While this great International Congress succession will revert back to the Duke of j has been working, the cause of women's Connaught's son, and in the event of his aufftage in England has, however, received Tine failing, the renunciation of the Prince the greatest blow that has been dealt to it of Wales on behalf of himself and his, for many a year. To-day the Queen is descendants will be so far modified as to Teceiting at Windsor a hundred and fifty of permit of a descendant of the Duke of the delegates to the Conference. Last night the House of Commons adopted by a 4 i majority of 69 the Lords' amendment to BY-ELECTIONS, the London Municipalities Bill denying Fresh disasters have befallen the Go-. women the right of election as Aldermen vernment in the series of by-elections or Councillors of the new local governing through which we are passing. At Oldham, bodies among which London is to be where we have had the very unusual divided. This is not merely a refusal to occurrence of a double by-election, two; extend the civil rights of women, it is an Radicals have replaced two Conservative, actual deprivation of rights which they winning the seats with majorities of 1,300 already possessed, for they could be, and to 1,500, the largest obtained there since in many cases were, elected to serve on the Conservative debacle of 1880. Al-' the vestries which the new municipalithough both Conservative candidates ex- ties will replace. Mr. Courtney proposed pressed their disapproval of the Tithe Rates ' a compromise by which the Councillor-Bill just introduced by the Government of ships only, and not the Aldermancies, should which they offered themselves as sup- be open to women. But the House would ters, I do not think there can be much hare none of it. It was bent on reversing doubt that the unpopularity of this mea- the yote which it gave before the Bill went up to the Lords. Tt was not made a party question. Indeed, as I mentioned last week, the leaders of the two great parties in both Houses ave on the women's side. But it will not make the Government popular with the women, since it would have needed very little pressure from Lord Sslishury and Me. Balfour to obtain a different result, And there is a very large section of voters who are opposed to the reduction of women into Imperial polities but yet believe that municipal work offers and proper field for their Inbour.
'THE TEA CRISIS, The resolution of the importers of Indian and Ceylon teas to abolish the one-pound draft has produced a veritable crisis in the tea trade. For some days past no sales have been effected, and on Tuesday at a meeting at which practically all the great wholesale tea-dealers were represented it was unanimously resolved to buy no Indian or Ceylon tea at all until the 17th inst, when the importers' resolution is to come into force, and none after that except on present sue conditions, Unless the importers give way, or the dealers consent to compromise, itis expected that the crisis anew impetus to the China tea trade.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.