Items of interest June 27, 1901 Issue

Items of Interest

A Manila press dispatch says that Prince Poniatowski, a San Franciscan, has secured from the Sultan of Sulu an absolute concession for fifty years, ending with the year 1950, of the island of Paragua. It is reported that the prince has formed a $10,000,000 company and is making plans for the most thorough exploitation of the timber, mining, rubber, and pearl industries of the island and the development of shipping. The scheme also embodies a plan for the building of roads and harbor improvements The representative of Prince Poniatowski in Manila, John Anthony, presented the documents to the Philippine Commission and asked for an indorsement of the plan. The question involves the agreement of General Bates with the sultan, and also the validity of the sultan's jurisdiction and authority, which occupied an uncertain status with Spain and afterward with the United States.

In consequence of the action of the American Government through a treasury order of March 9 last, applying tariff restrictions against Russian petroleum imported into this country, the Russian Minister of Finance, M. de Witte, has issued an order dated June 7th, imposing the high tariff rate of the Russian schedule on American white resin or califin, galapot, white resin, under article 82 of the Russian tariff law, and increasing the rate of American bicycles under article 173 of the Russian laws. This action is entirely apart from that taken in connection with the Russian sugar, and is a new development in the discriminatory duties imposed by this Government and the retaliatory duties imposed by Russia.

The London Daily Mail in an editorial advocates giving the United States every facility to construct the Nicaraguan Canal, providing its neutrality and an open door is guaranteed. "It is quite Immaterial," the article says, "whether the canal be fortified or not, because any enemy wishing to use the canal against the wishes of the United States would find herself engaged in a disastrous adventure. A ton of dynamite judiciously applied would bottle him up in Lake Nicaragua until the war was over." The article also urges the retention of Pauncefote in Washington till this and other questions are settled.

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