor having been called in .to:treat an -'Visitor.. The affection was facial neuralgia, and: a euro was effected by electricity. The American expressed .himself much gratified, and said that he would Bend the doctor his fee. ,Nest day the post brought > cheque'for £4000. .The medical many thinking some error had 'been 1 made, called at tho hotel to make sure, but was met by renewed expressions of gratitude from his patient, and assurances that there had been no mistake. And as if this were not enough, a few days later the doctor received the title deeds of a house not far from tho Aro do Triomphe, whoso valuoiis put down at £40,000. .Whether all these details 'are true may, perhaps, be doubted, but tho fact remains, according to the papers, that ■'■ the professional man in question is now sotting up in a house of his own in tho quarter indicated.- ■'.- ..-,'■ /■

STARTLING FORGERY CHARGE.', , A great sensation.has. been created ■' in Edinburgh by the arrest of Mr. John Ayling, J.P., on a charge of forging bills for large sums. . Mr. Ayling was arrested at Ins ■J country seat at Dalmony, ' and taken to Edjnburgh,..-where he made a declaration before the Sheriff., He' was remanded to prison, bail being refused. Ho. appeared before the Sheriff with his throat bandaged, ■„and it is undorstood that wjien he know the ' bfficors of tho law wore in his house ho en- •' deavoured to commit suicide. .'■'■•' , Mr.-Ayling is a stepson of Mf\ John Morley, M.R., and' untif Mast 7week was an activo partner in the printing and publish- - '■; ing business of Messrs. T. and A. Constable. 'In connection'with the direction of the •affairs of this business'ho was well-known in ■the printing and publishing world,' and 'largely associated with' London work. 'A / notice appeared in the Edinburgh "Gazette" last Friday announcing that Mr.'Ayling had retired from - partnership in tho : business.' The amount alleged in the indictment under which he was arrested is botwe-on six and eoven .thousand pounds, and it is said that ■ tho names alleged to'have been forged were thdso of Mr. John Morley and Mr. W. B. Blaikie, of Messrs. T. and A. Constable, and that the sum involved is even larger than that given above. ;

A- NOTEWORTHY VOYAGE. ■ Tho Kaiser 'Wilhelm der Grosse, of tho, North-Germari-Lloyd Company, arrived at Plymouth after a passage of six days 15 hours 30 minutes, 'during which, as the result of terrific weather in mid-Atlantic, tho rudder of tho vessel was swept' away.> Tho accident occurred at 2.30 on a Friday morning, and for over 1700. miles tho great vessel was kept on her course solely by the manipulation of her twin scrows. It was not till the day after tho mishap that tho passengers were acquainted with what had occurred. Thoro was no alarm on board, tho interesting themselves. by betting on tho time they, would roach Plymouth. ' The captain expected to roach port by Tuesday evening, but, with an improvement in. tho weather hojmado gucb good running, that the ruddorless f ship came into port the next morning without the slightest assistance. Later in tho day, declining the aid of tugs provided by. the North-German-Lloyd, she left again for' Cherbourg and Bremen. Tho Kaiser Wilhelm's daily runs wore 485, 489, 404, 406, 302, 416, and 385 miles. To the Eddystone tho average speed- was 18.66 knots. In the courso of an interview Captain Polack admitted that from Friday morning, when ho rushed to tho bridge at tho time of the mishap, ho had nevor left his post, oven to sleep until the Scilly Isles were passed early that morning. "The ship steered remarkably well by her engines." w»*aid, "aid

NOTES FEOM ■ VAEIOUS SOUEOES.

I never had any doubt but that wo should foacirplymouth in safety. Wo wore offered aid by 21 vessels.". ..'.'" ;; LORD CROMER ON EXTREMISTS. Speaking at the Guildhall, Lord Cromor said:—'.'. ■Tho financial prosperity of Egypt depended on 1 the-'policy adopted in that country, and 'ho would like to take that opportunity, of saying that he thought it would bo a mistake to take too seriously tho proceedings of what wore called tho Egyptian.. Nationalists.. or their, friends in this country. Some of tho latter, inasmuch as they appeared to be misleading the Egyptians as to tho true'trend of public opinion in this country, and encouraging them in' the hope .that/political development could bo much-more rapid;than:could actually be the Case, he regarded as the worst' enemies of Egyptian progress.- Tho gradual expansion of. local -government in Egypt had his entire sympathy, but in-speaking of-tho Egyptian Nationalists, . he., alluded to tho extremists, who existed in Cairo as also; in Calcutta and in Dublin. (Laughter.) With those gentlemen ho did not think it was possible to deal. ..They.:w ; 6_uld not bo conciliated save o.< terms which;in India and Ireland spelt political suicide,land in Egypt would involve a relapse to th,o misgovernment and .disorder of 'the past. It had to bo remembered that the East, though very assimilative, did not always assimilate the best portions of whatever European civilisation hud .to offer.. : Just, as in/India, so some of the yo.uth..of,,Egypt",-appeared to be basing their ■political conduct, on..the proceedings of agitators in this, conn try. He noticed, indeed, that I what ho'certainly considered the almost culpable folly an itinerant member of Parliament, .Mr. Keir Hardie, had' incited the .iH-regufeted enthusiasm of - a portion, and that certainly,..by no means tho wisest portion, of.the community,in Bengal. The agitators of India; he did not doubt, would be kept,-well in,, hand by the firm sagacity of the Viceroy,and the.Eminent statesman who now presided at tho India Office. (Cheers.) ./•'For my own part,"'Lord'Cromer concluded, ."I ~ see but one method of |. dealing,: .with .this;.., unrest in, Egypt and' ; -in .■ India. It is to continue steadily to. do our duty'towards the peoples 1 of,', those two, countries,; to come down with .a.heavy hand upon the extremists should they-overstep the limits of the law, and hot to bo deterred by'their presence or proceedings from adopting such reforms as are calculated to satisfy the aspirations of all moderate and reasonable men." 1 (Cheers.) ,' ;'■•';'..;, FATHERTYRRELL'S CASE. '~ :; The. Vicar-General of the, Roman Catholic .diocese of Southwark, Mgr. Brown, dealing with: tho case of Father Tyrrell, tho exJesuit of-'-the Province, has doclarod that, the .decision .of the Vatican had been published in' the "Osservatore 'Romano." "It is not accurate," said Mgr. Brown, "to say ; that Father Tyrrell has b'eon excommunicated.- .:iHe. has been refused the Sacraments, ..which 'is. a preliminary to excommunication; no doubt, although excommunication need not neoessarily follow. Refusing,, absolution ■, is not excommunication. :There,are.many.esses in which absolution is,reserved, and soino in whioh it can only bo- given by the Holy Father himself." ■[Subsequently the following statement was issued at the wish of the Bishop of Southwark himself, the' Bishop having taken the initiative 1 in the proceedings against Father 'Tyrrell:—.. v. ■!.-"Father-Tyrrell has not-been excommunicated;- but the Holy Father himself has-de-prived him of the benefit of the Sacraments, and'his .case is reserved, for the Holy See. The action of the Bishop of Southwark is ,due to the fact •of Father Tyrrell's present r'esidonce.riin, his .diocese." v., ■ ...: The following direction was conveyed to : Father Tyrrell last -week by the Bishop of Southwark, on ,the instruction of the l J ope:— - ' ■.■■/ ,'■ • "Tho Bishop is to' communicate the decision of ; 'the Holy 'See to Father Tyrrell, which'is that he shall be deprived of partaking.in'the Sacraments, and that his case is reserved'to the Holy See."

- ELECTRIC TRAIN COLLISION. Three persons were killed and twelve were more or less, injured by a disastrous collision between two, electrja \ trains on the Metropolitan Railway line at West Hampstead station'on the morning of the 26th. A few minutes before eight o'clock an electric train, bound from Baker Streot to Neasdon, was held lip at West' Hampstead station. There was a dense fog at the time, and it was felt that it would bo unsafo to allow the train' to proceed* under ordinary signalling conditions. For nine and a-half minutes the down train was stationary, tho guards standing on tho, platform. • Suddenly-, without warning, there dashed out of the" fog another electric train on tho same line, and in a second,tho platform was strewn with broken, glass and wreckage, among which lay the unconscious body of the drivor ,of the incoming train. According to eye-witnesses, the sceno was a terrible one; and the shrieks of the wounded passengers added to'the'consternation'of the moment. ' Crossing tho station is a bridge forming part of West End Lane, and, but for the fog, the collision could have been witnessed by passers-by. As it was, however, the noise soon attracted thousands of people'to the spot; and tho railway authorities, with commendable promptitude, made it their' first business- to close the station doors and inform the police authoritiesonly a few yards away—of the accidont. The police summoned doctors and ambulances, and -within sevon minutes of the collision the injured werejbeirig attended to. ''.The driver," on "recovering consciousness, and while receiving 'first aid, stated that he had no warning of any impending disaster until he saw the rear coach of the train 25ft. ahead, and that'-' when he applied his brakes, they were "useless owing to tho greasy state of thV'rails. "I did not see that thore was a/' train in front of me till I was within;2sft.'of it," Smith stated; "then I applied "the brako, but, owing to the greasy state of the metals, it did not act, and I 'could not got tho train under ;control." Smith ■ was .thrown from his post by the, force of the collision,, and instead of'being, crushed to death, as otherwise he must have inevitably been, he received only ;a stunning and some nasty, although not serious, injuries in'the form of cuts to his hoad, arms, and feet'.' Mr. H. G. Randall, a local butcher, who was: a witness of. the scene at the station immediately after the accident, said it was thought that the engine of the oncomin" train had slipped 'the signals. Tho sta° tionary train had, so far as tho rear coach was concerned, been practically telescoped. Dr. Cumungton said he was called just before o'clock to the station, and rendered assistance to two or three men in conjunction with a police'sergeant: There was at" that 'time considerable fog, and it was impossible'to seo from ono end of the '.station to tho othei-j or anything like it. Asked to describe what ho saw of.the railway accident, ' Dr. Cunnington said that tho mov-ing-train-had' dashed into tho stationary train, and 1 the motor of tho former and the rear coach of the' lattor were dovetailed one . above ; the other. The engine had smashed everything that it had encountered, ripping up the sides of tho back carriage as if they' were' matchwood. ' 'One'of tho most striking escapes was that of a railway map. "I was sitting in tho back carriage of the stationary train," he said. "Wo stayed in tho station two or throo minutes. As it was foggy, I thought wo were waiting for tho signal, but suddenly. I heard a torrific crash of broken glass and splintered \yoodwork, and it sent me tumbling against tho side of the coach. I remomber I came over giddy, and heard noises in my head, but I came to and made for the. door. There was only just onoiigh room, for mo to, squeeze through, but I jumped off tho train, and the next thing I remember is that I was sitting on one of the station seats. If I had been about four seats of the coach up I must have been kijlcd. Thore were about a dozen in tho carriage, and- it was those at tho roar who were killed. .It. was about tho nearest thing IJ have ever had in mj. life*"-