National.

The traveling public will be interested in the decision of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in New York in a suit brought by a passenger against the Pullman Company. The plaintiff purchased a ticket for a double lower berth in the sleeping-car from San Antonio, Texas, to Jersey City. When he reached New Orleans, where he had to change cars, he was informed that there was no lower berth for him, and he was obliged to ride in an ordinary coach for two days and a half. Under the charge of the trial judge he recovered a verdict for the eight dollars which he had paid for the lower berth which had not been accorded him. The Apellate Court ordered a new trial on the ground that the plaintiff was entitled to something more than the price of his ticket, which was not an adequate compensation for the discomfort and inconvenience suffered by him.

The Criminal Code of New York makes it a penal offence for any employer of labor to "coerce or compel any person or persons, employe or employes, laborer or mechanic, to enter into an agreement, either written or verbal, from such person, persons, employe, laborer, or mechanic, not to join or become a member of any labor organization, as a condition of such person or persons securing employment or continuing in the employment of any such person or persons, employer or employers." The Appellate Division of the Superme Court in the District of New York has unanimously held that this provision is unconstitutional. This is in accordance with a long line of decisions to the general effect that the Legislature can limit the private right of contract only so far as may be neces sary to protect public health, public morals, or the public welfare.

The following inscription will be placed on the large bronze tablet for the new general store building at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in which the Peace Conference was held; "In this building, at the initiative of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, was held the Peace Conference between the envoys of Russia and Japan, and September 5, 1905, at 3.47 P.M., was signed the Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the war between the two empires."

The negotiations that have been in progress at Caracas, looking to a settlement of issues between the Bermudez Asphalt Company and the Venezuelan Government, have completely failed. The Secretary has accordingly called upon Mr. Calhoun, the President's special commissioner, for his report upon that controversy as the basis for immediate action on the part of the department.

The systematic collection of meteorological observations from vessels at sea by means of wireless telegraphy, and the simultaneous issuance of weather forecasts and storm warnings to these vessels, based upon observations thus collected, is the latest work upon which the United States Weather Bureau has entered.

The postal authorities are now considering the question whether mail should be divided into two classes, one including letters and daily papers to go at maximum speed, the daily papers to go at maximum speed, the other including magazines, circulars, books, and merchandise to go at a slower and less expensive speed.

The Carnegie Pension Fund has been increased from ten million dollars to fifteen million dollars. From the benefit of the first sum teachers in sectarian and State-aided institutions were to be excluded. That restriction is now removed.

All matters relating to the Panama Canal and the government of the Canal Zone and the management of the Panama Railroad are being investigated by the Senate Committee on Interoceanic Canals.

The parcels post brought packages estimated as worth four million dollars from Europe to New York's revenue officials in one week recently, most of which of which were Christmas gifts.

The Charlestown Navy Yard received from the Glacier, one of the vessels convoying the drydock Dewey to the Philippines, a wireless message covering a distance of 875 miles.

Some one proposes that the navy be made partially self-supporting by utilizing the vessels as freight carriers to the limit of their practicability for that purpose.

The President last week submitted to Congress the annual report of the Isthmian Canal Commission.

Foreign.

The Russian budget statement for 1906 shows that it will be necessary to raise $240,500,000 by credit operations to balance the estimated receipts and expenditures. The latter include $202,500,000 for the liquidation of the expenses of the troops in the Far East, and the reduction of the army to a peace footing. For the first time the total cost of the war, $1,050,000,000, is revealed.

The Prussian appropriation bill allots $36,250,000 for great harbor works at Emden, which port will be brought into connection with the coal and iron district by the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The purpose is to create a seaport that shall rival Amsterdam.

The General Assembly of the members of the Royal Academy in London has elected Augustus Saint Gaudens, the American sculptor, and Joseph Israels, the Dutch painter, foreign members of the Academy.

It is understood that thirty thousand freight cars have either been ordered or will be ordered by the several State-owned railroad systems of Germany.

The failure of Venezuela in meeting expectations in recognizing the French Charge d'Affaires is likely to lead to energetic action by the Republic.

It is announced that King Edward will attend the Olympian games at Athens in the spring.

Industrial and Commercial.

The following statement is made in England's foremost metallurgical journal, the Iron and Coal Trades Review: "We would seem to be within little more than half a century of an absolute iron famine. ... This fact raises problems of serious consequence to the world's iron industry and to the outlook of civilization itself." According to that publication it has been computed that from the beginning "up to the end of 1904 the world's consumption of iron ores had aggregated 1,110,000,000 tons," whereas "the total computed consumption of iron ores in the past would only be equal to eleven years' consumption, at the rate of to-day, and that rate is not only rapidly increasing, but is likely to continue to increase at an accelerated pace." "In any case," it says, "it is clear that the next fifty years will witness more or less revolutionary changes in the conditions of the world's iron ore supply, and within the next ten years those conditions may become profoundly modified."

Twelve per cent of the average flow of the Niagara River, says the Boston Transcript, passes over the American Fall, yet ten power-developing companies have been given authority to utilize thirty-five per cent of the effective power of the entire volume. Five of these companies are exercising their franchises, and others are preparing to follow, yet the public gains nothing from those concessions of almost priceless value. The franchises are given away so that neither directly nor indirectly do the taxpayers of the State benefit one penny's worth, while privileges worth many millions are enjoyed with no return by a few corporations.

Swift & Co. are planning to build large packing plants in Argentina, and will devote to this purpose a large part of the $15,000,000 additional capital stock authorized at the annual meeting. It is said that the branching out of the company has been made necessary because of the new German tariffs which go into effect in March. These tariffs will be prohibitory to the packing products of the United States, while Argentina is on Germany's free list.

It is reported that the Cudahy Pipe Line and Oil Refining Company of St. Louis will compete with the Standard Oil Company and will soon come into the Tennessee Valley with its line. Not less than five million dollars will be expended in this section of the South by this company. At present the company is completing a pipe line of four hundred miles in the West, and will develop other sections of the country as rapidly as possible.

Owing to the serious car shortage in the Northwest and Canada more than seventy million bushels of grain cannot at present be brought to market. Growers find it a great inconvenience, as they are not supplied with sufficient storage facilities.

The surface railways of New York City have been purchased by the capitalists who own the elevated and subway systems.

During the closing week of 1905 99,298 cases of shoes were shipped from Boston, which gave a total for 1905 of 5,100,038 cases.

The port of Baltimore imported goods to the value of $25,172,026 during 1905. The value of exported goods was $103,154,734.

A plan has been formed to merge the glucose companies with a capital of $30,000,000 preferred and $50,000,000 common stock.

The United States Steel Corporation will spend seven million dollars for improvements on the Homestead Steel Works.