ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 13092, 27 October 1908, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[From Our Srecut Correspondent.] . LONDON, September 18. An interesting announcement was made at the opering of the second day's Conference of the Associated Chambers of V omm « rc » at- Cardiff on September 16. Mr Charles Charlton (London) intimated that the invitations extended to them bv I'w l • M Chambers of Commerce, to hold their rxxt Congress in Sydnev, had Deendefinitcly accepted. They would meet at Sydney on September 14 nest year, and this, gathering would be followed by Li • l at Melbourne a fortnight later. An invitation had also been received to visit New Zealand; and the trip would take about six months if flevr Zealand were included. THE IMMORAL "LIMERICK." The "Limerick' craze has had its day, and has ceased to be. Now, after whatever mischief such a thing can dp has been done, comes the Teport of the Joint Committee of the Lords and Commons recommending that this device for increasing the circulation of newspapers should be made illegal. It is no fault of Lord Beauchamp (the chairman) or his colleaones on tlte Committee that this recommendation was a day behind the fair." The Committee were only appointed when th« Limerick fever had all but run its course. There may, however, be a recrudescenoe of the craze; indeed, so-called dead crazes have the habit of reviving after a lapse of years, so the Committee's report will not be in vain, for it is practically certain that their proposals directed against newspaper competitions will soon be embodied ini legislation. The recommendations of the Committee extend beyond Limericks.' In the wretched doggerel lor wh, c h a large money prize was often awarded !t was difficult to detect anything that could properly be called skill. But even competitions in which there is a real element of skill,, if associated with by the Committee. To discriminate beihJTfc?™* W^ 1 ""* the Committee thought would be undesirable; hence they are lumped together, and a common nan is pronounced upon them. The decision of the Committee on this point will commend atself to the good seL of all thoughtful people. There will be general concurrence also in the suggestions °of the Committee for the punishment of persons responsible far indecent advertisement* the circulation of suggestive pictures, and" the sale of obscene literature. In dealing with these matters the Old Country lags sadly behind the majority of her colonies, but if the recommendations of the Committee are earned into effect a speedy and effectual remedy for a great and growing evil will be found. They recommend the repeal of all existing la we relating to the publication, sale, and advertisement of obscene ana indecent literature, pictures, and other matter cf ihe same nature; and the passing of a Bill that will bring all traffickers (in any form) in such things into the le*al net, but will enable the ordinary Pol?ce Court magistrates to inflict upon them really deterrent penalties-. The Committee express the opinion that any person who publishes, cr procures for the purpose of sale, or possesses with intent to publish or sell, any obscene or indecent book, papers writings, prints, pictures, drawing, or other representations, should be liable in the case of a first offence or conviction under the Summary Jurisdiction Acts to a fine not exceeding £3O, or imprisonment, with or without hard labor, not exceeding one month, without the option of a fine" and, m the case of a second subsequent offence, or where it is proved that the person whilst committing the offence had any transaction with a person under the as;e of sixteen years, to a finejiot exceeding £IOO or to imprisonment not exceeding six months, without the option of a fine. AN AUSTRALIAN LADY IN AFRICA. Mrs Lindsay Miller, the well-known Australian novelist, who is perhaps better known under her pen name of "Mary Gaunt," ha* returned to London after a most interesting tour of the West Coast of Africa, where she went to obtain matter for her next book. It is doubtful if any other woman has seen as much of the country around this part of West Africa as Mrs Miller, who, at any rate, enjovs the distinction of being the first woman to visit some of the native villages and settlements. Arriving at Sierra Leone, she went on to Sekondi, and from there to Kumasi, where she was an honored guest at the famous fort which held out for three months in 1900 against the Ashantis. Tarquah was nexd visited, then Accra, Lagos, and Ibadan. At Ibadan Mrs Miller met with a nasty accident. The men in charge of the "go-cart," which was the only means of travelling, lost control of the vehicle, with the result that Mrs Miller was thrown and injured her right arm, septic poisoning following. Fortunately, she soon recovered, and was able to go to Yoruba", which has a riative settlement of 160,000 inhabitants. Here she had an interview with the Bale chieftian, being the first British woman to be thus honored. At Calabar, where she was the guest of the Provincial Commissioner, she was greatly taken with the picturesque old place. Leaving British territory Mrs Miller visited Dumla, and was struck by the superiority in the sanitary arrangements, the laying out of the villages, and general victuresqueness of the French and German settlements as compared w.th the British. At Libreville, which is on t\w Equator, she was amazed at the cleanliness of the native villages. At Matadi she wa<= interested to see the spot where Ftanlev took leave of Livingstone. Mrs Miller returned by way of the old Portuguese FettJprr.ent of St. Paul de Loando to Calabar. She gives an amusing description of iier attempts to get ashore owing to the heaw surf along the West Coast. She was often landed^ as "cargo." Even in these remote parts "tipping'' is not unknown, and Mi« Miller, in tho cmiree of her travels, found it a big item to he reckoned with. Pennies are not known, the smallest coin amourrtine to threepence. °