HOME NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 10

HOME NEWS.

9 INTERESTING ITEMS BY MAIL. London, March 12. The bui sting of a coffer-dam in connection with tho dock extension at Birkenhead occabioned- the : loss'of fourteen, lives (says the "Standard of Empire"). A heavy gale was Wowing at the timo, and this, combined with the strong spring tide, is believed to have, had something to do with the disaster. Tho harbour works, which were in process of completion, were begun some years ago by tho Mersey Docks and Harbour Boards, and tho workmen; who arc employed by Messrs. John Scott and Co., contractors, of Darlington, were engaged at tho timo at tho distance of some forty feet below tho level of the water. They were suddenly overwhelmed by a terrific rush of water from tho East Float in the presence of a number of witnesses on thebanks above, who wero powerless to render assistance. .Only: one of the workmen who wore engaged;in the building operations succeeded in .escaping with his life. |. -The Board of Trade report on the fire which occurred in the South London Tube reveals dangers of which the average passenger has probably been unaware. The iron dust which accumulates from the brakes, shoes, andrails and the carbon dust from the motor brushes ( are, it appears, highly inflammable. The report indicated that means shoidd bo taken for clearing the tunnels of these dangers. Tho tunnels, for instance, should be whitewashed as a means of readily detecting the presence of dust, and strict attention be given to the detail.of cleanliness. 'It is reassuring, howover, to find thit-the various tube compaiiies are fully alive to Iheir responsibilities ia this matter. ■; \ ' j '... ,! .' '■■'''''. >■. v. Speaking at ~a meeting convened oy the Committee of tho. National Temperance League in the London C!ounty Council Hall, the ;Bishop of Croydon,instituted an interesting contrast between the number of suicides of publicans and their servants and those of tho clergy and ministers. He asserted that, whereas nearly sixty of the former took their, own lives, the number among the latter reached only six in tho course of a year. At the same meeting Sir Thomas Whittaker quitod statistics to show that more money was spent, on drink annually than on house rents. Somo interesting returns havo been, issued by the Railway Department of the Board of Trade with regard to casualties on the railways of tho United Kingdom. D'rom these it appears that during the three months ended September 30 last; 252 persons wero killed , . , and 1959. injured in tho course of public .traffic. This shows a marked declinel as compared , with tho, corresponding period of the previous year; when 300:' were killed and 2274 injured. Of ;the.total number ,of fatalities,. 128-are.described' as trespassers (including suicides), '11 "as 'railway servants, and 30:as.p'assengers; : ,,j[t , is worthy of comment that .no 'passengers! were killed by accidents to .trains. . . . -,-:■ -X ■. ,'.

The precise sito of Tyburn Tree has been at length located.-1 The anciont gallows, it appears, stood at the, junction of Edgware Road, Bayswator Road, and Oxford Street, and•'' arrangements have been made- by ; the Local Governnidnt Committee of; the London County Council for marking the spot with a etono tablet; which- is to boar the , inscription: "Here stood Tyburn Tree. Removed 1759;" An old stone bearing the inscription, "Half a mile from Tyburn Gate" has been presented to the London County Council, and., is to bo, affixed- to tho Edgware Road branclivpf: the' Capital,; arid Counties Bank.:■:.

Ajneiy light was thrown ;upon the public chara'cter'of-the Victoria:by;Lord Eshdr, : joint.editor with.Mr.-A.,C.; Benson , of the "Letters of-Queen Victoria," in a lecture ..recently:-, delivered: at'' the Royal Institution. Hβ declared .that, during his duty of arranging Shqr correspondence ; for - publication, _ho had. found no ■ instance - ; of any grave:.mistake.. secreV , ! of.-| : .tho , lato .Qaee'n's):infliienc'e,.'.li6.;tli6tghij-/Was'l'hor''uri-' failing/dero.tiqn to duty, her simple regard and 'her adhesion to the" plain, unvarnished .-truth . inJ every section: and. rela : tionof .'her. long-life. l ;-Her reign; cludedj in ari- eloquent■ "round,ed off and set the'-e'eal; upon tho period of commercial and ■ racial expahsipri in which Great Britain .becamo , a. World-wide Empire." '.. ■'.

.. An : elaborate, plan for the improvement of, the Horse Guards' Parade has been put forward by Mr. ¥. W. Speaight, who. suggested the improvements ..at'the:Marble Arch which have ;just ; ..beon .'carried |.out.' He wishes to ■effect th9 f reform of- collecting'all:tho statues raiseii in memory' of military celebrities in London and placing' them iu leafy recesses on either sido of broad parade which is to stretch' out through; a, borrowed piece/of St. James's Park, opposite tho Horse Guards. Up the middle of the parade is to be a canal 40ft. wide and 500 ft. Jong, with a: broad walk on.either,side,, as there used to bo in. the time of Queen Anne. Tho parado ground itself will become one of tho most picturesque and one of the, largest of its kind in the world. It will resemble, tho. Gemma .Valhalla, ,the, Siogosalle in Berlin. , The ..estimated, cost of the improvement is £58,750. .

Replying to a question in Parliament Mr. Winston Churchill said that tho total de- , crease in wages for tho year 1903 recorded by the Board of Trade was £1,012,112, affecting 465,036 employees. Pauperism during January this year had increased at a most; alarming rate, and' at the cud. of the month ,tho , : total number of persons ''.in , ! receipt, of relief had risen to 850,460, the largest iiumbG'r Bince 1871. Tlie percentage to the population was 24:1 per. 1000; that is'to say, one'-person in overjr forty-one -wasi a pauper. ; The most alarming feature of tho figures officially issued by the Local '' Government Board .is tho steady increase in the number of paupers which has taken place .during the .first month this. year. Hero is tho comparison :'■ January 2, number of paupers, 836,057; January 30, 650,000; increase in month, 14,403. ' ! ' . ..-.'. .■■: ; . .

Mr. Birrell has made it abundantly clear that, whatever his religious beliefs may be, ho.is not a Spiritualist. Speaking from tho . pujpit of tho City Road Baptist Chapel, Bristol, he said ho did not beliflvo that "tho other person" was there on "the other side" of this wireless telegraphy. The records left him: unconvinced. A' revelation of life bejorid the grave, ho added, if it was to.do any, good in this world, ought to bo more stupendous—something of really .first-class importancei ,The presence of a Cabinet Minister, .in. a.pulpit is a sufficiently rare occurrence'to: call for comment; though we ("Standard of Empire") believe Mr. Birrell has- occupied this position ou more than one'occasion. : , , '. ■" . Two men were killed at Tonbridge as the trains on the South-Eastern lino colliding at a point where converging lines are hidden result.of a railway.,disaster caused by two ■from each other by a high bank. Both of tho victims /were servants of tho company travelling on one of/the locomotives. As a result of the. ■ 'disaster the.. train' conveying his Majesty tho King to Dover, en routd for Biarritz, was delayed for over half an hour. ■ Fashion prophets have been telling \is theso last few days tliat we are in for a reign of dowdinoss in attire, \which'. will affect both soxos alike. .-The-idea'..'arose in Paris, that cradlo of sartorial experiments, and: already the laidics who haunt the boulevards and other fashionable -resorts' arc said : to be models of ungainliiiess."' : Tlioir' jackets hangin loose, ungraceful folds; their hats are devoid of trimming; their gowns innocent of flounce- or furbelow; - while padding at tho shoulders or elsewhere is ruthlessly eschewed. Tho fashion is, coining to London, wo aro told, and from thence may penetrate into tho remotest corners of the Empire. ■ The. Children Act is one evidence among many of tho awakened conscience of the nation- with regard to the young. Adult Englishmen aro slowly coining to consider themselves as the trustees for an England , yet to be,'a,nd so emphasising the paramount necessity of ensuring to the coming, generation soundness of body and healthiness of mind. The. Children Act should holp materially to bring about tliis desirable end, for ( 'though some of its clauses may be grandmotherly, tho bulk of them aro excellent. , Tho interest taken in small holdings in England is.somewhat of a spasmodic character,, and tho, cause represented by tho oftheard cry'of "Back to the Laiid" has not yet buuid au over-numerous following of votaries.

Still, there are many pioneers at work in. different parts of the country, and as soon aa they can' prove that they have been EUCceESful with tWr agricultural experiments, they are not likely to lack for imitators. Soino of those pioneers have demonstrated' .the- practicability of making an income of anything from fifteen, shillings to two pounds a week, given, saj , , about twenty-five aoree of good land.