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June 26, 1886 The Record and Guide. 831 facturers in America, who have come to see the folly of protective tax¬ ation—which has caused the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives to reject Mr. Grosvenor's biU increasing fche tariff on wool. It was the Ohio demagogue demand in its customary form. The next step should be the repeal of all duties on raw wools.—Chicago Herald. The Mexican Treaty, It seems certain now that the adverse action of the Ways and Means Committee on the bill to execute the commercial treaty between the United States and Mexico will be a fatal impediment to the acceptance of the treaty. This is a matter of very serious regret in California. To us the Mexican treaty was a matter of more than ordinary importance. It seems to us that home industries would be benefited rather than injured by free commerce with Mexico. If liberal intercourse could be secured between the United States and Canada and Mexico, if the customs frontier could be aboUshed all over North America, there would be a great resulting gain. The mil- lermium would not immediately set in, but a perceptible step would be taken toward it. Under such conditions San Francisco would naturaUy become a great centre of trade for the Mexican States bordering our Southern frontier. We already sell machinery and mining supplies to Sonora, Durango and Chihuahua. We could, under proper commercial conditions, increase this traffic into miUions of dollars per annumi—San Erancisco Examiner. Canada's Troubles. Our Canadian neighbors, who wanted to conquer this country a few days ago, appeal" to have got into a financial mess, which is a bad basis to fighfc on. Their fcreasury estimate for the current fiscal year promises to show a deficit of $5,000,000. This is a pretty bad showing for a country whose total normal revenue, independent of loans, is only about $33,000,000. The fact is Canada has been following the bad example of the Australasian colonies and running into debfc in a wild way to build raihoads. Twenty years ago the total debt of the Dominion was about $90,000,000. It is now something over $250,000,000, and all there is to show for the increase is the Canadian Pacific, whose builders, like the builders of the Southern Pacific of Kentucky, have made vast fortunes. Canada is not quite as badly off as the Australasian colonies. In New Zealand the debts amounts to about $300 per head of tho population ; Victoria, with a population of a million, owes $150,000,000, and New South Wales, with about as many people, owes jusfc aboufc fche same money. But these colonies are being weighted down by the burden of their debts, and it seems a question between repudiation and depopulation. Canada has not reached that stage yet; but the interest charge on her debt is $2 per head of hei" people, while in this country the interest charge is only about eighty-seven cents. The difference is quite important. Railroads and public works are excellent things, and it is well, within certain limits, to mortgage the future to them ; but where the Umit is crossed it will always be found that Micawber's maxim applies to States as to individuals, and that debt means sutt'ering, sorrow, privation, misery and ruin.—San Francisco Chronicle. Pennsylvania Pig-iron at $9.50 per Ton. The sale of the Valentine iron ore banks to a syndicate of capitaUsts and the development of that property will give Centre county a trial for Tvhich its people have long been asking. The financial men of that locality have declared that pig-iron could be made there for $9.50 per ton, aud there seems to have been reason for the faith that was in them. Heretofore they have been handicapped by the restrictive policy of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which charged $3 for carrying a ton of iron from Centre county to New York, while at the same time it was carrying h"on from Richmond, Va., to New York for only 80 cents per ton. In the face of these discriminations no capitalists could be found who were willing to put their money into iron ventures in thafc localifcy; bufc, since a line has been surveyed frora the Beech Creek Road to Bellefonte, the possibility of obtaining competitive rates drew the afcfcenfcion of capi¬ fcaUsts to that territory with the result indicated. There is no reason why Centre county cannot successfully compete with the South in the produc¬ tion of cheap pig-iron. A famous English iron master who visited Belle¬ fonte a few years ago declared, affcer inspecting the ore banks near that town, thafc pig-iron could be made in Cenfcre county as cheaply as in the Cleveland district of England.—Philadelphia Record. Boston Building Associations. The annual meeting of the Workingmen's Co-operative Bank emphasizes the success of thafc means of encouraging saving. During fche hisfcory of these institutions in Boston and other towns its popularity has been shown by the active demand for shares and the rapid growth of the workingmen's homes in the neighborhood of the banks. The three largesfc banks in this city, the Pioneer, the Homestead and the Workingmen's, claim to have sus¬ tained but one loss in nine years, during which they have assisted the buflding of flve hundred small houses in the suburban towns. As in the West, the strikes and labor troubles have had no effecfc in diminishing fche operafcions of the banks, since they loan money on small contracts and prin¬ cipally in suburban disti-icts. In Philadelphia, where the system had its origin and has its mosfc perfect development, ifc is called fche system of " build¬ ing associations," and has produced theunusualnumber of small, neat houses which have given to Philadelphia the enviable title of the city of homes. The plan has been simplified in Boston, bufc it retains the main feature of loaning money to shareholders only for building purposes. An exceUent requirement compels the bon-ower to pay off' his loan steadily by monthly paymenfcs. The banks have been so pcpular in Massachusetfcs, wherever they have been started, that careful restriction is neccessary in is.suing shares and giving loans. A cautious limitation is advised to aU institutions of the sort, in order to maintain the 6 or 7 per cent, interest on the invesfc¬ menfcs and to be certain of security. The experience in many places encom-ages this form of cultivating thrift. Although the buflding associa¬ tions are not so essential to Boston, where exceUent saving banks abound, as in other places, thoy are entitled to respect m their object of encom'aging workingmen to own their homes.—Boston Journal. Chinese Railways. Ifc is said thafc Mr. Denby, the United States Minister to China, has had a conference with a prominent Chinese official on the subject of Chinese rail¬ ways. It is also reported that Mr. Denby said thafc American capifcalists were prepared fco underfcake the construction of a complete system of rail¬ ways lor fche Empire of China, and thereby reUeve the Chinese government of the burden of building the roads. It ii not probable that the Chinese governinent would give any association of foreign capitalists permission to build such a railway system without placing such conditions upon the grant as would make it undesirable. But China is in great need of raflways, and ifc is probable that within a few years it wiU take some steps toward building a system which would be enfcirely under the control of the government. To connect all the parts of the Chinese Empire with raflways would involve the expenditure of an enormous sum of money. The Empire has an area equal to about half thafc of the United States, and in this country there are more than 120,000 miles of railways. The greatest part of this enormous mileage is confined to one-half the area of the country. Ifc is probable that seventy-five years ago the means of internal communication in the Chinese Empire were better than in any other parfc of the world of equal area. tJoramimication was then, as it is now, maintained chiefly by means of the Vers and the canals. But, although much has been said and written in jL/x-aise of the canals of China, they are in many respects very defective. They fall far short of meeting the commercial necessities of a country which is, like the Unifced Sfcafces, covered with railways. China has not improved during the past seventy-five years, except as it has received the beneficial influence of communication with foreigners. If a system of rail¬ ways were built in China connecting all parts of the Empire with Pekin and with the important seaports it would add wonderfully to fche develop- menfc of fche counfcry. Ifc mighfc be fchoughfc fchafc with so enormous a popula¬ tion as that which China possesses there would be Uttle room for tbe develop¬ ment of ifcs natural resources. One might well think tbat the industry and ingenuity of the people woifld long ago have developed those resources to almost the highest point. Bufc such is not the case. Until within a few years by far the greater part of the coal used by foreign steamers trading at Chinese ports was broughfc from foreign countries, notwifchsfcanding there are in China extensive deposits of coal. Along the banks of the Yangste the inhabitants cut reeds for fuel, although 200 mfles back from the river there are extensive deposits of coal which are almosfc, if nofc enfcirely, unfcouched by miners. The reason of this is found in a large degree in the expense of transporting coal. Such a country unquestionably needs rail¬ ways. If it were covered with railways so that the products of the interior could be brought fco the coast, China would soon become one of the greatest commeraial nations on the globe.—Denver Tribune-Republican. Unifying the Railroad Gauge, A few days ago there was quietly accomplished a reform that is important out of all proportion to the attention that it has attracted. The raflroads of tho South changed their gauge to make it conform with the " Standard gauge " in general use afc the North. On nearly all roads in the States south of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, the tracks were five feet apart. Tbe accepted gauge of the North, West, and Southwest is 4 feet Sj^ inches. The Pennsylvania road's gauge is a half inch wider, namely, 4 feet and 9 inches; but this differs so slightly from the ''standard" a"? nofc to prevent the transfer of rolUng stock from one to the other. Ifc is, to be accurate, this Pennsylvania gauge of 4 feet and 9 inches that the Southern roads have adopted and are now using. Arrangements were perfected whereby the alterations could be made simultaneously, on the last day of May and first of June, along the fifteen thousand mfles of five-foot track. The cost of the change involved, of course, very much more than the shifting of one rail for the entire trackage. The alfceration of rolUng stock was much the larger item. But this had been in process gradually for several months, and the new order of things went into effect easily and without embarrass¬ ment. The continent of North America has now practicaUy one railroad gauge. The old broad gauge (six feet) has gon'e wholly out of fashion, although some New England roads, we believe, still retain it. The Erie line abandoned ifc in 1878, and the Atlantic & Great Western narrowed to standard in 1880. Canada used the broad gauge and several others until about 1873, when a movemenfc in favor of uniformity set in and the standard width is now used by every road of importance. The Mexican roads, excepting the Mexican National, are of the four-foot eighfc-and-a-half-inch gauge. According fco fche census of 1880, 77.7 per cenfc. of the track of the country at that time was of " standard" and "Penn¬ sylvania" gauge, while 11.4 was of the Southern five-foot gauge, now alfcered. The remaining 10 per cenfc. consisted of six-foot broad gauge and three-foot narrow gauge roads. Since 1880 the tendency has been to alter both these widths to standard. The narrow gauge roads have generally proved disappointing. The Denver & Rio Grande is the only important narrow gauge road that remains, and its excuse is the mountainous character of the counfcry it traverses. The Texas & St. Louis is to widen its narrow gauge mileage, as is also the Toledo, Cincinnati & Sfc. Louis. Perhaps 95 per cent, of the railroad mUeage of North America is now of uniform gauge. The commercial benefits that wfll result from the change of gauge this month by all the Southern roads are to be estimated very highlv. The reform is another step, and a great one, in the obliteration ot the sectional Une. Por, as a matter of fact, difference of gauge has been a serious barrier to traffic between the North and the South. Ifc has nofc only hampered the easy interchange of commodities, but ifc has infcerfered with fche making of those "through" arrangements which so greatly facilitate and stimulate the passenger business. Its peculiarity of railroad gauge has helped to isolate the secfcion south of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi. The change will aid in the development of the Southeastern Stafces, and wfll be of general advantage fco fche country.—Minneapolis Tribune. In selecting Hon. Roswell P. Flower as a member of the electric subway commission no mistake was made. The gentleman is devoting himself to the duties imposed upon him with a singleness of purpose which presages success. He has just returned to New York from Chicago whero he examined tha wires underground, and he says the work is satisfactory and the wiras work better than they did above ground. The wires are in tubes three feet below the surface, with frequent manholes for making repairs, bufc the cost of repairing is very slight. If wires can be operated underground, and it would be foUy to say that they cannofc, why should fche sfcreefcs of Buffalo be cumbered by the network which interferes with business and seriously impaus the efficiency of the fire department ? On the assembling of the Legislature nexfc winfcer Ifc will be fche firsfc duty of the representatives of this city to secui-e the passage of a law which will compel aU telegraph, telephone and electric Ughfc companies to put their wires below the surface. —Buffalo Times. Ever since flat houses have become popular in this city there has been a feeling upon the part of owners thafc tenants who numbered among their household goods dogs were objectionable. This feaUng has extended, and now an up-town owner advertises for smaU respectable famiUes, with no oats, dogs nor bummers. Superior inducements are held oufc by a flafc house in Brooklyn, " The Crifcerion," where fcenanfcs can secure aparfcmenfcs fiu- nighed or unfurnished or only carpefced. The furniture is said to ba silk plash, the carpets of velvefc and fche matfcreasea of hair. Real Estate Department. Considering the imfavorable weather the week's business afc fche Real Estate Exchange has been fairly good, the time of year being taken into account. Most of the week's transactions was in suburban property, and the mosfc imporfcanfc cifcy property thafc was sold was under foreclosure. There was bufc Ufcfcle doing on Monday at the Real Estate Exchange. Only two foreclosure sales, a two-story brick store and dwelling No. 61 Sheriff streefc and a three-sfcory brick fcenemenfc on rear, on which $11,543 was due, brought $9,600. August C. Hassey, the plaintiff, was the purchaser. It has since been resold for $8,500 to WflUam Laue. The foreclosure sale of No. 74 Maiden lane, upon which $38,764 was due, was adjourned sine die. The largest transaction on Tuesday was the foreclosure sale of the ten- sfcory brick and sfcone aparfcmenfc house, known as the '' Strathmore." The amount due on ifc and fche adjoining properfcy was $149,000. The sale atfcracted many prominenfc invesfcors. Ifc was sold for $125,500 to Morris B. Baw for Walter S. Hobarfc, of California. The same gentleman recently