ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10258, 29 January 1894, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.] London, Dec. 9.

OPENINGS FOB NEW ZEALAND TIMBEB,

I have often thought it a great pity that no organised effort should have been made to introduce into England the decorative and useful timber indigenous to New Zealand. Kauri pine is known to us here, it is true ; but the efforts made to popularize this most useful wood have bean of the feeblest, and the sale is even now very limited in England. With regard to other equally useful New Zealand woods, such as totara, maire, puriri, &c., they are practically unknown here; but I believe, and have held the belief for a long time past, that a very profitable trade would arise to colonists Importing these, timbers, providing they made proper arrangements for introducing them to the right quarters. A little money would have to be spent at first, but I am convinced that the expense incurred at the beginning would be capital profitably invested. I am not alone in that opinion. Mr Percy H. Johnson, who was for some years travelling salesman in Australia for the Kauri Timber Company, has just completed % tour of the principal Scotch and English cities, undertaken for the express purpose of enquiring into the probable chances of sale for colonial timbers, and his report is satisfactory. He firds that a demand exists for tough, durable -woods, such as totara, kauri, maire, puriri, &c., for manufacturing purposes; and also that in the metropolis there is a feeling among the leading cabinet-makers that auy new woods possessing good colour and an attractive figuring, such as figured rimu, mottled kauri, rata, totara-bucr, rewa-rewa, &0., would find a ready sale. Mr Johnson says that the Agent - General hss recently had many enquiries regarding f 'the3e decorative timbers, but, there being none procurable on this ride, has bad to give disappointing answers. Mr Johnson's experience assures him that there is a future for these woods in the Old Country, and he joins with me in the belief that they only require pushing, Ho himself has opened an office at 16, St Helen's place, for the purpose of carrying on the business of a timber merchant, fnd he intends to make a speciality of colonial timbers. He is a man of no mean experience. In addition to the knowledge gained during his connection with the Kauri Timber Company, ho has the experience of a five years’ service with a leading London timber merchant. Only lately ho visited the Sequoia and Oregon forests of America, and travelled throughout Michigan, the Lake district, and the Canadian spruce country. It may be said, I think, that few men ia London possess such good qualifications for "specialising” in colonial timbers as Mr Johnson. Perhaps, indeed, it would ba difficult to find one other man in the metropolis with such an extensive practical knowledge of colonial timbers as he, and i am sure that anyone placing themselves in his hands will not regret the. step. I have arranged to interview him next week upon his tour of the provincial centres, &c., and may then be in a position to give New Zealand timber folk a few useful wrinkles. I hope soatany rate. Mr Johnson, by the way, . has written a special article upon the New Zealand timber trade for the Christmas numbor of the Timber Trades Journal —the organ of wood users of all sorts. This will be an excellent advertisement in itself, c.nd will doubtless stimulate enquiries tor the woods I have mentioned. A TITLED TRADESWOMAN. Almost simultaneously with the departure of Lord Percy Douglas and hia bride to the West Australian El Dorado of Coolgardie, their aunt, Lady Gertrude Stock, wound up an eventful career in the shelter of a convent. Lady Gertruda Douglas entered upon her cioisteral life in the Convent of the Good Shepherd. She spent many years there, not as a novice or pupil, but aa a professed nun. Ultimately the young lady showed so much mundane activity that she was authoritatively and officially released from her vows. Thereupon she wrote several novels, advocating neighbourly kindness and the union of the classes. If these stories were not as good as her brother Lord James Douglas's sporting novels, they were, at least, not as owfrd as her slater Lady Flnenco Dixie’s women’s rights romances. When the literary fever burned itself out Lady Gertrude joteei her priest brother. Lord Archibald, in bis work at a Catholic orphanage. She worked with the fervid enthusiasm she threw into everything she undertook for a time. A bakery was started in connection with the orphanage, and a baker engaged. His name was Stock, and he was a nice-looking lad. Lord Archibald went to Canada to settle some pupils, and whilst he was away bis sister married the bakor. They set up a small chop neat Brook Green, and Lady Gertrude "fused the classes” by serving behind the counter. For a time, a short time, the shop answered. Then the oddlymated couple parted, Stock going to South Africa to make a fortune, and Lady Gertrude returning to the hospital with shattered hopes and unrealised ideals. Everything Lady Gertrude did she did deliberately; or, as she would say, " on principle.” She married Stock on principle, and gloried in the poor fellow to bis extrema discomfort. Quite recently Lady Gertruda wrote a novel, ia which a baker was the heio. death of two noblemen. Neither the Duke of Leinster nor the Earl of Warwick, who died at the end of last week, were well known outside their own particular sets. The Duke had, ss Lord Kildare, the reputation of being a dashing cavalry officer, and he was latterly one of the few great Irish landlords sans reproche. To most, however, be was known simply as the husband of the fair Duchess of Leinster, for several seasons the queen of beauty in the smartest London society, and good and clever to boot. Her Grace’s charms have grown massive this lost year or two, and she must now he designated " a splendid woman” rather than a beauty. The new Duke is six years old only. Lord Warwick was a retiring old gentleman, of unimpressive appearance; though directly people hoard his name they were accustomed to fay what an aristocrat he looked. He seldom entertained, bat when he did it was on a very grand scale. Lord Brooke, who succeeds, is the husband of the beautiful, clever,witty, reckless and philanthropic Lady Brooke. Of this great lady many stories, good, bad and indifferent, are told. To her tenants (for she was an heiress) Lady Brooke is a benevolent tyrant, and her model farms, &c., are one of the sights of the Eastern Counties. Her ladyship has latterly dabbled in many of the numerous fads of Mr W. T, Stead, sitting becomingly at the feet of that erratic philanthropist, and allowing herself on occasion to be telepatbieally interviewed. Between whiles, I imagine, she, as Americans say, “ smiles some.” GENERAL. A favourable feature in the bank share market is the renewed demand for Australian bank shares, which the Times surprisedly remarks extends even to those of the reconstructed banks. Dealings have, within the last few days, taken place in shares of the London Bank of Australia (formerly London Chartered Bank of Australia) at prices tanging round £o per chare. The First International Congress of the Press will be held at Antwerp next summer, when it is hoped that the British and Colonial section, which ia being organised by the “ Institute of Journalists,” will do much good work. No doubt your Australian and New Zealand Institutes of Journalists will send delegates, who should, by the way, if possible, speak French. Communications should be addressed to A. Goomacre de Keyset, president, of the Association of the Belgian Press, Antwerp. The great piano bouse of Broadwood is, I am told, ss well known in Adelaide or Auckland aa in London. It may, therefore, interest you to learn that Mr Henry Fowler Broadwood, who died recently, left personalty to the tune of .£71,000. This ia a trifling fortune compared to what some Broadwoods have made. Thirteen

years ago, for example, Thomas Broadwood died worth half a million, whilst a previous partner also left an squally substantial sum.