National.

Sworn statements and other documentary evidence intended to support the charges made against the United States Steel Corporation by the American Federation of Labor, have been presented to Attorney-general Wickersham. The evidence follows the petition of the organization to President Taft, who referred the whole matter to the attornye-general. Aside from alleging that the Steel Corporation exists in restraint of commerce and trade, the federation's chief complaint is that it employs conditions unsatisfactory to organized labor and has used various means to prevent labor organizers from working among its employees. Part of the argument is an effort to show that the Steel Corporation exists in violation of the Sherman law and certain provisions of the Wilson tariff act. The corporation's ownership of coal and ore lands is said to be part of a monopoly; it is charged with having crushed transportation competition on the Great Lakes, and in some instances on the railways. Its acquisition of Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company is condemned.

Simultaneously with the returns of indictments against the National Packing Company and its subsidiary companies, charging violation of the anti-trust law, United States District Attorney Sims also filed a bill in equity, for dissolution of the alleged trust. The bill names not only the National Packing Company, but the Armour, Swift and Morris and other companies, and the individuals who dominate and control these concerns. It is apparent from the bill and the indictments that the Government regards the National Packing Company as the instrumentality through which, it is alleged, the packers have been evading the anti-trust law, and by means of which they have been making their combination effective. It is believed that if the National Packing Company is broken up. the alleged evils of this combination will be remedied.

The bill terminating the present lease of the fur seal killing company on the Pribiloff islands in the Pacific, and authorizing the secretary of commerce and labor to declare a closed season on the islands, has passed the Senate. The herd of seal had diminished from forty-five hundred thousand in 1867, when the United States acquired the islands, to fewer than one hundred thousand at the present time, and it is the opinion of experts that unless the seals are protected they will be entirely exterminated within two or three years. According to the lease, the holding company was allowed to kill fifteen thousand fur seals every year. These sold in the English market for about $465,000. The North America Company has been paying something over ten dollars for every seal it killed.

The commissioner of immigration has notified all the steamship lines entering New York that they must decidedly change their methods as far as the acceptance of immigrants is concerned. He states that since Jan. I more than thirty-five hundred aliens brought here by the various steamship lines have been returned as undesirable. That it is the fault of the immigrants themselves, it is distinctly asserted, is not true. Entirely honest in their intention to seek a livelihood in the United States, they are approached by the steamship agents in their native land, are told glowing tales of the wonders of America and brought here. Persons whom the agents know will not be admitted by the United States authorities are taken just as willingly as the desirable, and not the slightest care is used.

Tariff discussion is likely to break loose again in the Senate soon, owing to the determination of the "insurgents" who voted against the tariff bill to try to make the tariff board a real factor in the study of tariff questions. There is a conviction among them that the sentiment of the country demands that the protective duties be analyzed by experts, and the country, through a tariff board, be informed what industries apparently need high protection and what do not; and they believe that an impartial statement of facts with reference to the need of protection, as opposed to the demand for it by its chief beneficiaries, would result in a public clamor for certain reductions which Congress would not dare ignore.

The twenty-seven firms and individuals accused by the Government in its suit to dissolve the National Packing Company have been served with summonses directing them to appear in the court at Chicago in responde to the charges. At the same time the criminal case involving the National Packing Company and the ten constituent concerns which were indicted by the federal grand jury, was places on the calendar of Judge Landis of the federal court. It is said Judge Landis is undecided whether to sit in the case.

More material was taken out of the Culebra Cut at the Panama Canal last month than in any other February since ground was first broken for the canal. The total was 1,259,413 cubic yards. This bulk would represent a solid row of houses ninety feet deep, sixty feet high and a mile and one fifth in length. It would cover a forty-acre farm to the depth of nearly twenty feet.

A creditable representation by the United States at the international exposition at Buenos Aires this spring is assured by the action of Congress in deciding to appropriate seventyfive thousand dollars for the art exhibit and the live stock and agricultural show, and one hundred thousand dollars for the Fourth Fan-American Conference.

The Administration railroad bill, embodying many changes in the existing law and largely amended since its introduction in the House, has been ordered favorably reported by the House committee on interstate commerce.

The grand jury at Pittsburg, Pa., has returned indictments against forty former and present members of councils as the result of the confessions of Klein that many city government officials have been guilty of graft.

The Walter Baker Company has just distributed a bonus of thirty-two thousand dollars among the approximately eight hundred employees in its chocolate mills at Dorchester Lower Mills (Mass.).

The hulk of the ill-fated battle-ship Maine, sunk in the harbor of Havana in 1898, will be raised, if the Senate concurs with a bill just passed by the House.

Edward Payson Weston, the pedestrian, arrived at Peabody, Kan., March 18, nine days ahead of his schedule.

Ex-President Roosevelt is progressing leisurely down the Nile with his family and is being feted along the way.

It is expected the new census will show the population of the United States to be about ninety-one million.

International.

Premier Asquith has given notice in the House of Commons of three resolutions bearing on the veto power of the House of Lords. The first declares that it is expedient that the House of Lords be disabled by law from rejecting or amending a money bill, but that any such limitation shall not be taken to diminish or qualify the existing rights of the House of Commons. The second resolution declares that it is expedient that the powers of the House of Lords over bills other than money bills be restricted by law, so that any such bill which has passed the House of Commons in three successive sessions, and has been rejected by the House of Lords in each of these sessions, shall become a law without consent of the House of Lords, on royal assent being declared, provided that at least two years have elapsed between the date of the first introduction of the bill in the Commons and the date it passes the Commons for the third time. The third resolution proposes to limit the duration of each Parliament to five years.

The United States, Dutch and Danish consuls at Melbourne, Australia, have offered to assist in promoting the success of the Victorian cabinet's scheme whereby it is hoped that forty thousand settlers will be secured within two years. Cheap excursions are being arranged by the commonwealth ministry in order that farmers from those countries may have the opportunity of visiting Australia and of seeing for themselves the opportunities that await settlers there.

A commission appointed to inquire into the work of the education department in Italy has reported, and in consequence of the report and recommendations made, a bill has been presented to Parliament by the minister of education, whereby it is proposed that a committee should be appointed whose duty it would be to remove all the incompetent officials of that office.

The appointments of Sir Chen Tung Liang Cheng as minister at Berlin and of Wu Ting Fang as minister to France have been annouced. Both of these men have served as minister to the United States.

At the first of the year Sweden had one telephone for every 34 persons in that country, Germany one to every 71, Great Britain one for every 955, and Russia one for every 1,322.

Industrial and Commercial.

During 1909 south Jersey farmers distributed more than seventy-five hundred thousand dollars worth of produce over the New England states, the Middle West, and Canada. This is an unprecedented record of shipments for one year, and represents an increase of thirty-four per cent over 1908. It took 18,891 freight cars to transport this produce to the various markets—about one hundred and seventy-eight miles of cars, if made up in one train. To enable the farmer to market his products quickly and secure the most advantageous prices, special schedules were established and trains known as "preference freights" were run, making time only equaled by passenger trains.

The Cunarder Mauretania has just made the westward trip from Daunt's Rock to Ambrose Channel Lightship in 4 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes.

The mileage of the railroads of the world totals more than seventeen times the circumference of the world at the equator.