A CHAT WITH MR KEITH RAMSAY.

Evening Star, Issue 10808, 17 December 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

A CHAT WITH MR KEITH RAMSAY.

• Mr and Mrs Keith RaMSay returned to Dunedin on Wednesday, after a prolonged holiday in the Old Country. Most of their time was spent in Scotland revisiting old scenes and renewing old acquaintances, and also seeing the chief sights of the ''land of the heather hills." • They went as far north as Aberdeen and Deeside, and were present at the Balmoral gathering, obtaining good views of Her Majesty, who was looking well and happv, and several members of the Royal family. The Trassachs, in the West Highlands, were ; also visited, and Mr and Mrs Ramsay took a run across to Ireland, visiting Belfast and other places. They spent about five weeks in London, and were also in Cajjfcisle for -some time and Liverpool. This morning one of our reporters called on Mr Ramsay at his office in Vogel street, and the following is the substance of the information readily given regarding Mr Ramsay's impressions of what he saw and heard at Home. Asked to contrast the state of affairsdomestic, social, and commercial—in Scotland as he found them with what they were when he first left Home, Mr Ramsay said that he left Scotland when eighteen years of age, and a great improvement in many ways was to be seen. Generally, the condition of the masses was very much improved, both in the towns and in the country districts. In the country, of course, for a long time the tendency has been for youmj people of both sexes to move towards tin: towns or to emigrate, but for all that the agricultural population were much bettor looked after and were happier and more contented than when he was there formerly. A striking contrast in some of the country districts was the great number of farm laborers—-ploughmen, etc.—who owned bicycles. • Bicycling at Home was now looked upon as one of the greatest temperance ieformers in the country. People could not find money for both bicycles and drink, nor could tkev be proficient cyclists and indulge in drink. These people when they went away for a holiday to a neighboring town or visited a fair, instead of returning home in a state of intoxication, returned sober and ready for work next day. A lot of drunkenness was noticeable in several of the manufacturing towns, but even there there was a great improvement in Scotland. In London not much drunkenness was noticeable, but in the open bars a great deal of drinking was to be seen by day and night—men and. women continually crowding together in the saloons. Temperance organisations had done an immense amount of good, but the extreme steps taken in New Zealand were not in general attempted at Home. They would not tolerate such a thing as a prohibited district like Clutha. That was regarded there as too much of an infringement of the liberty of the people. There were, of course, a great number of strong Prohibitionist people, but they were not nearly so aggressive iis out here, and did not force their opinions or ideas on one. One of the most marked improvements noticed was in the means of travelling throughout the country, the greatest marvel being the railways. Great numbers of people travel, the rates were cheap, and the trains were very numerous, the services being carried out in a way that stamped the management as being little short of marvellous. In the through trains between London and

Scotland, and on other lines, the second

class had been abolished altogether. The first and third constituted the classes now, and most of the great companies catered for the third class, which, Mr Ramsay says,

are on the through trains superior to our first class out here. The first class carriages were mostly used for short distances, but for long distances almost everyone travelled third.

In replv to a question as to how New Zealand politics were regarded at Home, Mr Ramsay said he had only spoken with private individuals, but when he had mentioned New Zealand politics a broad grin generally spread over their faces. Outside of Hyde Park on Sunday afternoons, he did not think New Zealand politics were taken at all seriously at Home.

With reference to the rumor of a proposed New Zealand Public Works loan, Mr Ramsay said he had heard nothing about it, but he did not think there would be the slightest difficulty in getting a New Zealand Government loan floated satisfactorily. New Zealand securities were fairly looked after, and the credit of the colony was good. He had, however, heard of one thing whilst in London which was working detrimentally to New Zealand. He visited a leading firm of London stockbrokers, and he found that thev were very angry over New Zealand wild* cat mines. What were nothing elsq but downricrht frauds had been put upon the London market, and the result was that | when anything good came from New Zeai land now there was the greatest difficulty in getting the people to touch them. He was given one instance of a strong company of several hundred thousand pounds being formed to work a New Zealand mine, and at the first annual meeting of shareholders the chairman announced that a manager had been appointed and everything was going on all right, save that they could not find where their claim was. There was a strong feeling that the Government would be serving the best interests of the colony if they would bring in legislation to deal with these rascais, who were hurting the credit of the colony. It was a great shame that these frauds should be attempted, as they were really hurting the credit of the colony at Home. It was also mentioned that the hampering nature of t'- • mining legislation of the Government, was a difficulty in the way of floating good mines in New Zealand in London, the people being very chary of touching them on account of the legislation. On the question of the bond of unity between the Empire and her colonies and the recent trouble with Prance, Mr Ramsay said he was in London during the heat of the Fashoda incident, and beyond a little flutter in the Stock Exchange, and perhaps a mild attempt on the part of the insurance people to make a little money out of a war scare, there was really no excitement at all o.ver the affair. AH parties in the State had the fullest confidence in Lord Salisbury. Mr Chamberlain had done much to strengthen the bonds between the Old Country and the colony, and Mr Ramsay thought" the tendency was to still further improve the position generally. The Australasian colonies were all - highly spoken of at Home, and were regarded as valuable portions of the Empire. The only complaint Mr Ramsay heard was about the smallness of the contribution of the Australian colonies to the maintenance of the fleet. The feeling amongst those most friendly to the colonics was that an increase in those contributions would not be much felt by the people out here, and would certainly improve the relationship of the colonies in the estimation oi the Mother Country.

As to our Agent-General, Mr Ramsay saw Mr Reeves personally, and also made inquiries about him, and everybody he spoke to on the subject agreed that Mr Reeves was discharging the duties of his important position in a most satisfactory manner. A cablegram appeared in London in October stating that Mr Reeves was reappointed, and there was a general feeling of satisfaction that this had been done. Personally, Mr Ramsay had several very interesting conversations with Mr Reeves, and he was sure the interests of the colony were in very capable hands. Both Mrs Ramsay and himself received great kindness and attention at the hands of Mr Reeves, Mr Kcnnaway, and the other members of the staff.

Referring incidentally to the China trouble, Mr Ramsay said that the general feeling throughout was one of unbounded confidence in Lord Salisbury. ' The Times' and ' Standard' and a few of the other London dailies had got into a Jingo frame of mind, and tried to bounce the Prime Minister, but the people were confident of his fitness to protect the interests of the Empire in all parts of the world, and the belief now was that their interests had been thoroughly protected. Russia had certainly broken faith over Port Arthur, but the general feeling was that Britain would come out on top even in China. The present friendly relations between England and America were looked upon as of very great importance; whilst there was evidently a good understanding between Germany and England. Mr Ramsay went to Edinburgh during Assembly week, and, as the representative of the Presbyterian Church here, he addressed both the Church of Scotland (the Established Church) and the Free Church, and was very kindly received by them all. generally about his trip, Mr Ramsay referred in feeling twins of his old

schoolfellows •at Blairgowrie entertaining Hinr afr dinner, Which he considered was a 1 very high compliment indeed, old schoolmates coining from all parts of Scotland to be present, They heard a great many preachers, amongst those in Scotland being Dr Macgregor and Dr Whyte (Moderator of the Free Church Assembly); whilst in London they were fortunate in hearing such men ' as the Bishop of Ripon, the Bishop of Stepney, Canon Ainger, Dr Dykes, Dr Parker, of the City Temple, the Rev. Mark Guy Pearce, and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes. Most of the places of interest about London I were visited, including the House of Commons whilst the House were sitting, and the ' principal picture galleries. Madame Melba was not in London during their stay, but Mr and Mrs Ramsay were enabled to see Sir Henry Irving, Miss Terry, and Mada ne Bernhardt acting, and at the Haymarket : they witnessed a performance of' The Little j Minister,' and were present at one of the ! capital Sunday afternoon concerts in Albert Hall, j Taken all round, Mr and Mrs Ramsay enjoyed their trip, and feel very much better •j for their long holiday, and return to Dunedin more in love with this colony than ever. I Always a patriotic man, Mr Ramsay says , his visit to the Old Country has made him ! even more so than formerly, and he takes a ' greater pride than ever in being a citizen of j our great and glorious country.