ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9594, 8 December 1896, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(from ock owjj corrrspont>hnt.) LONDON, October 31. Mr B. F. Wright seems to be making steady, if somewhat slow, progress toward a full recognition of the merits of hia phosphoric core for tubercular disease. Juat now much attention has been attracted to the alleged extensive dissemination of tuberculosis by means of infected milk. Accordingly, Mr Wright has addressed himself to some of the leading authorities connected with dairy farming. These seem inclined to view his theories and proposals very favourably. One of these authorities, Mr J. F. Lloyd, Consulting Chemist of the British Dairy Farmers' Association, is strongly impressed with -the desirableness of giving Mr Wright's system a thorough trial, and it will probably be taken up by the leading Dairy Associations. ' Dr. Voclcker, Consulting Chemist of the Royal Agricultural Society, another shining light in dairying agriculture, is favourable to an exhaustive test of the method, and has ottered to analyse for Mr Wright any soils on which cattle have grazed that proved to be tuberculous. Mr Wright is very confident that any such analysis will show phosphoric deficiency, whence, he maintains, the tendency to. tuberculous affections mainly arises. A letter was received to-day by Messrs Weddel and Co. from Mr John Cooke, who, writing from Port Said on his way back to the colony, states that on his way he carefully inspected the refrigerating stores at Gibraltar, Malta and Port Said, aud was well satisfied with their condition and general arrangements. He is very sanguine as to the prospects of the trade in frozen meat with the ieadiug Mediterranean ports. Mr J. A. of the Christchurch Meat Company, is actively engaged in an investigation into the causes of the extensive damage which has been sustained during the past year or two by frozen meat shipped from New Zealand. He is spending most of his time at the docks and enquiring minutely iuto all details, and I understand he is sanguine thai, on the completion of his researches, he will be able to -make some very valuable suggestions with the view to future preventive measures by which a recurrence of the mischief may be avoided. A very candid opinion was expressed to mc to-day by a prominent city financier upon that curious eccentricity the Imperial lustitute. " It Las always appeared to mc," ho said, " to be a sort of hybrid between Cremorne and Spurgeon's Tabernacle." At the Queen's Hall yesterday, Hen , Balling, who was recently well known in New Zealand, particularly in Nelson, as a prominent and able musician, gave a special recital for the purpose of introducing to English musicians the Bitter viola-aita. There was a numerous and appreciative audience, including many prominent British and foreign musicians ana musical critics. The work selected by Herr Balling for the introduction of the viola-alta was Rubinstein's fine Sonata in F Minor, Op. 63, in which he was associated with Mr Carl Weber, the pianist. The four movements of this beautiful and exacting work were admirably played by both executants and exhibited the new instrument to much effect. It was hardly heard to so much advantage in a Suite by Schumann—the last movement excepted—and in smaller pieces by Herr Balling himself and Herr Ritter. On the whole a highly favourable impression was produced. I had an opportunity of comparing opinions with several prominent English critics, and it was agreed that, from a "positive" viewpoint, the viola-alta had entirely established its claim to recognition, but that it was impossible to judge whether or not it were "relatively" superior to the ordinary viola,' without hearing it in association with other orchestral instruments. So far it produced upon us more the impression of a violoncello played as a viola, than as a wholly fresh instrument of the class; and at times there seemed a degree of harshness, or at any rate a lack of sweetness in the higher tones, particularly in the harmonics, but possibly greater familiarity might modify this view. The deeper tones were exceedingly sonorous and rich. Miss Lillie Large, of New, Zealand, was the principal vocalist at the concert. ': ; New Zealand is likely to obtain the ser°vices of an eminent expert . in mental diseases, and Dunedin is likely to have an able new medical superintendent of the Ashburn private asylum. When the vacancy occurred in this appointment, Dr. Alexander, the proprietor of the asylum, wrote to Dr. Clouston, the famous British specialist, asking him to recommend a suitable physician to fill the post. Dr. Clouston recommended Dr. Frank Hay, who is second in command at the Perth Asylum, and Dr. Hay came up to London a few days ago to see*about the matter. I expect that he will determine to go out to. New Zealand. The Agent-General lectured again on New Zealand last Sunday evening. On this occasion his lecture was delivered at the Robert Browning Hall. His lecture was illustrated by numerous limelight views. Mr Peck, of the Waitara Freezing Works, arrived in London recently with a new invention connected with the do-frosting of frozen meat. He is i! at* present in Lancashire. I understand he is in treaty with a possible purchaser of his patent. It is rumoured that Mr Peck has refused £10,000 for his patent rights, but I am not in a position to vouch for the truth of this.Owing to the sudden rise in the Bank rate and the relative scarcity of money in the market, New Zealand securities are again depressed. Threes, which recovered to par, are down again to 98£ ; 3£ per c&nts., after rising to 6, have fallen to 104. The experience of nearly all other colonial stocks has been similar, the depression in prices being due solely to the increased value of money. The following are the latest quotations tor New Zealand municipal and harbour stocks: — Auckland city sixes (1879), 130-133 ; fives, 117-120 ; Auckland harbour sixes, 110-112; do fives (1936), 1,14-116; Christchurch city sixes, 126-120; Lyttelton harbour sixes, 125-125; Dunedin city.3ixes (1875), 130-133; do (1876), 118-120; Otago harbour sixes (1877), 106-108; do (1881), 116-118; do fives, 104-106, , Notwithstanding the flourish of trumpets with which the company projected to work the Taranaki iromand was introduced to the capitalistic world, I am inclined to think now that the affair in reality never bad the slightest' chance of successful flotation. I heard a good deal about ..it- in the city today, in quarters I have every reason to believe to bo well informed. The fact seems to be that the scheme got into the hands' of, a very energetic and sanguine agent, who went into the affair with surprising vigour, and with a regurdlessnes*? of expense that was absolutely sublime. X am told that the bills for printing and advertising alone mount up tosomething like £8000 or £10,000. Statements were so confidently made aj. to the certainty of the thing proving a success, aud such skilful use was made of various engineering papers and other, technical journals of the Agent-General's office, of Mr 12. M. Smith's exhibition of Taranaki curiosities, and of the Iron and Steel Institute, before which Mr Smith read his paper on New Zealand ironsand, that most people believed the long-talked-of enterprise was at last about to become an accomplished fact. But in the end I believe the total sum that could be got to be subscribed, or promised, or guaranteed, amounted to £1100, instead of £300,000, and so the projected Company fell to the ground. ; " It really never had the ghost of a chance," said a city man to mc to-day, << although I confess at one time it did look as if it were likely to come off. But the more the experts went into the matter the less they liked it. You see what Mr Smith proposed was virtually, by mixing the sand with clay into a compost, to convert it into a sort of iron ore for smelting. Bat,, don't you see, the result of those operations -was merely to provide as a material to work on what we have already in unlimited quantities without the necessity of going through this preliminary operation of making the ore. When you have illimitable quantities of iron ore lying ready to hand in New Zealand, it must be obvious that no process can be profitable which involves preliminary construction of the ore itself before you begin to work at aIL This seems to mc to be a fatal weakness in the whole scheme at starting. , '. " And beside this," he continued, " how can it possibly pay to go in for iron works in New Zealand, where labour is M dear and where bo many difficulties exist in the way of establishing such an industry, while iron can be imported so cheaply from Great Britain. Iron is che&q m Onat Britain and

freights to New Zealand are low. It seems to mc, therefore, that for many years to come there is no reasonable hope of running iron works profitably in New Zealand. Of course that is only my opinion, and yon must take it for what it is worth, but at least I have given you my reasons for thinking so."