LONDON LETTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12534, 22 June 1901, Page 9

LONDON LETTER.

. 'ANCLO-COLONIAL NOTES. • , _ _ [From Ora Coiirespondjsnt. ] FRAUDS IN THE MEAT TRADE. . , LONDON, May 18. Cameron's “ smelling out *’ expedition to Liverpool seems likely to make come of the northern purveyors of frozen thuirton shake in their'shoes. Acting under instructions from the Agent-General, he has issued '.three informations against firms of High reputation and standing in Liverpool, two for “selling Australian lamb as New Zealand; and .the tdiird for- selling River Plate mutton for New Zealand. These informations are to be heard hy the Sbir pendiary Magistrate ait Liverpool oh the 22nd, and at the hearing there are likely to be some sensational disclosures. Mr, Cameron .has taken a great deal of trouble in obtaining the' necessary information, and isr satisfied that his, evidence is clear and sufficient to ensure convictions. He reports that in the North the practice of substituting other meat for “New Zealand” ir rampant and bane-faced, to the detriment of the 'consumer and also of' the honest trader. The latter complains that tis ‘unscrupulous rivals buy Australian lamb at, of course, a lower rate than' New Zealand; and then sell it as prime CaUterbufy a halfpenny a pound cheaper tihun he can afford to offer the public his genuine New Zealand lamb. The Australian lamb fraud prevails only for a couple of months, while, the'sale of River Plate mutton as New’Zealand continues all the yesp round, and. is mnoh more general and injurious . to the New Zealand meat trade. Mr .Cameron commenced his campaign with tan (attack on a small butcher of Blackpool, ih larder that to might have a clear case, and, get evidence diffident to obtain a conviction, -but next week’s proceedings - ore against three, of the biggest firms in the Nor thy whom names axe well known' throughout tbs’country. Should the cases result ih cbhvibtioos, the meat trade should ibe convinced, not only that the Agent'Seneifal is determined to stamp out fraud in palming off inferior ■ teat as New Zealand, but that he has'the power to do ho. PREMIER PHILP /ON COLONISATION IN SOUTH AFRICA. /MS B66het Burleigh quotes, Si' one' of

Ibis recent letters to the “ Telegniph” from Sdutli Africa, a fcdorteimfcion iue laid with the Queensland Rretnifer, who -went to the rest of the to'Vi&’b his ' fcon. ■Concerning the future, of JWstfalians • settling there, Mr Piilp said: —“It is no Use offering men, Australians anyway, 170 acres of, farming land in either of these colonies to dbihe hod settle.' They oah do quite fcs,..well,, perhaps twice as well, at home. But if there is gold around Pretoria, and elsewhere in the TvaueVaAl, in the quantities I hear, and! it is found upoh further prospecting to be so, -AttstraliauS } will rush hither. / Fine or seven thousand Australians would swoop dwim with-, in »• year upon this neighbourhood if gold i is found. And they trill nab be an un- ■ desirable population, like so many of those 1 have seen, in this country, even in Johan- ■ UMburg a»fl Pretoria. The hdjta ife that thS laws will he framed s 6 as to give the average man a fair chance of acquiring property, li the thing is thrownTinto thb hands of big syndicates* the <|ountry cannot benefit to the isatoe (extent. Person'Hly, lam in favour of a tax upon the ihincS, mdkiiiig thfetil help to pay for the £20,0,0(30*000 the.war is going to cost England. Why should her people be forced to pay that vast sum, largely expended’ in thfe interest of the .mines? in Queensland dynamite is free* biit w* impose, a five per -cent, tax upon mines, and get‘it without difficulty. The vast income derived from. South African mining could well afford to be taxed, for the war has resulted in an - a enormous addition to the value and sei icuraly of all these .properties.’’ Mr, Philp in these last remarks expresses i the thoughts of thousands ht ‘Htkdfe. But i I fear m« that there is little of we poor, poor taxpayers being relieved at the txpenbe of the mincholders. CONSCRIPTION IN feRITAiN. ' General Sir Sector Macdonald) only arrived in England «t the end of list week, reported iimhelf at the War Office on Saturday, wired to Dundee that he could nob go North to receive thfe frefedotta of the city as he was about to embark for India, and left again on Wednesday morning to Join the Persia at Marseilles on route to India, to take up his new Command there. Brief US his visit wag h© did ndb escape the inter-

viewer, who, on behalf of the “ St James’s Gasette,” extracted & strong opinion in fikvoto ol cbftscripti'on in England. On his return from OlhdtehiiL,' 'the General ex : pressed hie opinion that conscription “will" come by in, gradail process. The country must wake up to the. foot that the Army ctHlhot compete With the labour - market, and we .must go in for a liberal conscription, from which, neither , rich nor poor - shall be exempted'. It will, perhaps, not he of the same ohahteter as in. Germany, but I. believe conscription, will come, 'and it vvili be good for the Army and for the country.” . On his return the other day from South 'Africa., Hebbor whs ’ “Bias the South African war caused , you to alter your opinion on enforced military service?” ' “ My opinion of the necessity of enforced military service has been confirmed and strengthened by the events of the war,” was his emphatic answer. a i ... “ But his net the great outburst ~ of’.•exiv .thuriaaai on the part of the volunteers and others • knocked the stliffifcg out of the argument that enforced military service is necessary ” persisted the Pressman; meat that enforoedi military service is necessary” persisted! the Presisman. The Highlander stuck as firmly to his point a? he did to his guns at o mint-man, arid declared with emphasis: “No amount of enthusiasm-at from 10s to-5s a day will compensate for lack of training and early discipline.” • When we remember {adds the correspondent) the tributes that General Macdoitald hds pal'd to the Blade Watch Volunteers and I rd Lovat’s Scouts, it will be understood • that he dees not cavill at the cjUftlity bf the Civilians who went to-assist the regular soldiers lit South Africa, bub . that as a soldier and a leader of soldifers he believes that a little 1 military training is of greater value ithatt a large amount of eathrisiasm.” THE NEW ZEALAND CENSUS. The Agent-General has given to Reuter's Agency particulars of the growth of New ZeaUhd’s population. The increase of the Maoris for the decade, 858, is, says the official uolmnuuidatian to the Press, unexpected, N -as during the first five years they showed tt decline of 3i39. This, however, • Baa been more than made up In the second quinquennial. Figures relating to the Maori race are never quite eiuot, though great pains are taken to get them as closely correct as possible. It may* however, be regarded as certain that the decline of the race has been arrested. The “ Globe,” Commenting on the news, which will bo received with satisfaction throughout the Empire, says: “ upon the whole, the Maoris are the most intelligent and interesting native face ih the world, .and their gradual extinction has been a theme of regret with almost every writer who has" dealt with New Zealand. It is, therefore, most satisfactory to note that the recent census ■ appears to show that this progress of extinction has been arrested, and may, perhaps, altogether be stopped.” PERSONAL AND GENERAL. Sir John Hall will devote next- Week to the -annual s/how of the Bath and West of . England Agricultural Society. Lloute n an t-Colon el Craddock snatched a lew days last week to. visit his Vorkahire tnuno'at Hartforth, Gilling 'West, and"this week ho-is. Newnmrketing. .They say nn actor always .spends, a night off at the theatre, and' on the "Vain'e principle I suppose tko “Colonel Courageous"*of a mountad infantry force enjoys hid well-conned

holiday by seeing horses gallop under more peaceful auspices than in South Africa. I have not yet been able to get within range of the gallant colonel, but am in' hot pursuit, and hope soon to have him surrounded.

MUjor Askwibh, Royal Horse Artillery, lately commanding the Artillery Contingent in the Imperial (Representative Corps sent to Australia for the proclamation 'of the Commonwealth, had the honour of being received in audience by the King at Marlborough House yesterday, ah-d presented for <uie King to touch,the flag of the “ Opepe” tribe Of Maoris, This flag,'which was a small Union Jack, with a representation of Queen Victoria ih the centre, was entrusted to Major Askwit-h when in New Zealand by Taupe, I 'the chief of the tribe, to take to England in accordance with the tribal custim, mat, on the demise of their Sovereign, the flag should' be handed to the successor and then returned to the Chief. . Among the New Zealanders present at Sir Gbdftey Lagden’si lecture oh the Basutos at the Colonial Institute last Tuesday night, were Sir John Hall and Mr and Mrs C’athcart Wason. Mrs 'Reeves and her cltearen will spend next suhlmer ih Switzerland with Miss Pember. r Mrs Malet, who has.been visiting her widowed daughter, Mrs' Randall, is returning to New Zealand almost at once. I.understand that Captain Eraser, R.N.R. of (H.'M.S. Daedalus, will take out to the colony the new submihing vessel the Janie Seddon, which is expected to he ready to Start ih September or October. Janie Seddon’s twin sister Lady Roberts Should be ready about the .Same time. 'Mr Giiruth is still' away in Scotland, Whore nChaS been spending a few days at his (native place, Seaton of Auchmithie, ■Arbroath. According to the Dundee papers he has .been purchasing some Shorthorn bulls from Superior deep-milking herds. Some Aberdeen Angus bulls and some thbrougWored, horses. He returns to London next Monday, ahd leaves Ott Wednesday, May 22, by the Germanic, oh his return j journey, via New York. The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce ahd Manufactures, At its annual meeting last week, listened to an address from Mr A. | 0. Begg, of Dhhedin,' <\n the commercial' features .of New Zealand! After referring j to the dredging industry and the frozen meat trade, Mr Begg said ho was glad to | See that the butchers of Scotland were net ' now ashamed, as they were when he was | Hdoae a feW .years ago, to confess that they j sold New Zealand mutton, and, lamb, althhh'gh they werb formerly selling i,t ns , home-grown and charging Scottish prices. He assured them that the New Zealanders

sent only the very best sheep and lambs to this country, for they used all the ewes themselves. He concluded by referring to the patriotism of the colony, which, out of 750,000 people, had sent 2000 fully-equipped mounted men- to fight the Empire’s battles, A hearty vote of thanks was awarded. Mr Begg.