OUR HOME LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 1765, 19 September 1885, Page 13

OUR HOME LETTER.

London, July 31. FROZEN-MEAT TRADE.

The present state of the frozen-meat market is discouraging in the extreme. Never before has there been a more striking illustration of the necessity for some system in the regulation of the supply. During the month now closing very nearly 100,000 carcasses of frozen mutton from Australia and New Zealand have been shot into London, with the results that might be anticipated. Besides the two regular fortnightly direct steamers, the Opawa, Oamaru, Wellington, Elderslie, and Lady Jocelyn have brought in immense cargoes from New Zealand, and what with the weather, which has been almost semi-tropical in its severity, and unusual abundance of fish at an unusual lowness of price, and these untimely arrivals, the supply is utterly in excess of the demand. The price of mutton has reached fourpence per pound, and the sale even at that has been exceedingly slow. It is evident that much has yet to be done by producers and shippers before this trade is placed on a satisfactory footing. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that New Zealand mutton is continuing to win for itself popularity far and .wide in the provinces. I have just heard a little incident that will be of interest to those who anticipate high results in the future of the trade. A prominent medical practitioner in a cathedral town has stated to my informant that he uniformly prescribes New Zealand mutton to his patents, and that he finds they can use it with safety at an earlier stage in their convalescence than any other kind of flesh meat.

THE RAILWAY DELEGATES.

The mission of the West Coast railway delegates cannot be said to have reached the completion of its duties, but two of its members, Messrs Dodson and Fell, are leaving for the Colony by the direct steamer to-day. Mr Scott still remains to conduct the negotiations with the Government on the one hand, and with the syndicate on the other. With him, in the absence of his colleagues, are associated Mr A. Sclanders, of Austin Friars, and of Christchurch and Nelson; and Mr Arther Fell, brother of Mr Charles Y. Fell, the delegate who has returned to the Colony. Mr Scott is daily expecting a reply from the Government of the Colony as to the modifications in tho agreement proposed by the syndicate ; but should the arrangements fall through, I believe that would not create insuperable difficulties, inasmuch as there are other applications from capitalists capable of development. lam confident in saying that the delegates have created a very .favourable impression in financial circles respecting their proposals, and that they have done this in the face of a combination of most untoward circumstances has been a surprise to many friends who 'were pleased to predict that their efforts would 'be futile.

WELLINGTON AND MANAWATU RAILWAY.

The London directors of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company have promptly acted on the resolution arrived at a few weeks ago, and have announced the issue of £160,000 worth of 5 per cent, debentures. A filip ig given to the sale of the debentures by the announcement that the shareholders have taken up themselves the whole of the additional £40,000 capital called for, as well as £20,000 worth of the debentures, and there is little doubt that the favourable impression created by the company's refusal of what must be regarded as ** a handsome offer from the Government for their interests will lead to the balance of money required being promptly raised. EMIGRATION.

The great wave of feeling in favour of emigration as a means of relief from the evils of Overcrowded population, which is sweeping over the British Islands, is producing new schemes for facilitating the course of emigrants A deputation waited a few days ago on the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for the purpose of creating a. bureau of emigration, which might be available for providing to the people full and unbiassed information as to the actual condition of the several fields of emigration. The deputation consisted of delegates from a vast number of emigration societies which have recontly arisen, and was introduced by the Marquis of Lome,, who showed the evils resulting to emigrants themselves from incomplete information as to the position of affairs in the several Colonies. Colonel Stanley gave his approval to the movement, and undertook to brine: the matter before the Government. Among the modes of operation, it is proposed that information to emigrants from the central bureau should pass through the post-office free of cost AH this goes to show a tendency to, consolidate ia the great emigration movement, tho result of which will unquestionably have a powerful! bearing on the future o£ the Colonies

THE SAN, SitANCISCO SERVICE The possibly, approaching suspension of tho San jpjpaaefeoo mail service \mih an additional interest to the Canadian^cific railway, which is likely to play no vahnporfcant part in the future communication between EneW and the Colonies. !*» authoritatively announced that this hne of railway will be completed from the AUwttdo to the Pacific in March or April of nexb year, and steps- have been proceeding for some tune past with tb,& object of at once making ifc one of the great highways of the world. From thewestjam terminus wh»h is for the present at least to be at Port Mody, in Bernard Inlet, a ime of steamers will be at once laid on the .rente W Ti S£v\ a ?1. subse q«*% another lrae will to established having its terminus 1* the Australian Colonies, the susceptibilities of tho nval port of Victoria, m Vancouver's Isiand, being soothed by the calling of the out-, ward, and inward steamers at that place. Should the rociprocrty movement initiated by Victoria . esfco 1 throughout the British ColonS, anS fiscal pohoy of the Dominion b^mTmoveneighbourly than that of the Great Republic^ way fook for a considerable diversion? ooff f fide as >y3U satisfy the rather . assgnine anticiu

pations of its promoters; while patriotic sentiments will no doubt have their weight in directing travel along a line which passes only through territory covered by the flag of England. It is alleged that the supposition of its being a colder route, in consequence of its more northern latitude, is a mistake, the difference of latitude being more than compensated by the lower altitude at which the great mountain barriers ar.e passed. -From all these considerations the existence of this new route should not be ignored when the transPacific mail service is under consideration in the New Zealand Parliament, and considering the churlish indifference- which the Government of the United States has shown towards the An. 1--tralasian trade and the San Krancisco mail service, it would be a plucky anil a proper thing if New Zealand would (Vdare promptly and decisively for the Canadian route, and Iherr; is; reason for believing that the Government of the Dominion would be prepared to moot the Colonies half way, and bear a fair proportion of the costs of a service which could not be otherwise than of vast benefit to the Canadian provinces. At all events your Government has now competitors for your favours, and it will be unlike Sir Julius Vogel if his diplomacy is not equal to the occasion.

THE PANAMA CAXAL,

Whether the Panama Caual will ever superSede the trans-continental railroads as a mail route is a question that time and competition alone can solve, but it will b*e of none the less interest to know that, despite the carping critics, the latest reports of the progress of that stupendous undertaking are on the whole most satisfactory. The annual report of the company has just been presented to tho shareholders, and in it the great engineer reports his conviction that, from the stage progress has reached, the canal will be opened to the steamers of the world in the year 1888. The preliminary difficulties having been all successfully overcome, the output of excavation increases in volume every month, and M. De Lesseps affirms that half of the work necessary for cutting the isthmus has already been performed. The total cost of the work, when completed, will be, as now estimated, the nice little sum of £28,000,000 sterling.