ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9990, 21 March 1898, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, February 12. From the report of the directors of the National Mortgage Agenoy of New Zealand, which is to be presented at the twenty-second general meeting to be held in London on the 16th inst., I learn that, after paying all Home and colonial expenses, also interest on debentures, _c, making provision for bad And doubtful debts and writing off depreciation on plant and office furniture, the net profits amount to £10,293, which, together with £1666 brought forward, leaves a balance of £11,979 to dispose of. From this an interim dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum has already been paid, and it is proposed now to pay a further dividend at the same rate, free of income tax, carrying forward £2647 to next account. The company's business hail been somewhat affected by "the low prices ruling for colonial produce in this country, but trad .in the colony appears to be in a sound condition, and the recent rise in wool gives good hope for the current year. The directors state that they have every reason to be satisfied with the result of their connection with Levin and Co., Wellington, mentioned in the last report. It is remarked by the Echo that many English firms will very gladly welcome the slight step in the direction of the commercial unity of the Empire which has been taken by New Zealand in abolishing the objectionable tax of £50 upon commercial travellers. By the s.s. Rimutaka the Agent-General has forwarded to New Zealand six cases of salmon ova, obtained from the Scotch rivers Teith and Spey. The boxes contain 90,000 ova. A second shipment of ova will be desDatched by the s.s. Rangatira next week. Thfs lot will contain 70,000 Of the ova.

Several of the Loudon papers notice at some length the recent death of the famous Maori fighting chief, Wahanui. Mr D. G. Macßae, the managing director of the Financial Times, is about to pay a visit to New Zealand, and will leave England shortly. Mr A. H. Johnson has been selected by the Agent-General to go out to New Zealand in charge of the Signalling department of the Government railways of the colony. Mr Johnson has high recommendations, and possesses large knowledge and experience of the branch he is going out to manage. I may add that he married Miss Sykes, a" da lighter of one of the partners in tihe famous firm of manufacturers of railway signalling apparatus. So he is doubly connected with that phase of railway work. Mr and Mrs Johnson will leave England on the 26th instant for New Zealand, going by way of the United States.

According to current gossip in the West End Clubs, Lord Ranfurly, Governor of New Zealand, ia likely to receive the vacant Ribbon of the Order of St. Patrick.

A new book on the flora of New Zealand has just come out. It is by Mrs Ellis Rowan, and is entitled " A Flower Hunter in Queensland and New Zealand."

A coming book, which will possess much interest to New Zealanders, is the " Life of the Late Sir William Jervois," by General Stokes, whose name will perhaps be best known in New Zealand as that of the chairman of the Blue Spur Goldmining Company. Still the New Zealand Midland Railway ! The case of Lubbock and others versus Salt has been pending in the Chancery Court for some weeks. It is practically the same action as that tried under the name of Parker and others versus Salt at the beginning of October last at Christchurch before Mr Justice Denniston, judgment in whioh latter case has only just been delivered in favour of the defendant. The object' of both actions, which are brought by some of the debenture holders ot v ,the New Zealand Midland Railway, is to set aside a mortgage given by the Company and registered under the Transfer Act at Nelson 'to secure advances made by Mr Salt to meet the costs of the arbitration with the Government of Now Zealand. I understand that a good deal of expert-evidence is being taken as to the law in New Zealand so far as it bears upon the question. All the information to hand about the illfated s.S. Mataura is still of a somewhat meagre character: I learn from the manager of the New Zealand.Shipping Company that the passengers, officers—with the exception of the captain—and prew, who are coming on to Liverpool by the s.s. Orcana, are expected to land there about the 20th inst. They will be met on their arrival by an agent of the Company, and will be forwarded to London, or elsewhere as they desire. The captain is remaining for the E resent by the ship. The three passengers y the Mataura are Mr Mill (Dunedin), Mrs Park and Miss Park (Christchurch). It is expected that part of the Mataura's cargo, including some of the wool, will very prob-bly be saved. It ia conjectured that the Mataura struck on a sunken rook not marked in any existing chart.

Complaints are rife on all sides as to the j utter want of consideration shown for the '[ Anglo-Colonial public in general by the Imperial Postal authorities in giving no adequate notice of the important change just j made with regard to the departure of tbe San Francisco mail. It wps not until ' Thursday that any notification at all appeared in the London papers that this month's San Francisco mail would leave a Week earlier than usual, and I believe I could, if I ohose, explain how even that belated notification came to appear at all. Certainly it did not emanate from the Postal authorities. I have made it my business to inform some dozens of New Zealanders resident in England, and other persons interested in the matter, of the change in the mail timetable, and in not one ' single instance was the recipient of my communication aware of the change before he or j she received my letter. • ! In . _ew of the fact that the settlement of. Otago was undertaken by the Free Ch_r_|i .j of Scotland, which sent out the first shipload of immigrants under the care of Captain Cargill and the Rev.' Thomas Burns, a nephew of the poet, it has been deemed suitable that the Free Church should be repre- j sented at the approaching celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the first colonists in Otago. The deputies .appointed by the Free Church of Scotland are the Rev. R. S. ; Duff, D.D., of Glasgow, and the Rev. R. Mcintosh, of Alva. With them will be associated the Rev. Andrew Keay, of Edinburgh, who is at. present in this country.

Dr. Duff's visit will be of special interest, inasmuch as, besides being convenor of the Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, _je was for six years minister of Evandale, Tasmania, For* eighteen years past he has been minister of St. George's 2?ree Church, Glasgow. Dr. Duff is a graduate in Arts of the University of Glasgow, and received his degree of D.D. ' from the Same University in April, 1894. After the Jubilee Synod the deputies hope to visit the other centres in New Zealand and in the various Australian colonies, to convey the greetings of the Free Church of Scotland and generally to encourage the Churches to which she "has been in the habit of sending ministers.

On the 2nd inst. a largely attended meeting of shipowners and meat salesmen, and others interested in the handling of frozen meat, was held at the Bank of New South Wales, to consider the report;.of the Australasian Association regarding the proposal that the shipowners should appoint a competent engineer to work with the underwriters in the inspection of ships and meat. Mr E. T. Doxat presided. In the assessment of damages it was suggested that the claimants as well as the ships should be classified. It was resolved that a committee should draw up the conditions of such an inspection as the shipping companies would agree to. Mr T. Mackenzie suggested that the association should invite the underwriters to discuss the subject of more efficient examination of meat and better assessment at this end. It was agreed that this should be the next business dealt with.