ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9602, 17 December 1896, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(from oor cor-rkspoudknt.) LONDON, November 6. That eccentric riot at the Imperial Institute last week seems to havo done more than anything else to open the public eyes as to the true character of the Institution under its existing regime,. And as to the utter tomfoolery and usalossness of its entire present system of management. There has been no response to the anxious enquiries as to the reason of Sir Somers Vine's retirement, and now refereuces aro heard to the circumstances in which certain animals forsake vessels. Neither has there been tho slightest response to the pointed request that a properly audited statement of accounts should be furnished. All this has a disagreeable look, and augurs badly for the future of the Imperial Institute.

It is no secret that a largo influx of new blood—golden blood—is imperatively necessary if the institution is to be carried on at all, and people seem chary of putting their hands into their pockets now they have learned that liberality in that direction does not carry with it a passport to the society of the Prineo of Wales and a personal introduction to H.R.H. Indeed, a good many cft-stwhile enthusiasts have been grievously cooled olf by their experience of last season when the fellows generally were rnthlessly shunted out of the way whenever their room was more desired than their companion the occasion of any special function, jusfc the very thing that they paid their subscription to have the opportunity of being present at. And so the discontent grows and spreads.

In this connection one writer in a weekly paper says : —" The curious Draper incident at the Imperial Institute on the 26th inst. is not likely to materially damage the interests or imperil the future of that enterprise. Nothing can now hurt the Imperial Institute; it has lost the capacity to suffer. The doad feel no pain. It would be rash to say that the Imperial Institute is the biggest failure on earth, because one recollects tho Armenian atrocities agitation, tho cab strike, and Mr Alfred Austin's poetry. But the Imperial Institute is a very, very big failure indeed. It's no use ; that's its only fault. Business men don't believe in it. Colonists don't need it. The music halls outrival it. Tho London County Council would condescend to occupy it if it were somewhere else. The Salvation Army would make it their headquarters if they were given the placo rent free."

The history of the Imperial Institute is very rudely summed up by ono paper as follows:—"Erected largely by the munificence of colonists who expected to get titles, but who * bust' before their turn came, it passed through an era of chicken and champagne, under tho tutelage of Sir Philip Cunlitfe Owen and Sir Somers Vino, two of the greatest exponents of that policy who ever lived. Finally Lord Herschell took the Institute in hand, believing that if ho made it a success tho Prince of Wales would proeuro for him tho Governor-Generalship of India or the Archbishopric of Canterbury, tho two objects of Lord Herschell's strange ambition. Then they gave the Institute a ' Promenade.' "

Certainly about the last place that a colonial visitor thinks of going to a second time is this name Imperial Institute, for his first visit always sends him away in a condition of abject and prolonged depression of spirit. Ordinarily it is one of the saddest and gloomiest wildernesses of stone and marble that "ever gave desponding people "the jumps." When it is lighted up and decked out for any special function—to which ordinary colonists can only obtain admission by special influence or heavy payments—the place looks gay enough, but at other times it is a veritable embodiment in costly marbles of the genuine " abomination of desolation."

Another British farmer has been opening his mouth in order to put) his foot into it by discoursing on colonial produce. This particular person is a certain Mr J. M. Fletcher, who says he is fifty years of age, and ten years a farmer, from which he apparently infers that he knows all about frozen meat. He stoutly declares that it contains neither grrfvy or nourishment. Now, in view of important 't-OBts mado-and- pub'E_ned*'*by 'the this, rather a rash thing to say/ It was as injudicious as it was rash, because it afforded an immediate opportunity, for those who knew better to arise and smite him in the eye, whilst at the same time giving a capital advertisement to New Zealand mutton. One gentleman, Mr F. Davys, writes as follows :—" All who have had any experience with tlie famous New Zealand mutton and lamb know that there is as much—probably more—gravy comes from a properly cooked Canterbury (New Zealand) leg of mutton on being cut as there is from a woll-fed English one * and as for its nourishing qualities, it has been proved by actual experiments {vide the Hospital), that a leg of tho' best Now Zealand mutton contains as much nourishment as an English ono of the same size ; • and what is more, does not lose so rritioh .weight in the process of . cooking.* Regarding lamb, Mr Fletcher says that 'New Zealand lamb is, of* course,, one-year-old mutton.' There boing just.the same difference between mutton and lamb 'in the colonies as in England, I cannot understand how a man, who considers himself a judge of meat, could make such a ridiculous statement. Having lived for ten years in New Zealand, and been engaged in farming there, I can speak of what I know, and can assure Mr Fletcher that lambs are no older when killed for the market in New Zealand than English one's are, but, if anything, a little younger. No doubt a large quantity of the best imported meat, is sold in some of our largest and best shops for prime English and at high prices ; but does not this prove that the imported article gives tho consumer as much satisfaction as the home product does? If it did nob do so, the practice would very soon die a natural death. It is its excellence that permits it of being palmed off as the best home-grown article." . A new company has been registered by Mr J. B..Purchase, 11 Queen Victoria street, to acquire the business carried on in New Zealand as S. R. Stedman and T. Boyd and Son respectively, as well as those carried on in Australia by the Austral Cycle Company Agency and W. Rider, Singer and Swift, as cycle agents. The new company is to be called the Austral Cycle Agency, Limited. Ib will have a capital of £110,000 in £1 shares, and will carry on the businesses of manufacturing and dealing in cycles, motor cars, carriagbs apd vehicles- of all L*.uds, and .component parts,-' , 1 ' r /dsia l yet* one more attempt being made to develop the potential wealth latent in Now * Zealand ironsand and cement materials. A gentleman interested, in these matters will probably leave for New Zealand by the next month's San Francisco mail, with the view of ascertaining for himself and. certain other gentlemen associated with him in the matter, what are the possibilities and probabilities in connection with these industries. He and his friends are strongly possessed with the idea that there is a promisiug field for operations in those directions, and he tells mc that there is abundant capital at their back if only they can be satisfied as to the remunerative prospects of the undertaking. Should this be so their intention is to enter extensively into both the iron and cement manufactures.

Remarking that the Australian colonists seem inclined to try the experiment of women's suffrage, and that it has already been tried with approval in New Zealand, the Spectator says:—"lb must be remembered, however, that neither in New Zealand nor in Victoria,-have the women the immense majority over men which they possess in this country." The Agent-General has written to the Live Stock Journal contradicting its allegation that there has been a decrease of 2,000,000 in the number of sheep in New "Zealand. Mr Reeves states that, allowing for tbe exceptional losses caused by the unprecedentedly severe winter .of 1896 (estimated at over 700,000), the decrease is only about 140,000. A colonial singer, who waa formerly efavourite in New Zealand, Miss Bertha Rossow, has been singing afc the 'Crystal Palace recently, and has won very -favourable opinions, although her voice has sufficient power for so large a concert hall. It seems, however, to be steadily «creaang iix volume, and it is thought she has a prom w! g S New Zealand athlete, formerly of tek«i« an active putt ia Voivenity football this

season. He played lately for Cambridge University against St. Thomas's Hospital, when his form was highly approved. Up scored a try for his side among other achievements during the match. He seem*- now ta feel little, if anything, of tho injury which crippled him for a time, but apparently i» happily restored to full bodily vigour. Tho Agont-General has been feu Bering from a severe chill, which was much aggravated by his coming into town in connection with tho outgoing San Francisco mail. Ho is booked for no fewer than five lectures on New Zealand, to be delivered within the next two months. They will mostly consist of chatty talks about tho colony, illustrated with limelight viowa. One, however, will deal exclusively with tho position of women in Now Zealand in relation to the establishment of the female franchise. This ho has consented to deliver to a feminine audience at ono of the halls in Kensington. Mr Reeves was rather reluctant to take up this question, but very strong pressure was brought to bear upon him, and so in the end he consented.