MAIL SUMMARY FOR Europe and America.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1903, Page 7

MAIL SUMMARY FOR Europe and America.

OUR HOME LETTER

AUCKLAND, July 29

Parliament has been largely occupied during .the past three weeks in debating the Address-in-Reply to' the Governor's speech, published in our last summary. As is usually the case in a new Parliament, members seized the first opportunity of airing their political views by way of justifying the trust reposed in them by their constituents, and the result is convincing on the point of there being very few '-'silent" members in the new House. Many new bills have been introduced. Among the Government measures is one which if it is passed will give the Governor-in-Couneil power to pass regulations dealing with foreign vessels plying between New Zealand ports, and requiring conformity to such regulations under pain of forfeiture. The question of preferential trade with the Mother Country has been frequently touched upon in the course of the debate, but no formal Parliamentary pronouncement has been made on the subject. It appears that the Premier is going steadily on with his project for the establishment of shops to retail New Zealand meat in England. Mr Cameron, the New Zealand Produce Commissioner, recently submitted to Parliament an estimate of the cost of fitting up,, working expenses, etc., for the carrying on of a depot for the sale of New Zealand meat on a large centre in England. The capital required for each depot would be £2000, of which £500 would be for tiling and fittings. £500 for a refrigerating plant, and £100 for one month's supply of meat, together with incidental expenses. The cost of conducting the business for the first year woulil be i £ 1900, including vailing, rent, wages, delivery, etc. The cost per 601b .sheep is given at £1, and, working on a low basis, the estimated receipts from each sheep of that w r eight would be £ 1 6/9 J. The "profit on a 351b lamb would vary from 6/2 to 3/3, according to season, allowing for reasonable sales. Mr Cameron calculates that the profits from mutton and lamb in the first year would be £1677, and from beef £520, leaving a net profit after expenses and contingencies of £137, or Cf per cent. For For the second year Mr Cameron estimates the profits at £2949, less expenses, £2600, leaving a net profit of £289; for the third year he thinks the profit would be £979, or 48 per cent, on the original capital. The Premier was interviewed by a deputation, who laid before him a scheme to float a company to retail New Zealand meat in London, making use of a new and improved defrosting process. They learned by. .cable,, however, that there "wa3 no prospect of floating the company while the Government scheme was talked about. If the Government's idea was only to advertise the colony's meat, the company would be glad to take on the Government shops when the advertisement was complete. The Premier,' in reply, said that the Government's proposal did not warrant any anxiety in the Old Land. ■ The alarm was amongst the people who had been making huge profits, and one company last year had made 50 per cent. Another company made 50 per cent., and another made £46,000. The Government were hot going to cut prices, but intended to ask Parliament to authorise them to advertise New Zealand meat by demonstration in parts outside London where no New Zealand meat was being sold at all. The Argentine had secured the wider area, and was even selling its meat in the provinces as New Zealand meat. If the private company would undertake the work he would undertake to say there would be no clashing. The" question was asked whether the Government would give way to the company. If the assurance went Home that the Government were going to do nothing antagonistic to the company, there would be no occasion for alarm. What guarantee, he asked, had the Government that this company would not go under, or. that it would not do what the other companies were doing? The Government would give it the same facilities in the way of grading and otherwise as it would afford to any other company in the London or other market, but he had to be careful not to say anything that might be used to help any company to float shares. In conclusion, he advised the to insert in their prospectus a condition that it should deal only in New Zealand meat. Mr Recce in thanking Mr Seddon on behalf of'the deputation for receiving the deputation, said that that condition would, be inserted.

A new era, in primary school education was inaugurated in Auckland on the 24th inst. by the formal opening of the three manual training schools which have been built by the Auckland Education Board within the bounds of the Greater Auckland city. A considerable amount of money has been expended upon the schools in question. . The Government grant for the. purpose was £2300, but the buildings have cost over £3000. No trouble seems to have been spared to give Auckland children the best possible opportunity in the branches of technical instruction taken up. In fact. Mr George, whose experience in such matters should carry conviction, declared that the equipment of these schools is better adapted for their purpose than that of any primary school under the' London School Board, or any similar institution in America, Switzerland, Germany or France. This is indeed high praise, and gives us reason to hope" that the apparently heavy expenditure on these objects, will produce some adequate return.

The New Zealand representative football team opened their Australian campaign on Saturday,- July 18th, when they defeated New South Wales by 12 points to nil. - The visitors had all the best of the game, and their display was in every respect superior to that of their opponents. The match was played in fine weather before a record attendance of 32,000 people. On the following .Wednesday the team played the

Western Unions at Bathurst, and Avon by the huge margin of 47 points to seven. The third match of the tour Avas played against New South Wales on Saturday last under conditions Avhich Avere very unfavourable to a good display of the game. The visitors left the field victors by three points (a penalty goal) to nil.

To show that the colony was as prosperous as ever, Sir Joseph Ward recently quoted the increases in revenue in the PosT and Telegraph Department for the June quarter of this year, compared with the corresponding quarter of last year. The increase, he said, was not confined to any particular. item or locality. The total increased receipts of the department would work out at about £50,000 per annum. The telegraph revenue from till sources had increased by £45G9, and the postal revenue by £ 7534. Stamp sales showed an actual increase of £8308. The telephope exchange receipts were £4182 more than for the June quarter of 1902, ordinary telegrams had increased in number by 55,560, and the increase in all codes, including bureau communications, equalled an annual increase of 557,53 G. It was a matter for surprise, continued the Postmaster-General, where the business came from. The general expansion of business was an unmistakable proof of the prosperity of the colony. This Avas further confirmed by the fact that the sum of £ 1,475,832 was deposited in the Savings Bank, and that the balance of deposits over withdrawals at the end of the quarter was £160,270. The million and three-quarter loan floated at the beginning of this year was referred to in the House of Representatives while the Imprest Supply Bill was under consideration. Mr Massey said it had been stated in the prep* that ■the Bank of New Zealand had to take up the. greater portion of the loan. The Premier gave this statement a most emphatic denial. There was, he said, no truth whatever in it. The Bank of New Zealand did not underwrite to the extent it was prepared to. Referring to the dotation of the loan, he said ha would have preferred to have seen a larger public subscription, but it would not have affected us if there had been i tremendous public subscription. As it was, we did very well indeed, and there, he thought, the matter should rest. Within twenty-four hours of the New Zealand Government's intimation that it desii'od to have the loan underwritten it was unclerwTitten, and that was sufficient proof of the credit of the colony. The adverse critic-ism wrongly levelled at Australia prevented a larger public subscription, besides which people were holding money back for the big three per cent, guaranteed Transvaal loan. A return of the loan, shows that the amount subscribed by the public was £ 665,000, at the average price of 94 per cent., the fixed price at which it was issued. The amount taken up by the underwriters was .-E535.000, the total amount received by the colony after paying all charges being £1,365,005 16/ S. The cost of raising the loan, inclusive of £00,000 difference between par and the price issued, was £131,995 13/11. The report of the registrar of old age pensions for last year shows on March 31, 1902, there were 12,776 pensioners on the books, representing a liability of £217,192. There were 1055 Maori pensioners. Twelve months later the total liability had fallen to £211,594, and the number of pensions in force was reduced to 12,481, and the average pension from £17to £16 19/. The number of new pensions granted last year was 1386, including 62 to Maoris. Five pensions cancelled in the previous year were reinstated. During the year 1656 pensions lapsed—lo64 by death, 198 by refusal of renewals, 278 by failure to apply for renewals, and 146 by cancellation. Among the Maori pensioners there were 103 deaths, 79 failures to apply, 3S refusals of renewals, and 11 cancellations. The net charge against the Old Age Pensions Act last year Avas £209,156 5/5. Instalments to the amount of £1667 10/2 remained unpaid on March 31, of which amount £1577 16/10 represents instalments absolutely forfeited. The cost of administering the Act last year Avas £3805 10/, of which £900 went in salaries.

Bank returns for the June quarter show assets £19,710,416; liabilities, £21,054,701; deposits, free, £8:937,545; fixed deposits, £8,809,064; advances, £13,210,352; coin and bullion in hand, £3,595,245; showing a considerable increase in notes in circulation, £1,501,247; deposits, in detail: Bank of NeAV- Zealand, £8,145.583; Union Bank, £2,562,----SSO; Bank of NeAV South Wales, £2,760,----751; Bank of. Australasia, £1,593,654; National Bank, £2,683,740.

The Auckland City Council has decided to abolish the Ward system, under which members of the council have hitherto been elected and money expended. This will necessitate a new election, but it is believed that the new system will afford advantages that will more than compensate for the inconvenience and expense involved in making the change. The American ship Emily Reed, from Hoba-rt, bound for Simon's Bay,' South Africa, put into Lyttelton in distress on July 13. A number of her crew, havingrefused duty, were put under arrest. They per contra charged the master of the vessel with assault. The latter charge was dismissed, and the men were convicted and discharged. A somewhat similar case occurred at Auckland, where a number of the crew of the American barque Mary L. Gushing, charged with disobedience, alleged that the vessel was unseaworthy. The vessel leaked after leaving Newcastle, coal laden, for Honolulu, and put into this port in distress. She was surveyed, unloaded of 1000 tons coal, and certain repairs ordered. It was subsequent to fhis that the ere-w struck work. The masristrate sent them to prison for a week.

News of the death of Pope Leo XTTT. was rpoeiv<*d with profound recrret by the Catholic community in AncW-ind nnd throughout the colony. The cathedrals were put in monrainsf, and Tneroorinl services held in the various fTmrcbfiS. - The Premier, on behalf of New Zealand. through Archbishop Redwood, transmitted condolences on the occasion of the Pope's death, and received an acknowledgment expressing srreat satisfaction by the Most Eminent "Fathers the Cardinals.

We have been favoured with a delightful musical treat by the young Russian pianist, Mark Hambourg, who gave no less than seven concerts in Auckland to crowded and .enthusiastic audiences. His playing was pronounced the most perfect ever heard in New Zealand, and his visit has given piano playing a great impetus among pur many students of that instrunieat.

Kawau Island, so well known owing to the late Sir George Grey having resided upon it, was sold by auction on the 17th inst. to Mr J; H." Fleming for £9500. It is understood' Mr Fleming was associated with a syndicate in the purchase. A meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was held on July 8 to discuss the question of preferential trade. The following resolution was carried: — "That this Chamber is of opinion that the time has come when the subject of preferential tariffs should be exhaustively • discussed, and if found likely to conduce to the Avelfare of Great Britain and her colonies, then the principle should be adopted." Statistics compiled by Mr George Dunnett, the local representative of the Oceanic Steamship Company, show that the expenditure of the San Francisco mail steamers., in New Zealand for the 15 mouths from January 1, 1902, to March 13, 1903, was £ 44,621 j whilst for the last twelve months ithe expenditure, was £35,697. As 17 trips are made per, year, this gives an average expenditure in the colony of £2028 4/6 per trip, as against the subsidy paid of less than £ 1.000 per voyage. This gives a monetary gain to the colony of more than £IS,OOO a year over the sxibsidy paid. The items of expenditure in New Zealand during the past 15 months are— Coal, £16,180; labour, £3830; stores, dues, transhipments, charges, and sundries, £24,561: total, £44.621.