ENGLAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6988, 15 February 1894, Page 4

ENGLAND.

London, February 13 Some Of the Aorangi's factory butter brought from 100s to 108b fancy sorts 112 a. The ohe.se by the same vessel brought 52s to 54b per cwt, fancy sorts 565. In response to a great meeting of the National Liberal Federation held at Portemouth for the purpose of dealing with the attitude of the Honse of Lards regarding Liberal measures, the Radical sooieties and newspapers have started an aotive crusade against the Upper Chamber. ° February 14. The House of Lords has passed the Parish Councils Bill. . The House of Commons, by a majority of two, agreed to Mr Cobb's amendment, limiting the Earl of Dudley's amendment re the contracting-out clause in the Employers' Liability Bill to three years. Messrs Balfour and Chamberlain protested that the compromise was useless and absurd. There were several defections among the Liberals and among the members of the Irish party. The Times asserts that tho Lords will adhere to the positions they have taken up, even if the bill should be withdrawn in consequence. The Colonial Acts Confirmation Bill, ohiefly validating the New South Wales Redistribution of Seats Bill, which the Crown law officers advised ought to have been reserved for Royal approval, has passed the House of Lords. Lord Knutsford suggested that the time had arrived to abolish the power of reservation in oases of small alterations in the constitutions of th% colonies, A company is being formed in Glasgow to ereot cool meat storage, and the merchants engaged in the meat trade will arrange to run special meat cars from London pending the establishment of direct shipments. Severe galea have been experienced, in Germany. Many lives have been lost and muoh property destroyed. Sir W. V. Harcourt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in the House of Commons to-day that the Government had no intention to re-open the Indian mints for the free coinage of silver, or to return the minimum rate for the sale of the Council's bills. It was not, he said, intended to tax imported silver or to change the present policy. In the course of a leoture at the Colonial Institute on the British Empire, General Ohesney advocated the formation of a Council of the Empire, consisting of the Prime Minister, some members of the Imperial Cabinet, the Premiers of the Dominion and the prinoipal colonies, together, with some of their colleagues, to deal with Imperial and colonial affairs, thus securing a harmonious policy, and superseding the Colonial Office. Mr Reid, of Victoria, referring to General Chesney's remarks, declared that the safeguard of the Empire lay in the kindred interest, sympathy, and blood relationship in the oolonies with the Mother Country. He said that the people of the colonies were oonvinced that their

interests and those of England were similar, and that it would be impossible for them to exist without England. The task of safeguarding the Empire in the future was stupendous, as the old legislative machinery of England was unsuited to now countries. The duty of England and the colonies, he thought, was to bind themselves together, and obviate the necessity to command tho seas. Several speakers eulogised the Aus-

tralian auxiliary squadron. The English Dairy Company in Bombay Ms offering to sell Indian butter in London at 9d per lb free of all charges. A trial shipment has been ordered. . A small arms factory at Leigh exploded accidentally. Tho directors and several others were killed. The War Offioe experts report very favorably on the Victorian brandy.