ANGLO-COLONIAL. NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1902, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL. NOTES.

(From Our London Correspondent.}

LONDON, March 7.

■Messrs. Reynolds & Co. are publishing just now a large number of scrogs by Australian and New Zealand composers, including an album of so'hgs by Mr. Snowden Thomas, of Sydney, whose new setting of "If Doughty Deeds" is being much sung by Mr. Lempriere Pringle, six hush songs by Mr. H. A. Thomas, which Madame Belle Cole has been introducing to the public, "Shadows," by Mr. Alick Hill, of Wellington, and "The Sunbeam," by Mr. Victor Booth, of Oamaru, NewZealand. This firm in fact is making a specialty of colonial compositions..

I am glad to see from the "Grocer" that Mr. W. A. Ellis is sending direct to the Agent-Generals-office here 20 or 30 dozen of eggs treated by his sterilising process in special boxes, and is coming over himself to be present in April or May, when they are opened. •

A group of the New Zealand clema^ tis (C. indivisa) in pots was shown in good bloom at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society by Messrs. Paul & Sons, Waltham Cross. The "Field" says that the plant- is valuable in pots for conservatory decoration, and that its beautiful foliage is useful for bouquets' and sprays.

The City Corporation decided about the beginning of the year to spend £250 in printing 25,000 copies of the speech delivered by the Prince of Wales on the occasion of his "welcome home" by the City Fathers at the Guildhall on December sth, for circulation in the colonies. Testerday the Agents-General for the various colonfes received batches of 1000! These two sentences contain in themselves more mordant crlfTcism of the methods of the. City Corporation than one could pack into half a column. The production is in the shape of a pocket-bool? with double-paper cover, the outer one having the Prince of Wales' feathers and the City Arms printed in gold.- The printer is to be congratulated on the price he got; for the rest—well—shall we say "£250 wasted"?

Lectures on New Zealand hare been frequent the last few days. Mr Edward Wakefield discoursed to a large audience at the Imperial Institute on the colony's " Record and Destiny" last Monday. Last week Mr H. C. Cameron read a paper on the colony before the HarlesSen Fifty Club, which was so much, appreciated that he was pressed to repeat his lecture to a larger audience. Mr Herbert Jones also held forth a few days ago at Whitchurch, on the colony as the world's wonderland. At Bristol Mr W. H; Whittaker gave the local branch of the National Democratic^League a pro-Boer view of ifte. colony's' " people and pdsstics." A .picture of some of the New Zealand mounted riflemen led to the comment by Mr Whittaker that it was a pity that their ability as shots and riders had not been reserved for the protection of their own country! and that their despatch of New Zealand contingents would be regretted for many years to come in the colony. Mr Whittaker was as thoroughly in accord with his audience as hopelessly out of touch with New Zealand patriotism, for these sentiments were heartily applauded by the few " national democrats " present.

Mrs Reeves on Monday night gave an interesting lecture on_ the colony illustrated by limelight views in ihe Lewisham High Road Congregational Church to the local literary society.

Presiding1 at the annual meeting1 of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company ('Ltd.), last Tuesday, Sir Robert Herbert announced to the shareholders that the report was the best that had ever been submitted... The net profit for the yefar was £105,695, increased to £181,259 by the amount brought forward. This enabled them to make a total distribution of 20 per cent. for the year and to carry forward £91,619. The principal work done during the year was the completion of 15,000 knots of cable for the Eastern and Eastern Extension Companies, the 3rd communication between the Land's End and Australia. The Anglia's work in laying the cable was a record. There was no hitch, an average speed of 190 knots a day was maintained, and the vessel went through the deepest water in which a cable had ever been laid, 3500 fathoms in one place between Fr.emantle and the Cocos Island. This was the oreatest depth anywhere in the Pacific, in which would be laid the Pacific cable, on the construction of which their .factories were actively engaged. The Anglia would laj'; three shorter sections, Norfolk Island to Fiji, Norfolk Island to Queensland, and Queensland to New Zealand, by 30th June, and. the long section would be laid by the new boat, the Colonia, the finest and largest cable ship afloat. Sir Robert thought that the wireless telegraphy would have/a strictly limited field, and would not impair the use of submarine cables, for the longer distances, at all events, but Sir Robert and the other speakers protested just a little too much to reassure shareholders, and had to admit that the latest Marconi Experiments had had a serious temporary effect upon the shares of some of the cable companies.

At the conference convened last Tuesday by the United Empire Trade Leajfuej and presided over by Mr Jas. Lowther, M.F., the following- resolution "was proposed by Sir Howard Vincent, M.P., and carried unanimously—

This meeting urges upon His Majesty's Government and the Imperial Parliament that, from a financial, manufacturing and agricultural point of view, a thorough reconsideration of the existing fiscal system of the United Kingdom is essential before the presentation of the coming Budget, having regard to the constant growth of expenditure and the yearly increasing pressure of direct taxation. It further declares that the true direction of reform lies in the development of' commercial intercourse upon a preferential basis Between the various portions of the British Empire, and in giving a Cus-

tomg advantage in Great Britain and Ireland to all colonial products of onethird the duty levied, and thereby; following the noble example of Canada towards the Mother Country upon the removal of the restraining treaties by Lord Salisbury in 1898."

In his opening speech Mr Lowther, advocating, the inauguration of a reciprocal policy'with regard to the colonies, mentioned that he had had placed in his hands a letter from the Premier of New Zealand, who said; — "Once Imperial federation and unification is' accomplished the safety of the Empire, will be assured for all time. The ties of kindred are already very strong, and when amplified by the establishment of a preferential tariff, of British trade for the British people and independent self-help, there will be formed an unbreakable and everlasting' bond which will for ever unite and keep them in an indissoluble linls."

. "C.8." on. Wednesday waxed very sarcastic over Lord. Eosebery's new

"Liberal League," which he .compared to Mr Brodriek's paper army corps. The staffi officers of- both are already gazetted, but the troops are not yet in sights But the mobilisation is taking plage, for the committee of the Liberal Imperial League has expressed its unanimous opinion that the L.I.L. should cease to exist as a separate organisation, and has called a general meeting1 of the League for next Monday to consider the advisability of dissolving the L.I.L. and to enable those members who desire to do so to transfer their membership in the same to the Liberal League. Meanwhile, one of the "staff officers," Mr Asquith, to wit, has, in a letter to "dear Mr Scott," given his views of the plan of campaign of the new army. So fat as he urges the Liberal party to combine its efforts upon a few things weighty, urgent, and within reach, and while criticising the shortcomings of the Government, to urge the prosecution of the war with all possible vigour, his manifesto commends itself. But his attitude with regard to Home Rule is distinctly opportunist. His association with Mr' Gladstone's' attempt to disintegrate the Empire "will always be a cherished memory/ and the reason why he cuts Home Rule out of his programme is not because he is converted to Unionism, but because of the "rooted repugnance of the majority of the electors of Great Britain" to Home Rule. This policy affords some justification for Mr John Redmond's sarcastic reference to it as "the cult of the jumping cat," and his paraphrase of Pope:

"For truth and principle let fools contest: ■■ . ■ Expediency, not justice is the test."

Either Home Rule is good Or bad. If good and the Liberal Leaguers believe it so, they should attempt to convert the British electors. If they are convinced that it is a harmful policy then they should declare for Unionism. They "will never gain the confidence of tli£ constituencies if they fashion their creed on the cries of the electors.