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TOPICAL ITEMS
THE AMERICAN COTTON MARKET.
American cotton, under the manipula-
tion of the speculators and short crop, is
being seemed to an extent that is caus-
ing uneasiness among the manufacturers,
both at home and abroad Many attempts
are being made to emancipate the
European manufacturers Russia is
raising cotton in Central Asia, Germany
is experimenting in West Africa, and
Great Britain is trying what she can do
in Ceylon The world's demand for cotton
goods is increasing so rapidly that
possibly now supplies of the raw material
will do no more than keep pace
with it This generation will not see
America deprived of its supremacy in
cotton raising It would be better in
many respects if the world were not so
dependent on america for cotton, because
the effect of high prices naturally due
to a short crop or of artificially high
prices due to the operation of speen a
tors are felt about as keenly at home as
abroad
The American Government Statistician
reports a shortage this year of 300,000
bales, with no desire to draw from Last
year he made an error of over 1,000,000
bales This- is the situation facing the
cotton industry at home and abroad
MR CARNEGIE'S OPINION
"Great Britain is going to lose South
Africa because the Dutch are increasing
and the British are not," said Mr Carnegie,
speaking in New York ' The
British he said, "could not make the
Kaffirs in South Africa work, and what
would Britain not give for nine million
men as placable and lovable as the ne
give? Ino negroes gave the United States
eleven million bales of cotton a year, and
a practical monopoly that ma! to the
United Stages po erful all over of
not Id Suppose Great Bri- tain sent her
fleets to attack America, it would amount
to nothing VII the President would
have to do would be to say Stop export-
ing cotton, and the war would end in
four days England cannot do without
our cotton "-' Central News "
A. NEW DISPUTE WITH CANADA
No now dispute over boundaries can
arise to disturb the peace of the United
States and Canada, but no sooner was
he Alaskan boundary question closed
than a fresh occasion for controversy
bobs up Canada for some years has
claimed sovereignty over the waters of
Hudson Bay having in area of 580 9000
square miles V bill is now before the
Dominion Parliament to change its name
to the Canadian Son, and to drive out
the New heads ord seamen, who, for sixty
years have been catching whales in the
Bay and riding with the nations who
live near seashores An means who have
been doing the of things uninterruptedly
for so long a time have come to believe
that they have vested rights which should
be expected and cannot understand why
they should not be allowed to catch
w cale-, seals, and walruses, and fish
where their fathers did The Dominion
Government have sent a naval vessel to
Hudson Bay to order the American whalers
out, but whether they will do so
without force remains to be seen, There
is alleged to be an -meneau side to the
controversy and the Dinged States will
not allow it to go by default simply be
cause Canada i pouting and resentful
over the Alaskan decision
THE WOBir~SPINSTEB "
The abolition of the word spinster, as
applied to unmarried women of all
ages is the sole object of a society which
has just been formed
It had its origin in a Bond street tea
shop where a party of five ladies discussed
the hated word, and resolved to form
themselves into a committee to device
some drastic means of stamping it out
It was at first suggested that an 'Anti
Spinster Crusaelu ' should be organised
This was however, abandoned on the
ground not to be and." anything was
an indication of crankcase
VU agreed that the term spinster" was
distinctly unfair if not absolutely libel
for" his elegant when compared with
unmarried ladies as old maids "Race
lor" was elegant when compared w -s
Spinster " it was contended And then
the promoter of the movement had a
brilliant inspiration 'Why not form a
Lady Bachelors' Club ?"" she asked
The ladies reasoned that such a club
would provide a kind of passive resistance
to the world they abhorred, and
that, in brief, it would be simply splendid
I"
The question of the club having been
decided it was resolved that its object
should be mainly to remove the word
spinster" from all dictionaries, and one
lately hinted that she had influence in
high quarters sufficient to prevent the
use of that horrible word upon census
returns and other official documents
The following general principles of
management were then agreed upon - "That
the members of the club shall
consist of girls who are not single by
reason of the fact that they have never
received a proposal girls who have never
had the opportunity of rejecting an offer
of marriage, and engage! girls
That when a member of the club is
married no fine be imposed
That such a bride should, however,
cease to be a member of the club
WOMEN AND BETTING.
The habit of betting among women of
the lower class is a comparatively ne i
vice, but it is one which has grown with
amazing rapidity especially in the towns
and villages of our industrial districts
and, indeed, no power of law seems to
avail much against the vice It is doubtful
if drunkenness is increasing among
our working people but there seems little
doubt that betting is That either or
both of these vices should be spreading
among women is a serious feature of national
life. It is fashionable to sneer
at the idea of having one standard of
virtue for men and another for women
but if we still hold the Lugli b idea that he
borne is the nur era of civic virtue
it must be admitted that the vices of
women have a more serious effect on national
character than those of men be-
one e they so much more deeply injure
the home Good men and noble women
may be reared in a home where the
father's faults give the more room for
the mother's viz dues bill very rarely do
they come from one that has. been degraded
or destroyed by the vices of a
mother undoubtedly the cause of the
development of both drinking and betting
among women or the working class
is the amount of wealth which our national
prosperity lies scattered among
people whose ideas even of pleasure are
not of a very high, order One would
fain see a better standard of life accompany
this prosperity and turn it to
higher uses but in this may not be the
thoughtful may find cause for consols
tion even in a temporary diminution of
national wealth "Hospital
MIDDLE AGE YOUTH
"A Merchant in the "Daily Hail -
"Every now and then we are told this is
the day of young men Nothing of the
kind Young men have a greater share
in administration than they formerly
bad, and they have justified it by the
combination of better scientific education
and of well directed energy they have
brought to bear on the work in hand
Put middle age stands in the supreme
places directing with an energy that i
astounding when compared with the
methods in vogue only a few year back
adapting itself with wonderful readiness
to the changed conditions of the time
Great businesses are well known in which
administration is shared by fathers and
sons- and strange as it may appear in
these days of the glorification of the
youngman, the bathers are more fruitful
in new ideas, more willing to forsake the
old paths, and to seek new thoroughfares
of trade than their sons *
Forty years have passed since Joseph
Jefferson America's leading actor, made
a prolonged and brilliantly successful
tour in Australia. It was indeed, in
Melbourne, Sydney, and the goldfields
cities that he made his first great hit' as
Big Un Winkle, which has ever since
been the leading character in his re
ported He has never re-crossed the
equator, although handsome offers for
another Australian tour have repeatedly
been submitted to him In reply to another
of these invitations, Mr Jefferson,
who is now in his 7th year has just
written -"I was four years in Australia,
and the kind reception given me by its
generous people and too dear friends I
made while in Melbourne and Sydney,
will never be forgot n by me Some
years ago I had an idea of returning,
but when I thought of the many friends
who had joined the great majority, and
how like a real Rip Van Winkle I should
feel on walking through the streets unknown
and forgotten, my heart failed
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