ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 245, 14 October 1907, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

-(From Our Special correspondent)

J/ONDON, Sept. 6.

NEW ORDER? FOR BRAVERY.

If I am correctly informed, the miners of the Britsh Empire will presently be placed oa an equality with the soldiers andsailors of the King, and the savers - of life whom the Royal Humane Society delights to honour. For conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy, soldiers and sailors can look forward to the Victoria Cross, and the man who saves another from drowning may be rewarded by receiving the medal of the Royal Humane Society. Hitherto, however, there has been no recognised reward for the miner who has dared death to save his mates. The King, whilst in Wales some months ago, indicated, I understand, that it was ~__s desire to create an order of gallan-i try .for miners in Great Britain who dis- " played Conspicuous" bravery in their ef- : forts to save life in mining disasters. ~ An Australian gentleman, hearing of This ) wrote to his Majesty, humbly suggesting that all miners in the King's dominions should be eligible for the order,-and, I hear, his Majesty has ordered that it shall be so, and that a proclamation relating to the new order will appear in the " Gazette " shortly. I VENTILATION OF COLONIAL GRIEVANCES. _._._.. am informed that there is in process ■ ©f formation in England an " Overseas League," which has for its primary object the ventilation of colonial grievances against the Mother Country, as for instance the New Hebrides business, and the Newfoundland fisheries question. At present the League seems to lack the support- of men of eminence In "AngloAustralasian circles, but I am tola that " a very influential Australian gen 7 tleman — '" is to join the bo-ar_ after allotment, as it -were; that is to say his name will not be divulged until he is assured that the League has "caught on.'' "Personally, I should imagine that colonial grievances ] would stand a much better chance of . being redressed if they were left for discussion between the Governments concerned. The League may serve some . useful purpose if it.confines its. energies to eadeavouring to. educate the British. _• public to appreciate the colonial view of ..such Imperial. questions as the New .Hebrides Convention, and the matter a* . the .Newioundland fisheries. If, how-ever,-as seems probable; the leaguers will not be content to act as a merely educational body, and try to make their influence felt in official quarters, it is likely to do more harm than good. NAUTICAL SCHOLARSHIPS. The "Shipping Gazette" is officially informed that the London County Council have agreed to grant four scholarships for the next ocean training vpyage of the Port Jackson, the four-masted barque in which the Marine Society recently sent 100 Warspite lads on a- round voyage to Australia. In all probability | the Port Jackson, under the command of Captain Charles Maitland, will leave the Thames "at the beginning of October for -Sydney, and on this occasion 50 Warspite boys are to sail in her, again under an agreement between the Marine society and Messrs. Devitt and Moore.- the owners of the' ship". The London County Council will select the holders of these four nautical scholarships from the County of London. The scholarships are each, of the value of £ 25, and the boys will be indentured to the Marine Society for a period of two years. At the expiration of their train- . ing voyage in the Port Jackson, employ-.-ment will be found for them as ordinary : seamen or" other" merchant ships, and their wages will then probably be not less than £2 per month, apart from food and accommodation. Their apprenticeship will thus cover, not only .the time spent in the. Port Jackson, but some further 15 months, during which period the boys will be at sea in other vessels. WOOL BUYERS FOR AUSTRALIA. Considerable activity has been seen in Yorkshire wool houses during the past month, many buyers departing for their _nn_ai trip to the various selling centres of Australasia. The list of firms being directly represented in colonial, markets at the forthcoming sales is larger than ever. I append- a complete list of the firms-who-intend to operate in Australia, and New Zealand, along with their buying representatives, .Thich is published in the -current issue of the " British Australasian": — H. Dawson and Co. (Messrs. J. Giles, A. Lawrence and T. O. Price), W. and J. Whitehead (Mr. Roland Ive), dames Hill and Sons (Mr. Fred Hill), C.B. Lister and Bro. (Messrs.. F. Hepworth and lister Greenhough), G. and W. Townend (Mr. A. Lempriere), Ayr-on and Co. (Messrs. Hy. Ayrton, jnn_, Tr. Irving-and Thomas Reed), John ■ Smith and Sons, Ltd.-fMr. Harry Raper), W.C Gaunt (Mr. Fred Myers), T. Crosland (iir. Launcelot Crosland), J. Whittingham and Sons (Mr. W. Trifiit and Mr. J. Trifiit), A. Laycock and Co. (Mr. _. Nettleton),.Pickles and Rae (Messrs. Rae, Shaekleton, and -Ernest Laycock), James Holmes and Co. (Messrs. James Holmes and J. W.;Holmes),-Robert Jowett and Sons (Messrs. J. Poll-Td and J. Gibson), Thomas Hirst "and, Co. '(Mr. E. H. Beaumont), G. R. Heron and Sons, -Ltd. (Mr. J. W. : Drysdale), Ashworth ■•' and - Jowett (Mr.- Henry Jowettk R. Gaunt and Sons, John Reddiough (Mr. H.M. Pickles), Ferrand and Kelly (Mr. John Kelly), Alfred Gill and Co. (Mr. Victor Gill), J. Brooksbank and Co. (Mr. J. Brooksbank), James Tankard, Ltd. (Mr. Joseph Binns), Hollingrake and Clegg, Ltd. (Mr.'E-W. Lawrence),-F. A. Ackroyd and Co. (Messrs. J. Wilson and W. Hagas), Hicks, KettleweU and Co. (Mr. E. Ke-tlewell), Robinson and Bland (Mr. J. Bland), Leibreich and Beardsell (Mr. Arthur Crossley, Mr. J. Gill and Mr. R Anderson)., COLONIAL TOBACCOS. . A correspondence has appeared in several London newspapers expressing regret that colonial grown leaf tobacco was not more in evidence at the Tobacco Exhibition held at the Royal Horticul -Ural Hall, Westminster, last April. It i: true that the Government of Britisl Columbia had an important exhibit whicl excited much interest, but apart frpn this there was very little colonial-growi tobacco shown; The management of the Tobacco Inter national Exhibition have decided ii view of the obvious interest of the publii +_" _ti c rade -™- tobacco which'it i thought might be grown more extensivel- _ re Te v l - BntB ? 1 and in vii of the higher prices which have been _. n-nded for th. tobaccos conrin- from th Continent, which la_gdy sm ply this market, to encourage at- th _-ibit_-n to be held toward, the en fj**™** 190s ' &* display of coloni _ tea if toia-eo. *■-•'■.. . —<

With this object-in view, a few simple conditions have been drawn up, under ■which samples of colonial tobacco weighing about 41bs each will be received and properly described and shown at the Exhibition without any charge whatever to the grower. Full particulars and description must accompany each sample, and carriage must be paid by the exhibitor. The manager of the Exhibition will pay the duty, and the samples become his property after the Exhibition, unless otherwise arranged. His address is 2, Monument Station Buildings, London.

This is the first time that organised arrangements have been made to show in London, side by side, the tobaccos produced by our British colonies, and .it is hoped that it may lead to what are now comparatively unknown tobaccos finding an advantageous outlet in the London market. The samples will have the great advantage of the careful examination of a committee of experts who are leading London tobacco leaf merchants and manufacturers, competent to recognise not only the individual merit of the respective samples, but to also point out in what respect a particular sample is defective and to suggest | improvements.