BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 8

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

NEWS AND NOTES OF THE WEEK, COAL STRUCK DISTRESS. London, March 29, Distress Ims been increasing ail over tile country wiMi the continuance of the coal strike, and tlio l.oiuioi; County Council, in view of the growing stress, has deemed to suspend in" usual Easier holidays in tne J.oiiuju sclkmis, m orner to continue feeding the poor eiiildroii. in uie Potteries llio distress is terrible; tilers are people in llauley, the largest ui the si:; icrtornteil towns, and it is estimated that no lower tlian Ulirty thousand are being led liy the distress !uml. Each dav tliere UOOU lour-poumi waves ii,n[ Mild'gallons ot suup are being given away—apart from llio leodiiig of t'le chilriroii in the schools —and *>ia thousand iamilins yr<! said to he living on bread and soup in Han ley alone, and the rest of the Pottery towns are in much the same state. 'Meanwhile the Supplies of coal are steadily diminishing; in about a weelc's time London's supply of coal for sale will bo exhausted. The price of the best selected coal at the present is 455. a ton, an increase of 17s. as compared with prices prevailing this lime last year, while best kitchen coal is 435., an increase of ISs.

THE UNLUCKY TRAVELLER. The unfortunate traveller' has had -a | pretty tough problem set him when Bet- ] ting "out on a journey owing to the Ire- I 'nieudous reductions of tram services. Nearly every railway company, with tho exception of the Great Eastern, has extensively cut down the number of trains running, and at a meeting of the managers of the different companies it was decided to keep foodstuffs going for tho supply of the Wig towns if every passenger train in the kingdom had to be stopped. Travelling in and around Loudon is also attended by difficulties, as the ordinary service of" trains on (ho Metropolitan between Baker .Street and the outer snl)urbs and outlying towns has been cancelled, and a special service substituted, while curtailments have been mado in the (services ot most ol thu tubes, am! very extensively on suburban lines, and the number of tramcafs plying to and fro have been greatly reduced. On the other hand, tho London General Omnibus Company has placed 200 more motor omnibuses on the streets. WHAT THE STRIKE COSTS. And all this has cost Great Britain millions of money. Coalmine workers have hist ?3,00(1,0110 working days, and .t!5,550,000 in wages; other staple trades 12,000,000 working days and .£2,350,000 in wages; clerks, salesmen, agents, etc., 1.:M,U00 working days and i'ffiO.OGO la wages. The amount lost in wages alone to 'he workers of the country cannot bo a whit less than .CiO.OIiO.OOO. But that is not tlio whole of tiio terrible bill to.bo uuid for tho stoppage. So far as th* workers, or many of thorn, arc concerned, there is the set-off of upwards of .11300,000 a week paid bv the miners and other trade unions as' strike or unemployment nav, which must total ere the striko finishes considerably over £I>ooo,ooo. lhat amount takes the major portion of tho «£i,689,000 approximately on deposit or ill hand in the whole of the unions, although there are considerable investments. Prom this it will appear that lbs trade unions will seriously suffer for a considerable period. • ■ A ,£20,000,000 LOSS. \«ain the losses on the railways have been enormous. In the first two weeks of the .strike alone the total decrease in revenue on 51 railways for passengers was considerably over halt a million each week. There was in the two weeks n shrinkage in the transit of goods of nearly XDOfl.flOO. Ami this disaster has increased as the .strike has continued. Two million pounds will scarcely cover the net loss to the railway companies so far. At' Grimsby, Hull, Cardiff, Swanseai Yarmouth, Shields", Tynemonth, and other coast trado places it is estimated that the joss under shipping alone since March 1 is not less than .£500,000. Every trade and business in tiio kingdom has suffered in sympathy. While it would be next to. impossible to "ive accurately the cost to the nation ill pounds, shillings, and iw.ee it cannot by :\uv calculation fall short of .1115,000,000, anil mav lie .£20,000.000 with the contingent effects which will be felt after the strike is over, PRINCE'S PARIS'VISIT. It is stated that the Prineo of Wales is to go to Paris next Monday. He will stay with the Marquis de liretenil, who was a most intimate friend of King Edward. The Prince is already an excellent French Bcholar, but the King is specially desirous that his you shall perfect his accont, ami the visit to Paris has accordingly been arranged. The services of ail eminent professor, M. Kscolfior, have been secured for the Prince's French studies. Mr. Hansell, the Prince's tutor, will accompany his Rovnl Highness on the visit.

MILITANT CAMPAIGNS. Interesting evidence of tlio way in which window-smashing campaigns are arranged In- the militant Suffragists was given at Bow Street, when Mrs. l'anklmrsl, Mr. and Mrs. Pethiek Jjawrence. ami Mrs. Tuke wore again charged with conspiriicv. Lilian Hall, who is undergoing a. term of imprisonment at Holloway, stated that she was a member of a deputation to tho Prime Minister in November last. "I was told," she said, "at a meeting in Charing Cross Koad that I should prob : ablv be arrested, and it was essentia! that I should take chanties of/clothing with me. Previous to the window-smashing campaign 1 went to the Gardenia Restaurant in deference to instructions, and was asked if I was prepared for a long or short sentence, I said a short sentenco. A voting woman asked mo if I had 'brought anything,' and as I was without a hammer, one was given to me. I was advised to break a small pane of glass, and i. would not get more tliau seven days,"'' A COINER'S DEN,' At tho Central Criminal Court, Arthur Stevens, John Turiiei', and Lilian ]io.-o have boon sentenced respectively to iivo and fmir years' penal servitude and eighteen months' hard labour for coining 1J t counterfeit florins and 143 counterfeit shillings. It was stated that tho polico discovered an arsenal of coining implements in tlio house occupied by tho prisoners, near King's Cross. The vast store of implements included a galvanic battery, moulds, antimony, and plaster of paris. The polico also picked up n fully loaded revolver in the woman's room. There was also a ladle to remove the molten metal, two spoons to mix tho plaster of paris, a file to file the edges pj tho coins, and a box containing cyamdo of potissium, which was used in connection with the battery. On the window ledge by the side of Turner's bed was found a revolver. It was in such a position that if anyone had entered all the accused would have had to do was to put out his hand and get the weapon. ill DEATHS FROM STARVATION. The latest, annual return of deaths from starvation just issued shows that in 1010 there were HI cases in which coroner*' juries in England and Wales leturned verdicts of "Death from starvation'' and "Death accelerated by privation." Among Ilio victims were: An ex-schoolmaster and banking clerk, a short hand writer, a provision merchant, a commercial clerk, a law writer's clerk. a former accountant, a chemist, a clergyman's sister. In eightyfive cases no application had been made for poor relief, or application was only made just More death. One woman said that she would lather die in tho gutter than go (o I lie workliouso inlinnary. Another woman who was pres-ed by tho relieving olliier to go into the workhouso said that she would rather beg or die outside. lv.C. SUED FOB LIBEL. A new development in connection with the affairs of Mr. Horatio Dottoniloy, M.P., took place on Saturday afternoon, when writs were issued on behalf of Mr. iiottcmlev against Mr. Astbnry, lv.C., I l ' counsel who croaf-MMimned him for the Prudential Assurance Company, and against Mr. Arthur Sims, the junior counsel in the oa=e. The writs were in connection with an action tor alleged libel, arising out of the recent contempt of court proceedings brought against Jlr RMtnmlw. and are h»w«d on ifrtmn letters and interviews between counsel.

It is thought that this is tho'first tim# that a King's Counsel, or any other barrister, has been jwrsonally cited as a <lofendaut in any act inn arising out of a case lie has conducted on behiuf of others,

OXFORD'S MILLENARY. The millenary of Oxford ss to he eel* hralcd on July 51. Proceedings will probably begin with a service in lha cathedral, followed by n luncheon at which a large number of distinguished iiuests will lie present. An oration will l;o delivered in the gardens of .Now College by snmo famous person, and a procession will ho formed which will proceed to Worcester College gardens, where n pageant ol' Oxford will be given, treating of I lia c-arly history of the city. The scenes are to include the founding of the castle, the presentation to the people of Richard I, who was born in Beaumont Palace, Simon do Mnntfurt, and tiio "Provisions of Oxford," and the trial of Crannier. An exhibition of historical records and relies—in which, of course. Oxford is particularly rich—will also bo held. KIDNAPPED IN REGENT STREET. In the Divorce Court a dramatic story was told when the father of a kidnapped boy was granted an order agaiust Ins wifo for the possession of the child, when it could be found. The affidavit of tiio nurse stated that while she was with tiio younger child, a boy between four and live years of age, outside the Polytechnic, in Regent Street, a mail jumped out of a laxieab, caught hold of the child, and carried him into the cab, in which a woman was seated. The uurso said sho cried out, but no one came to her help. She jumped into the cab, but was thrust out by the occupants, who drove off. The mother of the child was stated on moro than one occasion 1© have threatened to remove tho child from the cure of the father, who had its custody under aa order of the Court.

KING EDWARD MEMORIAL. Tho model of the King Edward M*' morial to 1>« erectcd in tho Green Pork has been approved by the General Committee of tin. Fund. Tho memorial will take four years to erect and cost <£20,00.1. It is to be of Portland stone, 43 feet high surmounted by n bronze group representing St. George and the Dragon. Tiic lsglire of King Edward will face Buckingham Palace, and be supported by figures of "Peace" nnd "Arbitration quelling strife." After deducting the JE20,000 for the Green Park memorial, there remains come JE(57,G00 for the Shadwell Park memorial scheme. Au anonymous lady linn offered £25,(X10 if a similar sum call b» raised and tho Shadwell site—originally n fish market—is laid out as a park, wita a monument to the late King,

■ ,£4,000,000 REVENUE SURPLUS. The Exchequer receipts for that portion of tlio fmanci.nl year ended on March 23 were .£181,272,954. The estimated rcyenun for the year was .£181,(5*21,000, and lhi> whole of this amount has been collected therefore with the exception of .£348,040. As tliere was a week of 'he financial year to run lit Hie lime of the publication of these figure?, it will be seen that there should be a considerable excess of receipts over the estimate for the year ending to-morrow (Saturday, March 30), Hio last working day of the twelve-month. It is expected that the surplus will b« something like ,£4,000,000. ,£305,000 IN EIGHT DAYS. Another anonymous friend of London University has offered .£70,000 towards tho scheme to.TC-house the University on the site north of the British Museum. This gift brings the total subscribed, in eight days to ,£305,000. Tho other gifts tiro:—Anonymous, ,£100,000; Anonymous, ,£"5,000; Anonymous .£70,000 s, Drapers* Company, .£OO,OOO. ■In addition., the Duke of Bedford has given .C 25,000, and the Bedford trustees have volunteered to reduce tho price of the site by jKQ.OQi). Sir Francis' Trippel has undertaken to raise ,£1,000,000 to carry out. the scheme.