ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 295, 13 December 1899, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

rl (From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, November 3.

' At the quarterly comitia of the Eoyal College of Physicians, the following New Zealauders were amongst the students of the gentle art of medicine who, . having conformed to the bye-laws and regulations of- the College, were granted licences to practice physic: Dr. J. M. Beat tie of Otago, who has gone through his courses with great distinction at Edinburgh, Dr. William Robertson of Otago University, and Dr. E. H. Williams, who graduated at the New Zealand University. ' The success of Messrs Robertson and Williams should be "grateful and comforting" to the teaching staff of the Otago University medical school. Many people in New Zealand are too prone to run down their local institutions, but in the matter of medical education your local institutions are to -judge by the continued success of New Zealand students at Home fully up to the English standard. Take the case of Mr Robertson. He came Home in May, and in the month ensuing passed the second examination for M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., and he and an Anglo-Indian student actually headed the"list in the written examinations in Anatomy and Physiology. Four months later he passed his third and final, and was honoured by the examiners commendation for his midwifery paper. Dr. Williams of Dunedin, who also boasts the right to.add M.R.C.S., L.R.C.I". has only been in England a 'few months, and his success is due to the thorough training he received in the colony. Another fact which can be scheduled to the credit of the Otago schools professors is that though there were over 600 competitors in - the .-final examination, only thirty or forty went up for all three subjects, viz., medicine, surgery and midwifery, as did Messrs Robertson and Williams. The visual practice with London students is to take one or two of the subjects at a time, and so work to their degree in the course of nine or twelve months. Dr. Robertson is particularly anxious for me to give his old school all the credit for his success, "to do our school some justice and put an end to some of the croakers who are constantly decrying our College." I am very willing to do so, but the aforesaid professors will agree with me that in Mr Robertson they had a piece of excellent material to work upon. If all o-oes well Dr. Robertson intends to remain here another year in order to study matters connected with public health, his aim being the D.P.H.

THE COLONIES AND THE TRANSVAAL WAR. Touching upon the disappointing 'results, attending- the British operations at the opening stages of the Transvaal war the "Morning Post" • says that one aspect of the disappointing opening concerns the rela■tions between Great Britain and her colonies. "The colonies look to Great Britain for the lead in all Imperial matters, at least in policy and in war. The suspicion that Great Britain is inefficient in these matters is damaging to that position of leadership. The colonists have to do, not with intentions, but with results. They have seen the people of Great Britain determined that the British cause in South Africa should be upheld. But 'they see that, in spite of this determination, the Uitlanders have been driven out from the Transvaal, and in such a plight that a fund has had to be raised for their relief; in spite of this determination Natal is invaded, and the long arm of Great Britain seems to them slow to move. Por every delay and for every inefficiency the people of Great Britain are responsible to their kith and kin of the colonies. This responsibility ought just now .to be the subject of searchings of heart among all those at home whose patriotism and whose idea of the nation is as large as Greater Britain. Whatever may have -been lii-li-ertb the execution of the purpose, the purpose holds "to see .this thing through," as Lord Rosebery tersely put it in his admirable speech at Edinburgh." , ~ We are a very long way from the end of the Transvaal war, but already suggestions are being made by members of the public that in order to show how much England appreciates the practical sympathy shown by the colonies by sending troops to assist the Imperial force, arrangements should be made so that at the termination of hostilities the colonial con- • tingents may share in the "home coming that pays for all" before _returning to their qwn countries. The proposition seems to fit in with the ideas of "the man in the street,' and in all probability the Government will be quite willing to give us a chance of. publicly thanking the colonial volunteers. .- . THE AGENT-GENERAL. The statements made by the Wellington correspondent Of the "Adelaide Advertiser," that the Agent-General has arranged to retire from his position by December 31, and that he 'will probably make an early attempt to enter the House of * Commons, have been widely copied into the London papers. • . Says the "Sun":—Mr Reeves is a man of ambition, and his remarkable gifts and energy of character certainly •justify him in attempting to soar higher than a hum-drum office, in which his talents are practically running to waste. Perhaps he will try for a seat in the House of Commons, where he would no doubt soon come to the front." Mr Reeves has some time since been, "oft" to Philadelphia in the morning," so no information on the subject' was: obtainable directly from him, nor have 'the authorities at the office anything to communicate. .... . j It is, of course, an open .secret that Mr Reeves' ambitions for some time past, have been tending towards the J suffix of .M.P. rather than the prefix of j "Sir." Politics is essentially a game for the rich, in spite of all the j Acts for the prevention of corrupt and . illegal practices, and unless the Libera) j party can find a safe seat for Mr ReevesI fear that he will have a very up-hill fight before he finds himself in the ' coveted Chamber at Westminster. AtJ the same time, his services to the! Liberal party would be invaluable at j the present juncture, as the party is ; sadly in want of effective debaters and j platform speakers, such as Mr Reeves has already proved himself. I fear, however, that his opinions are somewhat ton Imperialistic for the great bulk of the party. Under the banner of the. small Rosebery phalanx his Imperial tendencies would find full scope, but he is somewhat in) advance of the ideas.of (he Bannerman-Morley-Harcourt comb' fcation. At the same

time I fancy that Mr Reeves has determined sooner or later to face, all the difficulties that lie in his path, and while relying on literature to- afford him a livelihood to make politics his ultimate profession. The Liberal party must by-and-bye have its innings, and some years hence I shall i not be surprised if in its Cabinet is ! found your present Agent-General.