the sovereignty
of the islands
would
un-
cdoubtedly
bave
passed
to tke
Fmperer
cf
Germany,
and
thkereby
the
satety
cos
American intercsts,
not only in the Cerib-
bean
sea.
but
the
Istkmus
of Prrema,
would have been
in jecpardy.
The
her-
bor
of St.
Themas
sffords
a
worderful
refuge
for shipping
of
all
kirds.
For
cepluries
it
wes
a pert
of call
for practi-
cally all vescels
ply’'rg ketween
ports
of
the
Urited
States
ard
thcse
of Scuth
Americz.
Milliors cf ters
of
ccal
were
transferred
frcm
the docks
at St
Thom-
s
to ccal-burrirg
stermers
in the Scuth
Americen
trece,
but
the
sulstitvtion
of
cil
for
coal
as
the
steam
naker,
tfe
World
War ard frequent
drecghts
heve
curtailc
¢ the getivities es the
‘slend.
The
‘alling «ff in the sugar
ircdustry
erd
the
corseq:
ent devletion have
set
the islands
tack.
In
1835
the
total
repulation
of
the
islinds
was
43,1798.
In
1917.
when
the first
American
census
waus
takern,
it
showec
a fallirgcff of more
than
forty
per
cent.
tne
total
being
in
that
year
©6.501.
Os these,
19,523
we e
reported
as
negroes,
4,F03
mixed,
1,92.! white ard
fortythree
of oiher color.
Cemmercial
Development.
The Virgin Islards
are primavily a mi'i-
taryv
aszet
to the
United States,
but tie
opportunity for
commercial
development
exists,
and when
the United States
gets
down
to business
other
than
the
investi-
gation
of oil
leases,
film fleht
problen:s
and similar affairs which
seem
to be
occu-
pying
the
entire
attention
cf
Congress
at present,
these
ielands
may
receive
the
sttenticn
to which they
are entitled,
The People
Desirous
In
the meantime
the people
there
are
praying
that this millennium
may
not be
long
delayed.
And it may
be
said
that
of the eighty odd
newspaper
editors
and
proprietors
who visited
the islands
with
Secretary
Denby’s party,
seventyiive per
cent,
of
these
cordially
endorse
the
prayer of the pzople of the Virgins.
TELEGRAMS.
ST.
CROIX STATION.
Paris.
April
4th.
The
Prince
of
Wales,
after
a 24 hour visit to Paris
left
vesterday
for Biarritz,
to the g¢rear
relief
of
the
secret
police
entrusted
with the
task of keeping
discreet
watch
cver the
cifety
of
the
royal
visitor
in
France.
"he
P1
rce fooled
detectives
:nd
repor-
~¢ rg yes: crday morning.
A huze
automo-
ble bes
ing the coat of arms ol the
Brit-
ich Em
assy remained
standing
in
front
o- his
i otel
until
poon.
As
the [Prince
Lad
no
appeared,
the
deteciives
were
nuch
weorried.
Afternovn
rewspapers
publish:
d
photographs
of
the
automc-
bile,
w th
the caption
"‘The
Prince
of
Wales
the latest
riser
in Paris.””
Ilean-
time he had escaped
through ti:e reareen-
trance
of the
hoteland
Innclied
demo-
cratical
y in amoedest
restaurant
near the
B culevards
with
a
formcr
interpretor
=7l
1| LUI
A&Vs
who
was &ttached
to
tne
Dritish
army
during the war.
-
Lublip, April 4:h-—f“tsidvnt
Cosgrave
arnoereed
yesterday
that Judee
Richard
Meredith,
Cerald Fitzgitbens
exmember
of the Dail for Trinity College, and
Pat-
rick
Megilligan,
now
Mivister of
Com-
"
merce
lLad
been
appointed
a
committee
i
of inquiry into
the recent
aimy
mutiny
and
would
be
assisted
Fy
Mr.
Daniel
Gorey,
reminated
by the Farmers
Party,
and
Major Rrvan Caoper,
selected
by the
Independent
Party.
The Labour
Party
.
refused
to
ncminate
a representative
on
.~
the
g¢rourd
that the committee
ought
to
.~
be
limited
to
members
of
the Dail
who,
"
through
the executive,
were
ultimatey
.
resporsible
for
the
army
department
.
against
which charges
of muddiing
and
"
inecmpeterce
have been
made.
Mr.
Ri-
chard
Mulcahy asked
that
the committee
take
evidence
urder
oath,
tut President
Cosgrave
said
that
no legal power
exist-
.
ed for
the committee
Jo take
sworn
evi-
dence
or compel
the
attendance
of wit-
nesses.
Mr. Mulehay
and several
other
"~
members
eomplained
of
the
‘'seandal-
|
ous’
trea‘ment
of
cfficers
who
had
|
served
the Free
State
againsi
the Irregu-
|
lars and
declared
that
the officers
would
.
refuse
to
attend
the
inguiry and
would
'
leave
the Government
to
extricate
itself
from the situation
as best
it could.
Paris,
April 4th.—For
the second
time
within 24
hours
M.
Poincare’s
Govern-
ment
was today
sustained
by
a
vote of
confidence
in the
Chamber
of Deputies,
327 t>2ol.
The
vote came
in the
course
'
of
a
discussion
of
the
Pensions
Bill,
"
which
caused
the
downfail
of
the
Pre-
mier's
previous cabinet
last
week.
Amid
scenes
of the greatest
agitation
the
new
Finance
Minister,
M.
Mars:ladopted
a
stand
exac'ly
similer
to
the
atiitude
taken
by
M.
Delasteyrie,
his
predeces-
sor
in the porifolio.
M
M rs:l
refused
to crwpromis-
in tha
tuce
ol last woek’s
adverse
vote
and
staked
the
uestion
of
conficer.ce
on
a matter
off dctail,
London,
April 4ih.—General
support
was given
1n the
Hoeuse
of
Commions
to-
~
day
to
Mrs.
Wintringhum’s
guardian-
'
ship
of
infants
bill,
whi*h
was
reada
second
time.
The bill provides
that
the
mother
of every
legitimate
infant
shall
be
a
guardian
jointlv with
the
father
and
have
equal
aurhority,
right
and
responsibilities.
Mrs. Wintringham
sires-
sed the present
unfair
position
of
mar-
ried
women,
compared
with
unmarried
mothers
or
wives
who
are
separated
from their hushands,
with respzcet
to the
custoedy of their children,
Buenos
Aires, Apri! 4th.—Two
Argen-
tine
navy
aviators
met
their
death
to-
day when
the
hydro aeroplane
in which
they
were
flying fell
into
the
bay
off
the
naval
aviators
school
at
Puerto
Belgrano.
London, April 4:h.-—This
Government
is
the
most
travelied
Ministry
Great
Britain
ever
possessed
declared
Mr.
Qydney
Webb,
President
of
the
Board
|
of Trada
at
an Austraiian
cathering
here
|
in
connection
with
the
British
Exhib:
|
tion.
"‘Six
onut
of
20
Ministers
have
|
been
in Australia,
Mr.
Webb
continued
|
and
not merely
as
tourists
either,
!
London,
April sth.—Cambridge
won
|
the
T77th
annual
boat
race
against
Ox-
'l
ford,
over the
four
and
a
quarter
mile
!
course
on
the
Thames
this
afternoon.
|
The race,
one of England’s
greatest
sport
|
classies,
was
witnessed
by
a
crowd of
{
move
than
one
hnodred
thousand
spect-
|
ators,
who lined both
sides
of
the
riv
r
|
from
Putney
to
Norilake.,
Cambridue
|
won by
11.2
lengths.
The
official
time
|
was
18 minutes
41
seeonds.
=
Corfa, April sth.—Snare
parts
neces-
|
sary
for the repair
to
the
world
girdling
|
plane
arrived
today
from
Lordon
and
|
Major MacLaren
announced
that
the
big
|
machine
would
be
ready
to
take
the
air
.
again
in
a few hours,
and
caid
be
hoped
to take off for Athens
either
today
cr
to-
|
morrow,
j
Scaitle,
W.N.
Apiil s’h.—The
United
.
States
Army world
fliers
were
returning
|
to the dock
at Sand Point
at
8.45
a.
n.
|
today,
after
attempting
2 start
over Laka
|
Washington.
It is reported
that
motur
|
trouble
had
been
enciuntered
and
that
i
the start
would
be
deluyed
temporarily.
|
l.ondon, April sth.—!peaking
at
Glas-
'
gow yesterday
§thie
Minmster
of
Heaiu,
-
Mr. John Weatley,jsaid
tha: if the
couu-
.
try had really been
startled
by such
pro-
|
posais
as
were
contained
in
the
reecent
.
evictions bill, *'Godjhelp
their
trarquili-
ty in the days
to come,”” for
when
a
la-
bonr majority appcared
in the
House
of
Commons,
it would
alter
the
whole
so-
cinl quesaon,
'
|
London,
Anvnril
sth.
Severe
ear
h-
|
quake
sheeks
occurred
last night
in the
.
D.rbyst
re
coalfi:lds and
in
the
neigh-
|
bourhoed
of Altreior,
Shoeks
were first
|
notced
at
about
11 o’clock and
weremore
|
wv.oent
than
any
of
those
experienced
|
e.rly
in March.
when
the earth
disturb
|
ances
werve first noti-ed.
Many buildings
|
were
shaken
and
windows
vibrated
loud
|
Iy.
308
o:cillations
were
accompanied
'
by dull uncanny
noises,
similar
to
those
!
proiuced
by heavy
icrries
running
in
a
|
quiet sireetoratrain
in a tunnel.
The
vi-
'
brations
were distivet'y t:lt in the
mires
‘
To the north
of Alfivton the
shoeks
were
equally
marked
and
the jeople
lan into
the
streets
in alarm,
Apparentiy
little
damage
was done,
althouph
shaking
of
sirata infthe colliery workings has caused
sume anxiety,
Port Sudan,
Egypt April sth The
Bri-
tish
submarine
K 6 hzs
blown
up
tle
steamer
I'ragestan,
ine
eotton
curgnof
which caught fire in the Ked Sea
«n
W.d
desday
morningz;
threateaing
the v s
of 1,200 passengers,
who; however.
were
taken off by vessels
summoned
by
wire-
less,
As the Fragestan
was seit
to the
boittom,
she
was still bizzing fiercely and
uitnsiely
would
have
been
a
total
wreck.