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eport of the Royal . Commission * + Investigating It. Cogrd "UA Gespatén from Oftawa says; The < ®eport of the Royal Commission, ap- imled to investigate the collapse « : Quebec bridge, has been presented fo. the Minister of Railways. The fimd- dngs of the commission clearly show shat the collapse was due not to any defect in material or construction, but 20 basie defect in the design, The gen- eral details of construction were work: ed out with (he greatest care and thor- oughness, but in proceeding onthe gen- eral formulae now adopted as stand. ards for bridge consiruction, the de signers in the mass of detail seem lo have lost sight of one great basic point, mamely, the making of 'proper provis- don for the maximum strain on 'the great ventral span across the river. In an undertaking greater {han ever be- dcre attempted in bridge construction dl appears that the engineers failed to recognize that the usual working for- dnulae as to weight and strain were not ~@pplicable without considerable modifi- cation in the present instance, The de sign was a beautiful one, and the de- dails of construction were worked out avith the finest care, according to the best principles of modern bridge-build- ing, but the weight of the great middle 5 . hy 7 A span was too great for the supporling members. : was found in any of the material sup- plied by the Phoenix Sombany That, in brief, is he conclus hich the commission has arrived. For he desl the chief engineer of the Phoenix Cempany was primarily responsible, his design being atierwards approved by Mr. Cooper, oonsuting en- ineer of the Quebec Bridge Company, ng recognized 'as aulherities on this continent in the matler of bridge con- struction, "After both hed passed on the design it was approved by the Gove ernment, In carrying oul the design, when once 'approved, the coi n, il is said, found no carelessness Or any reason for crilicism. That the defects of The present design can be remedied and the bridge finally constructed is now the opinion of the engineers. ? . The commission, of course, makes no Judicial finding as to the responsibility of the Government or of the Phoenix Bridge Company for the collapse be: yond the statements outlined above. Responsibility for {he financial loss in- volved, elc., will have to be settled later. ; i 80,000 LICENSES CUT OFF Mr. Asquith Introduces His Measure in the British House of Commons. A despatch from London says: The ccuniry has long been speculating on the Governments promised Licensing Bill, dealing with the liquor (rade, which Chancellir of the Exchequer As- quith introduced in the House of Com- fnons on Thursday afternoon. It was known {hat it would be a drastic tem- perance measure, but few if any expect ed such sweeping proposals as the Chancellor announced. If enacleed, the bill will reduce the existing licensed houses in England and Wales by one-third; in other words, it will abolish ebout thirty thousand Lars at which intoxicants are now sold. There will thus be one licensed house lo every 600 or 800 people in towns, counlry districts, compared with the present general average of one for every 870 inhabitants. Compensation will be given to those who are dispossessed, this being levied ®S now in certain cases upon the re- maining license years no compensation will when a license is laken away. The granling of all future new lHcen- 'ses will be the subject of local option, A poll being taken when demanded and a siraple majority to decide. A re- fusal to grant a new license will be re- gcindable only afler three years by an- clher poll. Public houses outside «* London will be allowed to keep Open cnly three hours on Sunday. With the view to preventing clubs from becoming virtually public houses, and evading the law, they are brought within the Act, and must renew their Tice annually. They must also sub- mit. to 'police inspection, There will @ No "exceplion, and :the law will be epplicable to the fashionable clubs in Pall Mall and St." James Stréet equally h the workmen's beer clubs. Justices of the peace will wholly act Hy as the Joensing uthorly, holders, but after 14 bé paid They One of the essential aims of the Act is the recovery by the State of pro- perty in licenses, which theoretically has always existed, but has been allow- ed to escape its control. Sef = AUTOS OFF COUNTY ROADS. Drastic Legislation is Proposed by Dr. _ Clapp, M. P, P. Anfi-automobile legislation is to 'be one of the features of the Legislature this session. Dr, Clapp, MP.P;, will bring down 'a bill giving counties power t= prohibit the use by automobiles of county roads during certain days of the week. - In order that the measure shall be most effective, Dr, Clapp suggests that the "close season" shall include Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The measure is the immediate result of an eight-foot-long petition on the subject from Brant township. Mr. P. H. Bowyer also has an auto- mobile bill before the Legislature. It provides that machines on meeting a funeral must turn down a side dhe or street or the Jriver be penalized by a fine of $10 or $15. Se Sse inienie: MONTREAL'S BAD STREETS, The Cartage Companies Threaten to Sue the City. A despatch from Mantreal says: It 's very probable thal actions will be taken against the city owing (0 the wretched condition of the streets. court, Manager of {he-Shedden Forward. ing 'Company, stated" on" Wednesday marning that his company had put up with Monireal's bad streets for many years and' that the directors were in favor. of sung the city for $20,000 dam- "are empowered order ] "en tively excluded from bats; to close bars | pa polling days, and to decide whéther shall be employed as barmaids. and one for every 400 or 500 in Mr, .E.-E. Bel] , hence the collapse. No flaw |. sion. at} ernment {0 appoint a Fren Judge for thai hes : The Grand Trunk will spend the n Joan of five' millions: in double-iracking the road and improving rolling stock. The Winnipeg. Grain' Exchange has been pracfically closed 'as a result of the new act of the Manitoba Legisia- ture. 7 v Rui Mr. J. J. Hill is reporied to be pre- paring io bufld 'a railway' parallel to ihe 'C.. P, -R, between Brandon and Calgary. Had ) A street car narrowly 'escaped 'being smashed by a locomotive at London, the train stopping within a few feet of the car. ' The Electrical Development Company has passed inte the control of Mr, Wil: .|liam Mackenzie end the Toronto Rail way 'interests. Ear Sherbroke Council has decided. to purchase the electric light and gs plant of the Sherbroke P, L. & H. €o. for $250,000, ret Rederick Nicholson, a cripple, was burried 'to death-at-High Bank, P. E. 1, bs 'his clothing = taking fire while 'he was cooking his dinner. : General Otter has been offered the command of the Fifth Infantry Brigade at Aldershot, but it is not thought that he will leave Canada. A A hill of gold, samples of which yield over $100 to the ton, has been discov- ered on Vancouver Island, B. C., by Waller Myles, an old Yukon miner, An order compelling electric head- lights on locomotives is being contem- plated -by the Railway ~ Commission, who have given the railways notice of the proposal. wi Mrs. Willlam Midwinter, a young wo man bf Hamilton, committed suicide on Saturday by swallowing carbolie acid. She left a note, directing hér hus- band to use her insurance money lo pay the rent. Son The silk flag sent by the 'public school pupils of New South Wales, as a gil to the public school pupils of Teo: Tonto was presented to the Royal A andra School 'by the Lieulenant-Ge ernor on Friday. iin, GREAT BRITAIN. There were 120 deaths from the grip in London last week. The women's- enfranchisement bill passed its first reading in the British House of Commons on Friday. The 'British army 'estimates for the | §5 year call for. $154,185,120. The navalls estimates amount to $161,597,800, 3 Scotland has had a real Dakola bliz-| zard. - Snowdrifls 'axe from ten to fits iéen féet deep, and railways are blocked, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman has) suffered a relapse and will probably 'ap pear in Parliament no more this sess sion, 7 N Representatives of (he employers and strikers' reached a provisional agree: ment looking 10. the settiement of the] shipbuilding strike on the Tyne. The introduction of 'Mr: Asquith's ii oensing bill has caused a shrinkage of $250,000,000 in the value of brewery shares offered on' lie London Stock Ex- cliange. i i 3 Large. quantifies it gorine are being sold i 'boys and three girls were born [sell A a Steubenville, Ohic, 'couple on. Fri-{ oq 3 ided a. case! ya "coin were fined $50 eachi- 3 New York 'and their verdict was set]