FORWARD MOVEMENTS IN FRANCE.

Grey River Argus, Volume LVII, Issue 10520, 16 December 1901, Page 4

FORWARD MOVEMENTS IN FRANCE.

• — (°) — SCHEMES FOR IMPROVING HER POWER AT SEA. The Paris Chamber of Deputies has begun the discussion of a Ministerial project aiming »fc the r vival of th* decaying merchant marine of France. The proj- ct provides that any iron or steel vessel exceeding one hundred tons . gross tonnage eagaged in any international trade and flying the French flag 'shall receive an annual subsidy in proportion to her tonnage until she is twenty years old. A lar»er subsidy is i^ accorded to vessels fulfiling similar conditions built in Fiance and under fifteen, years old. The Minister of / Commerce proposes to appoint a com* mittte to make an elabo: ate plan for e-tdblishing a Fiench school in the United States devoted to the study of American industrial methods. M. Millerand himself is said to be thtoriginator of this scheme. | Still another indication that ' France does not intend to be left far behind in the race between the nations comes in the shape of an announ.c ment of an increase of the navy. The Minister of Marine, M. de Linessan, presiding at the launching of £l>e armoured cruiserLeonGambetta on 26 ih- October, said the vessel was one of, a new contingent of upwards of .one hundr ed : warship-, each to possess perfect fighting qualities. Unli-sa unforeseen difficulties occurred abroad the naval ' programme would be completed in the tiaie ; ; fixed, by the Chamber, and then' France, wou'd enjoy at sea the same security' that her numerous solid battalions as- r sured her oa the Continent of Europe, while French vessels were more costly, they were worth more than the ships of other maritime nations. The French Navy was ejecting its efforts to the fightit g-qualities of its pains rather than to numbers,

ft issia is considered to be on the eve of another famine. Nearly one-third of the provinces in European Russia, it is declared, have an insufficient crop of cereals. Only two provinces out of over seventy have had really good harvests, and among the "insufficient" are the best corn-growing districts of Russia. The famine-stricken area exceeds half a million square miles, and is aboutthe same as thatwhich suffered in the great famine of 1891. In view of the "Daily Mail's" cables that there are persistent rumours in the colony that Mr Seddon will shortly he appointed Governor of the Orange River Colony, it is interesting to note that in the URual exchange of com* plimen*s between chairman . and lecturer, Mr Berry mentioned that no one in the colony had yet been Premier, but that many colonials, of whom he was one, looked forward to Mr Reeves, ! a born New Zealander, before very long occupying that proud position, and that the "British Australasian" says that a rumour has gained credence iin the colony that the Agent General is meditating resignation or likely to be replaced. -There may be more than a coincidence in the wagging of these many tongues of rumour, but the prophecies savour of yellow — or shall I say Orange— journalism. As for Mr Reeve's Premiership, do I hear a murmur sotto voce from the other side : "Oh. no ; not for Joe'"? — London correspondent. Mr J G Gow, New Zealand Trade Representative, has forwarded to the Minister of Industries and Commerce a copy of a letter he has received from the Hon H D Winter, Minister of Agriculture in • Natal. Mr Winter writes : — I would ask you to convey to your Government my admiration of the progressive spirit of which their action in sending out this exhibit is an evidence, and to at the same time obtain forme some information as to — (l)The names and addresses of wellknown stud sheepbreeders and of leading seedsmen \ (2) the length of time occupied in the journey from New Zealand to Natal j (3) the cost of freight on animals and produce; (4) the varieties of oats which are now generally cultivated and their liability to rust. s