OUR LONDON LETTER

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8349, 7 December 1892, Page 5

OUR LONDON LETTER

[jaOM 008 CO-USKSPONDKKT.] LONDON, October _&. Mr Perceval is still exercising himself over the butter question, and aa the matter is one of great interest to your agricultural readers I will just recapitulate how the matter stands. With all drawbacks the demand for the New Zealand article is likely to bo considerably greater in the coming season than was the case in the last. This is evidenced by the number of enquiries made at the Agent* General's office by retailers in various parts ot the country, who aro desirous of knowing how beat they can -entire a supply of the genuine article. Thi* Mr Perceval has put them in the way oi doing by giving them the names and addresses of some of the principal consignees. Your readers will remember that the Mar* gar ne Act has broken down in its practical woiking, and that until it can bo amended it will bo very difficult to pre rent the genuine article being iarj-ely swamped out of the market by the grease manuiactured out of foreign fats. The British Dairy Fanner.' Association aw busying themselves in obtaining an amend* ment of the Act, and in tho meantime thej are] doing what they can to put some backbone into the administration of the present one. It is, of course, obvious that the sal< of so much margarine on the market is quit* as prejudicial to the prospects of gonuin. New Zealand butter as it is tfl all other genuine descriptions. Mr Perceval is, therefore, taking all possible steps to assist in the auti-margarin. agitation. At first he proposed invoking th« assistance of the Board of Trade, but with* out a backing in the shape of amending legislation it is very difficult, for that body to intervene efficaciously. Mr Perceval has, therefore, deemed it best to co-operate an far as possible with the British Dairy* Farmers' Association, with a view to securing efficient legislation preventing the substitution of margarine foe butter in the forthcoming session oi Parliament. There can bo no doubt that* this ia the most prudent plan, as the Association are iv possession of a strong leverage, especially as regards influencing mem« bers of Parliament, to which no strangea could lay claim in the same degree. Aa futile case of New Zealand frozen meat tha New Zealand butter has to contend with the fact tbat it ia retailed under a variety of designations not its own. In thfr direction too Mr Perceval is working with the British Dairy Farmers' Asso< ciation, and though he does not believe that he will be able to induce tho English retailers to sell New Zealand butter aa New Zealand, he is in hopes that he will be able to get it put before the private" consumer as ** Colonial," which will at any rate be an instalment of what the Agent-! General is sanguine will be attainable at a later date. In the meantime it rests wit-.' your farmers to make the Now Zealand brand a brand of superiority and notf inferiority, as will be the case if carelessness supervenes on an increased demand. Mr Perceval is still very savage over tha co -duct of the British postal authorities in regard to the San Fraucisco mail service* H i has now had the matter re-opened for, the third time, and is striking out without the usual official gloves and foils. If with all the various weapons he ia bringing into, {day he does not reduce the St. Martin's-! e-Grand authorities to reason he will wipeoff the dust of his feet against them. fie claimed, and has I believe received, the somewhat mealy-mouthed support of <_ha Colonial Office, who cannot but appreciate that after helping to force the reduced postal rate upon New Zealand the colony is entitled to something rather different to the left-handed reciprocity which is embodied 1 in the refusal of the British Post Office to pay its full share of the outward ttfezuit rates across the Pacific Of course ("he offer of New South Wales to contribute some-** what ameliorates the matter from a -pecuniary point of view but it in no way molU*> ties Mr Perceval's indignation at the cheeseparing, anti-Imperial attitude assumed by the British postal aubhoritioß, an: attitude which cannot but affect the re_s-i tions between the colony and tha Moth-S! Country, in perhaps even more importon. matters, which may crop up hereafter. Mr Perceval has shown considerable tact in importing Sir Charles Tupper into the controversy. The latter has a good deal o& weight with the Imperial authorities, which' does not appertain to the separate representatives of non-federated Australasia. Canada has really a strong interest in the matter. The San Francisco route is only a makeshift until a fortnightly service cahtw arranged for via the Canadian Pacific route. If, as Mr Perceval points out, the San Francisco route has to be abandoned, ar* rangements will have to be entered into with say, the P. and O. Company for a connecting service with New Zealand, which it might not be so easy to cancel at ; the date when the Canadian Pacific routo becomes practicably feasible. This has naturally proved a strong argument with Sir Charles Tupper, who is put into the rather curious position of having to support the Canadian Pacific's deadliest rival h_ order to secure the Canadian Pacific's ultimate dominauce in the trans-Pacific traffic.

The New Zealand Agent-General is giving bold advertisement to his colony in other directions. l"ou know of his projected address to the students at the Working Men>'« College in Ocmoud street on the sth pro**. This will be a more practically useful di*.* liverance than hia Colonial Institute paper. All the more so that his remarks, though Carefully thought out, will be delivered «w----tempore. A free and easy conversational iddress of tbis kind is worth as much mora than a carefully prepared platitudinariajs haper, as a shakily, written pamphlet of; personal experience about a colony is than, that heavy style of treatise known and shunned as the "' Official Handbook."

This reminds one that a very admirable and very heavy specimen of the latter species of publication has just arrived here concerning New Zealand. It will tio doubt be a very useful book of reference, and one which no excusejs needed for briuging ouH at the Government expenses. To my mind, however, this class of Work, with its lists OJ gtovernors, premiers, member- of parliament, officials, and towns, is va*.ly. better fitted for local circulation than for'tlie perusal of * the would-be-cmigfant at Home. It in no way replaces the suggested 109 , page pamphlet whichliir Julius Vogel proposed to write for the.liovernment, with,the view of putting tho advautagos of New Zealand in a bright, unconventionat, and withal pithy, way before the enquiring * f ßxi* tisher/'

Mr Perceval's reply to the atrabilioui attack made upon New Zealand in th« Aagostjoamber of Mr A. J. Wilson's **Ih* voatoi;-' Review" is to appear iv the No* vember number, and will be looked for with keen interest by those iutereated in thopro* greas and fair fame of New Zealand. Whea Mr Perceval sent in his article he accord* panied it with a request that ho might be allowed to see sheet proofs. Not* hearing anything an to the proofs, he a few days ago Wrote again to Mr Wilson asking for them. In reply Mr Wilson stated that, aa he had only aeked for sheet proofs, he (Mr Wilson) imagined he wanted to make no alterations, and he had accordingly sent the article to presa. Mr Wilson added that he had struck out some "badinage,"but had left in all the abuse. It turns out, however, that the strongest passages assailing Mr Wilson's fairnesa and infallibility have been onxitted in the reply as printed. What Mr Perceval is specially annoyed at, however, is that as he haa had no proofs he has had no opportunity of reconsidering certain passages which he had expected to have an opportunity of revising in the proof. This puts him at a great disadvantage, and the fact should be known in case any allegation of Mr Perceval's may be found open to question either by friendly or unfriendly critics.

Mr Newnes has decided to start an opposition to the Pali Mall OazeUe, which has, aa you know, been sold over...to.the enemy by its late proprietor, Mr Yates _*hompson. I say sold over to the •*« enemy," bat despite all rumours to the contrary there is nothing in the leading articlea of the paper under the new management to jastofy the insinuation that its future policy is: to be Canaervative. The fact is no ono (except a very few who are in the swim) knows who the real proprietors now are. It will get out shortly, and then some of the quid nunc* will be amazed at the absolute baselessness of their ab*a_rdbr .s-©*»t"**»- ;-

assertions. It is said that Sir Charles Dilke haa had a hand in buying out the element which (following Mr Stead's lead) attacked him so mercilessly. More unlikely things have turned out to be true. The great ■ interest which the change has for -flew Zealand is that the new assistant editor (not to be confounded with sub-editor) is Mr H. B. Marriott Watson, son of the Rev. H. C. M. Watson, of Chvistcburch. The. author of "The Web of the Spider went into harness on Monday week last, and if matters were in his hands to manage as he liked, probably we should see something brilliant, although not, of course, on the old PaU Mall Gazette lines. The paper would certainly nob be so vulgar, and in that sense might lose in vigour under bis auspices. But the new proprietory are for the present controlling even the literary department, Mr Kinlock Cooke, Mr Watson's nominal superior, being as yet only "acting editor," so called apparently because he has not liberty to act at all. In any case he is not a man of auy original grasp, and it would be absurd to compare him aa a writer with a man of Marriott Watson's powers and promise. On the principle that a prophet has no honour in his own country, this may raise a smile in Christchurch, but it is true all the same, Mr Watson being the only emanation of Australia at all likely to take rank in time to come with such writers a. Rudyard Kipling, Barrie and Stevenson. Of course ho does not as yet occupy anything like the prominence oi aaiy ol the three named, but for all that I feel sure it will be his own fault or the fault of some unlucky accident if he does not take substantial rank amongst the chief writers of the day. Mr Kinloch Cooke has edited the English Illustrated ~ and the Sunday Observer. It is but natural that with the accession of the editor of the Unionist Observer, and of one oi the shining lights of the Tory National Observer, to the Pall Mall staff, in the two leading positions on the paper, the rumour should get abroad that the new £roprietary mean to make it Conservative, iut, as I have said, there is no sign of such a thing in the leading articles at present. I am told, however, to look forward for surprise.

It is, as you are doubtless aware, the intention of the great firm of publishers still known only by the Christian name and surname of their founder, the immortal *' John Murray," to publish early next year a •• Murray's Handbook "of New Zealand. It is being written by Professor F. W. Penhefather, of Adelaide, who was Private Secretary to Sir William Jervbis in New Zealand. A good deal of the matter is in type, and, as far as I can judge it Will be a very admirable condensation of everything about New Zealand that it is desirable that a tourist should know. Scenery will, of course, be a main topic, but the history, products, geology, natural history and sport of the colony will also be adequately treated, and there will in addition be a selection of tourist routes, such as those of the Union.Steamship Company, included. The maps will be numerous and complete, embracing not only a full delineation of the North and South Islands, but giving charts of the steamship routes, Sec Mr Brett's handbook is an admirable one, and there are other not despicable ones in' existence. But even if there were a thousand, there are still a most desirable Class of globe trotters and sightseers who, in regard to their peregrinations, will, like "Byron, be content with nothing but "my Murray." These handbooks are, in fact, a sort of bible of the 'wealthy class of English travellers, and 'being regarded as "standard,"are to be ' found on the shelves of every well-appointed 'library. It will be a real benefit to New 'Zealand to have a " Murray"published about It, as the sort of people who swear by these 'handbook- are just the class that the colony should seek to entice as investors. They are also the people who on their return will make their circles ring with the praises of the colony, unaer the idea common to all globe-trotters, that they have •* discovered " if :not annexed the last place they visited. There is nothing like a policy of self reliance, but I don't think *even Mr Ballance would object to have the i-esourceß qf New Zealand exploited at the expense of the foreigner. Thebigmeu, too, influence the small men, to whom New Zealand offers advantages superior to those of most British colonies. So impressed is Mr Mennell, who had made some way in preparing a handbook of his own, based on j xhe -publication known as "Maoriland," that he haa decided to abandon his own book"and to join forces with the "Murray," and he will write a special chapter on the Steamship Companies and their routes, besides'making other substantial contributions. Lord Onslow has kindly promised, at Mr Mennell's request, to revise the chapter on Sport and other features of the work which deal with: topics with which he is _a*x__iar. \ Sir Francis Dillon Bell's son, who has till now heen only a curate, has just received promotion, having been appointed by the .Bishop of Rochester to the incumbency of •Walworth. The salary is fair, so that in this respect the move is an improvement. "."Walworth is, however, one of the most .dingy and thickly populated of South London suburbs, and will not, I fancy, quite suit Sir Francis Bell, who is still tesiding with his son. I have not seen your : late Agent-General since his return, but I >*pi told that he has improved in health of we, and is looking more cheerful than he .has done since his wife's death. He still, hbwever, remains in the strictest seclusion. If young Mr Bell's heart is in his work — and I presume it must be, or the Bishop of Rochester would never have appointed him to the charge •—he will find plenty of scope in Walworth for his pastoral energy. The panshionexs are about the least churchy lot imaginable, and if they have any religious leaning, at all they mainly look for their eatisfaction at Spurgeon's Tabernacle. To. wean them trom mditference and nonconformity would need a giant's strength in an Anelican thepherd. D