ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1900, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, February 16. DEATH OF MR EDWARD MARTIN.

I regret to announce the death of Mr Edward Martin, of Messrs Turnbull, Martin and Co., and Chairman of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency since the reconstruction in 1894.

So late as-23rd January Mr Martin presided over a board meeting of the latter Company and on the 29th he paid a short visit to London. A slight illness of a few days terminated in his sudden death, cause by failure of the heart's action, following an acute attack of indigestion. Mr Martin died in his 52nd year- at his residence, Brackley Lodge, Brackley, Northamptonshire, on Tuesday, 6th February, and the funeral took place on the following Saturday, at the Parish Church, Northamptonshire, and was .attended by many friends and business men, who travelled from London in a special train. Among them were the Dawes family, headed by Sir Edwyn, Mr Martin's father-in-law, Messrs Duncan Mackinnon, Chairman of the British India S.N. Co., W. Weddel and Charles Pliarazyn. Mr Martin who was the son of Mr Edward Martin, of Port Glasgow, and nephew of Mr Turnbull, of Turnbull and Salveson, shipowners of Glasgow, was himself a sjhrewd ifaard-neaded, determined .Scotchman. When Mr Salveson retired from the firm in 1873, Mr Martin was taken in as a partner, and the style of the firm changed to Turnbull, Martin and Co. Since Mr Turnbull's death in 1886 Mr Martin has been the sole partner, and has done much to develop both the business of his firm and Colonial industries. He has one of the pioneers of the frozen meat trade, and in 1884 had the Elderslie specially fitted with refrigerators for importing mutton from New Zealand. In fact it is owing to his initiative that Australasia has now such a large fleet of "tramps" available for the carriage of its produce to English markets. Mr Martin in connection with the Shipping Federation originated the idea of the benefits for seamen scheme.- He was a director of the Royal Exchange Assurance Company, and at the time of his death was working hard to place the "Loan and Mercantile" upon a sound basis. The busi-1 ness of his firm will be carried on as usual under the old style, but Mr Mar-' tin will be much missed in the city. COLONIAL BOKROWING. It is no secret that New South Wales has been in want of money for some time past, and as theissue of a new loan in the present state of affairs j was practically impossible, the Gov-.j eminent decided to issue Treasury \ bills to the tune of £1,000,000, bearing j interest at A. per cent. They, were of- j fered early in the present month, when there was some talk of the in- j troduction of a new Imperial loan, and when the position in Natal was causing considerable anxiety. Still they have been all placed at £99 10/, after £99 had been offered. As they will be paid off at par at the end of two years, the investment must be regarded as a ver# satisfactory one, since

the yield is 4^ per cent., while the colony is to be congratulated on the issue.

New Zealand has also come forward as a borrower, but only for a small amount, viz., £300,000. In this case also the money has been raised by an issue of Treasury bonds, bearing injterest.at 4 per cent. Like the New I South Wales bills these bonds have two years to run, but at the end of that period holders will have the opi tion of converting them into New Zealand 3 per cent, stock. No difficulty i was experienced in placing such a ! small amount, and as the outlook was decidedly more favourable at the time they were offered as much as £100 7/6 I was obtained. In some quarters it is said that they were placed at £100, ! and subsequently went to 7/6 premium. If Lord Roberts' initial success 'reporis of which came to hand yesterday, is followed by a decisive blow , upon the Free Staters in his path, the . money market will be ready for more i colonial treasury paper, A million pounds worth of two year four per cent, bills could probably be placed without much difficulty now on terms equally good as those obtained by Mr Reeves for his little lot. "reciprocity in medicine. The question of reciprocity between the Mother Countries and the I colony in medicine came up in the House of Commons the other daj r, when General Laurie asked the Un-der-Secretary for War whether, as ' Canadian troops, accompanied by : Canadian military surgeons and nurses were now serving at the front side by side with their comrades of i the British regular service, he would ] take steps to remove the legal prohibition which prevents these Canadian and other colonial military surgeons from rendering medical assistance to their British comrades. Mr Wyndham replied: "The Medical Act of' 1858 prohibits the appoiutment as army surgeon of a practitioner not registered in the United Kingdom, but it does not prevent a non-resident surgeon from rendering assistance ; under the orders of the medical staff. i The general question of reciprocity | with the colonies as regards medical ' qualifications is too broad for the War Office alone-to deal with." It was obviously too absurd to suggest that colonial surgeons were not I allowed to touch British soldiers, but why should not appointments as |Arm3 r surgeons be open to colonial medical practitioners? Mr Wyndham i proposes to give commissions in the ! army itself to the colonies; he might igo further and give appointments as army surgeons also to the colonies. But when we have done shouting "Imperialism" and "crimson thread 'of kinship" and set to work in earnest i the question of reciprocity in a I variety of professions, of which law iand medicine are the principal, should jbe dealt with in a liberal and statesj manlike fashion. Some definite I course of study and standard of cxi animation in every profession should be agreed upon by every part of the Empire, and a man who has become a lawyer or doctor in one part of the Empire ought to be able to practise his profession in any other part of it without having, as is too often the case, to go through the prescribed course of study and pass the prescribed examinations all over again. ROUGH RIDERS' FUNDS. A pleasing feature of the Bushmen's Fund subscription list is the appearance of the names of firms who have in the past received large orders from the,colony and are now by way of gratitude for past favours sending in their little lots for the bushmen. There are too a good many subscriptions from English sympathisers who have no ties in New Zealand. A striking example of practical sympathy is given by Mr Frederick Duncan, of Vienna, who subscribes £100.. In sending his subscription Mr Duncan expresses admiration for the colony's patriotic spirit in equipping and despatching so many contingents at its own expense. He writes "Although not a colonist, but an Englishman, I should like to give something if money is wanted. Colonial bushmen will be of better service down there than our regular troops, and the more we send the better. . • . These are the men to fight the Boers, and that is why I send you the en- , closed." Mr Duncan is also interesting his friends in the movement. The executive committee of the Australasian bushmen contingent fund have been in communication through the Imperial Government with the Australasian colonies as to the allocation of the money subscribed in Great Britain, and a meeting of the general committee will shortly be called to receive a report thereon. I understand that as soon as it was decided that the New Zealand bushmen's corps and fund should be separate from the Australian the Agent-General for New Zeajland protested against the use of the I term "Australasian" as misleading, I and calculated to attract to the "Aus-. jtralian" fund subscriptions that were intended by their donors for the New Zealand. As, however, the committee have retained the name "Australasian," I understand that Mr Reeves intends on. behalf of his colony to claim the allocation of a portion of the fund to New Zealand. THE PRODUCE TRADE. Mr M. C. Thomson, a director of the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company, leaves London next week by the Gothic. He is bound for an Australasian tour in the interests of his company. Recently Mr Thomson made an exhaustive investigation into the prospects of the direct trade between Australia and the Mersey ports. Both Manchester and Liverpool have now direct steamship connection with Australia, and Mr Thomson is going to see whether it is possible to induce your shippers to make a bold bid for the trade of the North of England. So far in spite of all that has been said and written no really serious attempt has jbeen made by Australasian producers 'to try conclusions with the Plate and i Yankee monopolists of the trade in imported food stuffs in the great northern centres of consumption. Probably the true reason is that they have no mercantile connections up north, all the Australasian commisj sion agents, brokers, colonial banks, ; and insurance companies being so to j speak peculiar to London. If, howj ever, Australasian exporters evidence ian intention of going for the Liverpool Manchester trade in real earnest lour London friends will not be long in establishing branches in those cities. The "Grocer" throws out a suggestion proffered by one of the firms interested that grocers should consider the advisability of participating in the Idistributdon of frozen meat.. "The trade" we are assured (saj;s the Grocer)

is easily conducted, and the profits are good. The expert trade knowledge required is so trifling- that any intelligent business man can acquire all that is necessary in a few days, and any able-bodied youth of 18 years or over can master the technicalities oS cutting up the carcases; there is no dirt and little or no waste. The large London providers have already proved ! their perspicacity by embarking in 'this trade with marked success, and such firms as the Army and Navy Stores, Civil Service Stores, Harrods, John Rose and Co., and Whiteleys, are ;all doing a large and increasing business, especially in Xew Zealand Canterbury mutton and lamb. In the provinces the instances of retail grocers taking up frozen meat, are very few, and many a grocer with the space to spare might do worse than to give the matter thought and consideration." THE CABLE LINES. i The Eastern Telegraph Company is never left alone for long nowadays. At a representative conference, held !the day before yesterday at Sir Ed-jwai-d Sassoon's, 25 Park Lane, the folIlowing resolution was passed: "That, jin the opinion of this conference, it is 'urgent that a Select Committee of the House of Commons, composed of business men, be appointed to inquire into the position of the cable companies communicating with our Eastern Colonies and Dependencies, especially in relation to the Imperial Government and the Indian Government; and that Sir Edward Sassoon, M.P., Sir John Long, M.P., Mr C. "Mac Arthur, M.P., and Mr Holland, M.P.j be appointed to wait upon the Chancellor of the Ex:chequer to ask the assistance of the i Government with this object in view.

THE ARMY AND COLONIAL TROOPS.

In the debate on the Array Estimates, Mr E. Robertson (M.P. for Dundee) raised a question as to the pay of Colonial troops, which he said he took it was to be a charge iipon the Imperial Government. The following colloquy then took place: — Sir C. Dilke: They are paid by the Colonial as well as by the Imperial Government.

Mr Wyndham: The understanding with the Canadian and Australian authorities is that we should give the men arms and ammunition,' pay them Imperial rates and bring them home.

Mr E. Robertson thought it was an unsatisfactory state of things that in two classes of soldiers doing the same service and of the same rank one should be paid more than the other.

Mr Wyndham: It is for the Governments of self-governing colonies to give the men what they please.

j In his second speech in the debate Mr Wyndham made the following general suggestion as to the right in fntjure of Colonial troops to play an active part in the work of the army. "As to ; the pay of the Colonial troops I do not \ think this is the moment for entering into considerations of that kind. ; (Cheers). Things are going very well. Nobody watches them with a more loving eye, if I may venture to say so, than myself, but we do feel that the success we have gained haa been largely due to the fact that we have not thrust over the offer the | colonies have made to' us, but have treated them in that spirit of the warmest acceptance which they deserve. (Cheers). We have not been urging our own suggestions and views jupon the colonies; we, wished to,.hear ;fr6rn them in the first instance. It I may be that the Colonial troops who j have fought side by side wjth the men | from Home may like in-the "future to i claim, if not some active share in the work of our army, still some recognised right to share in that work in j times of Imperial danger. I hope that may be so; but to discuss at this moment the different rates of pay that prevail in this or that part of Her | Majesty's dominions would not conjduce to but rather retard that consummation. TOMBSTONES IN WAITING. The "Spectator" writing apropos of recent events in the progress of the war—thanks be there does seem to be a reasonable, chance of some real British progress now that Lord Roberts has commenced work—says: "We desire to touch on a point which we wish to develop further and in more detail at a later period, but which even now may be usefullyl spoken of. It is the erection of a monument to the men of Canada, J Australia, New Zealand and South | Africa, and the other British coloi nies and possessions, who have fallen !in the defence of the Empire. There must be placed in the heart of London, and on the best site that can be found, cost what it may, a monument voted' by Parliament, on which our greatest artists in marble and in metal shall j lavish all their skill. It must be a i monument so beautiful and so conI spicuous that no colonist who visits the cradle of the race shall be able to miss seeing it, and to feel his blood ! stirred by what it records, while every Englishman, Scotchman and Irishman who passes it by shall recall what the daughter lands have done for their mother in her need. Whether the designer will make a pedestal with four side figures of New Zealand, Canada, Australia and South Africa at each angle, we shall not presume even to i canvass; but there ought at any rate to be an inscription in three languagea telling how, why, by whom, and for ' whom the monument was erected. The inscription should record the names of those, who died to help the Empire and to defend the principles of freedom, and above those names might be written; 'We. could- not have loved the Empire and the Motherland so well, loved we not freedom more.' 'Pro patria, pro imperio, pro libertate,' that must be the essential note of the monument to our colonists which shall recall in London for all time how the Motherland feels when the daughter states gather round her."

The "Spectator" means well, but it is surely rather premature to be talking of monuments. It is no doubt gratifying to our soldiers to know that if they perish a grateful empire will look after those they've left behind them, but I don't think the knowledge that Londoners are subscribing pence* to raise a glorified tombstone in their honour will have v particularly inspiriting effect on the colonials at tlTe front. It is indeed rather like waving the cypress bough over their heads instead of holding up the laurels of victory. The idea in verse (if you will pardon the parody) is something like this:

Onward, brave colonials, Bash the bloomin' Boer, We've got the tombstone ready If he knocks you o'er.