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Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 12

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NEWS OF INTEREST BY MAIL London, Juno • t."r'-.\ An oloquent tribute, not only to the printer, but to the press as well, was paid . by the Prinoo of Wales at lie festival dinnor of tho Printers 1 Pension, . Almßhouse, and Orphan Asylum Corporation, at tiio Hotel Cecil, where he presided. After rocalling the, namoe of the Various distinguished men who had 'presided at former dinners, the Prince went ; <w. to say that ( • tlie printing press was the source of the;life, blood of tho. oivilisod world. If its pulea- , . tious were to be etopped, collapse—social, political, antl commercial—would .inevitably ■ follow. The noble art of printing had, beea the generous : giver of knowledge—religious, scientific, and artistib; it: had been- the in- ' struniont of. truth, liberty, and freedom. \ Those whose special terror w the fear ofan' invasion by : aerial. men-o'Jwar,' whicl| . would drop bombs and sheila into the midst of our most populous towns unscathed, may now. rest in their beds in peace. Special guns for'high-angle fire, wlucb have beoa; most exhaustively tested by the military authorities) have sliovrn that a moving ballpoaj ■■; can ;be destroyed 'with a reasonable' degree;: of certainty. Although the.; methods by" which this accuracy ia obtained have not been made known, yet it is apparent that ■ aero-navigation will; bo eonsidorably. risky in tiinca.-of war— the : demonstratjbns \ "easily proved that. In one of,the.testsia ; battery irought down a balloon in- a , few seconds. The balloon, a captive One, , representing an ■ airship,; had been- sent 1 up. about ,800 feet ;; in the air some 1300 yards away from;:the; guns. The difficulty of aiming was' further increased s by.'a _ strong' wind,' ' which blew the balloon round in circles. The" battery, however, pkoed, three ehelle well.'.;' over the balloon, and immediately a cloud ' of white' smoke -rose, and the 'gas-bag'col-: lapsed to the earth in flames,, tho silkTwing tornto ribbonsby the shrapnel. .It is satis- \ factory to, know for certain that •' aorpnanta >vill hot have it all their own in timef ; ; ,of-war. "'■ ■,; -.■■;'■■ '■;' .('•. . :V ;"?:"V-:" ;,, '.- J ■''.'! ■''.'.•■••'■■'. ;An interesting announcement has . bben made by the committee which for'some' timo ■ past has' been raising funds : for a memorial • to the, late General Sir Redyers Buller.' They'.', 'are now'in a position, acting in, conformity . with- the wishos of his old - regiment, hie' family, and personal friends, to erect anade-' . quate;and : suitable momorialj.. in. the shape of .a'recumbent figure- in Winchester Cathedralj in addition to the memorial, at Creditpn. Donations exceeding 1 £1000 have already beoa received.;.. Further • subscriptions arej however, invited, so that the scope and tne dignity of the. memorial, may bo-(mhancod.;; ' \- Wild 'toot place around' tie hall : in ■ Sheffield where the; Prime • Minister addressed a meeting of the Yorkshire; Liberal Association; Suifragistß. held meetings :out--sidei' and caused a. crowd "ot 10,000 persons to assemble; >Thpy tried 7 to rush' tho main : entranoo," and tho police, drawing their trun-, ohoonsi .drove, them back.;.; Mounted: police : ■ were sent for, and' they subsequently cnarged ' the crowd.. Several people were injured. The iPrime Minister had'to; escape through a isido : dooribeforo the meoting closed.. . ': .:;■•;.';, • ' The advertising mania, has ft good deal: ti account for, and its,latest devclopmeat haa roeultod'in the' famous ."phantom airship"' oi • whioh bo 'much has been: heard lately; Tho whole, thing was a.hoax engineered' by a motortcar manufacturing ; firm. ;'■ Two'inotoN oars were, ueod; one carrying the balloon, 1 a 20-h,p. : 'motor, and a lot'of bamboo 'rjplesfor , the Bteorable car, and the other half a dozen of compressed hydrogen. ■': The first "aßoout"'Was :bn - the Chelmßiprd Road, at ; Writtle/, The balloon was sopured with ropes and held to ;tho wheel;t)f one of the motoi* cars. 'i-Lights, wore,'put"'out or- darkened, 'watchers Were ,toia'off-to;givo : an alannon the t'strarfge'Hj find .whilst "steerable" was;held captive, toy ,fire-bal- ; ' loons were,sent up to windward of it-,'and .the , 'engine of>bno.of the inotor"ciirs-'was set working in order to giro the'improsaion to any nocturnal'observer whose, eye might be. attracted: by, the balloon that no hoard the whirring, oi'its motor .overhead. , . ■--•■.;.

■ From Paper issued we gather that ; the" number of paupers in receipt ! of relief'at the end of April; in England' and' Wales 808,525, or an increase of 15,0l4 ; over tho-total: for ' April, 1908. It: is also .the" highest, total recorded in April since 1872. • ':' The: indoor paupers' numbered' 272,102,- and this number has never; boforo boon so large.; Tho ratio-of pauperism per 1000 of the: population\ at the end of' April was ■ 22.9, as against 22.7.; in -1908. With 'the ".exception of; 1905,vffhen it was, 23.1/:- it has ; not: been higher "in-April since' 1896. The ratio of ..indoor pauperism per 1000 of tho inhabitants was 7.7, as against 7.6, and of outdoor pauperiem' 15.2, as against ,15.1 in 1908. :.Tho return.also shows that the number, of paupers in receipt: of relief in , London ', at the end of- the same period was 123,290, an increase, of;. 187. •: :;-.'. • :.;.v, ; : v:

'..Greatinterest.attaohee.totho Honourable Y Corps.of GentlonWat- Arms, which recently ■■..- celebrated the; 400 th anniversary of its formation.; It was in 1509 that. King Henry.. VIIL founded the corps is tho. nearest guard ■ m closest.attention .upon the!Sovereign.,and ordered that all who, were enrolled should be of-the noblest ;bloodi.Originally, the full strength,.of the corps was fifty,; and oontin-v ued ro untiltho reign ofiCharlee 11. . At th« y; present timb the number is forjfcy, and onlj ' officers who have, held'commiesions in the Army and. Marines, have seen active; service,. and are tlrc possessors of at least one war!;, decoration are eligible; Thti> celebration ofy the corps' l opened with a special' service Tield in i the'.»• Chapel Royal St. James's and afterwards the Gentle- • men-at-Arma : went on- , the Buckingham-Pal- : ace, whotts they were inspected by'tho King, and later lunched; . In the evening tho mombors of the corpe gave a banquet in the Pio- ; ture Gallery at: St. , James's Palace; •■■■ which .-: was honoured by the presence of tho .Prince ■ of Walce.,:Aftorwards Lady Donmanj-wife of Lord Denmaii; the captain, received the Gontlomen'-at-Arms , and thoir ladies; at , : her, residence in■•■ Carltoiv House-terrace. .;. J>r-\ •The obnstantiy-increasiing employment'oJ - mechanically-propelled vehicles iu the'.strcDti... of London, :orid the .higher average^speed thereby attained, are 'leading to aemands, for giwte'r facilities-for trafllo,.which have to be provided at almost any'co6t. One of, tho hiost Striking inetanoes is the widening s bv 30t't. of Blackfriaiß Bridge, ty'hich. is. how■,;,; almost completed; For this : improvement • the oity of wiU nave to £200,000. • whilst tho London -County Conncil will have to oxpendsomo £7000. more on the laj-ing down oftW 480 ynrde.of tramway lines contemplated. ITio mamoon.structional'work attached to the :: actual widening of tho bridge been, fimshod,, and tho bridge w now the; widest octosb the Thime«. there being a , width of 105 ft. be- . twoon the parapctej which, with a pavement of a width of 16ft- on citlior side, kavee a roadway 73ft. wide. A curious point IB that at piwcnt the bridge approach ib narroffer than tho bridgo itself. Tho work, it m anticipated, will bo complettd by the end or ■tins year.

Queori Aloxandra and Trincess ;Viotoria, - who left London oil April 16, and- had thus been, away liearly six weeks, returned .to \ London at tho end of May. ,'ltip last days of their Mediterranean cruise was .'.spent at ; Venice with tho DowageV Empress .of Rubsia... Tho' > royal party made sevcral . water. ; escursibhs iu gondolas during: tlioir. stay. A baiinuet was given on bqatd the royal .yacht, one "evening, and a ornanisedi by -, tlie - municipality, -wa* given in of her Majesty, the .Victoria.-; n'tid Albert being sitiToumled by a largo number, of .g^ldolas., The Basin of St. Mark was ltlulninated with. rod; and e>ceil lights. ■ Thfi royal phrty. Wit- : nessed the from tlio; dock of tne royal yacht. The .Queen and Princess Va> toria travelled home via 'Paris, and woro ! met at Victoria' by. tho King, Trinco and V Princess of Wales, and I'rinco^, Arthur; of Connaught.— "Standard of Empire. ,, -;.:■ :■ ■■:;-,. ,