TOWN EDITION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6286, 23 October 1891, Page 3

TOWN EDITION.

In course of conversation with Mr Rudyard Kipling last night, we remarked upon the fact that, people in England being so densely ignorant concerning the geographical position cf the colonies, and the social condition of life in the colonies, it was hard to believe that there existed any real interest in the Empire. Excepting the prominent statesmen, tho people in England, apparently, failed to recognise the fact that the colonies formed the most important part of the grandest empire the world had ever seen. •' You are quite right," said Mr Kipling. " England is the breeding ground ; her progeny swarms out of the hive and settles upon all parts of the earth, and there is an end of it so far as Mr Brown, of Peckham-Rye, is concerned. That very respectable gentleman pays his rates and taxes, and grumbles at the coat of the army, and the cost of the navy, but he knows these institutions must be kept up to protect the trade of the country, to whioh the colonies so largely contribute; B«t he does not know where the colonies are; he has only a general idea that they are somewhere. When he takes a trip by train of fifty miles he thinks he is going a journey, and makes preparations accordingly. People in India and the colonies! think nothing of going thousands of miles. Mr Jones goes from London to Bristol, and is impressed by the distance he has travelled ; how can you expect him to understand the immensity of the Empire, or to realise the enormous areas of its respective parts ? It's too muoh for him."

The usual-weekly parade of the Napier Rifle Volunteers took place last night, in the Garrison Hall, when there was a good muster. After parade a special meeting was held, Captain Chicken presiding. The clothing committee reported the result of its labors in reference to the new Karkhee uniform. The committee formulated the following financial scheme to raise £200' required for the new dress:—£7s available from current year's capitation, £75 to be subscribed by the members as a loan, to be repaid from next year's capitation, and the balance, £50) will be obtained from another source as soon as the members' subscriptions have reached the required amount. This soheme so completely met with the approval of those present that at the close of the meeting the subscription liat totalled up £50 12s Id. The whole scheme depends upon the raising of the £75 by subscription, bo we would urge the members ,to take a lively interest in the matter, and the re-clothiug of the company will be an actual fact by the new yenr. It is to be regretted that the Fiflos had to expend over £80 in procuring the present undress uniforms, which are to be replaced by the Karkhee; besides whioh, this company has sunk its surplus funds in the drill-shed. The above expenditure has placed the finance committee at their wits' end to provide for additional calls on tho company's funds, so the above scheme will relieve them considerably.