ANGLOCOLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10378, 1 March 1897, Page 6

ANGLOCOLONIAL NOTES.

[FROM OUR own correspondent.] London, January 23. A MEMOBUL to the Prime Minister has been submitted by the Council of the Royal Colonial Institute, urging that prompt step 3 should be taken for securing unification of time at sea, the plan suggested being that of advancing the astronomical time by twelve hours so as to harmonise with civil time. It ia urged that the proposed change can be easily introduced with decked advantage to observers, and that as the Nautical Almanac is necessarily prepared some years in advance there should be no delay in taking the requisite steps in order that the proposed change may take effect on the first day of the new century. The Hon. Sir Donald A. Smith hag been appointed a councillor of the Royal Colonial Institute in succession to Sir Francis Villeneuve Smith. . Mr. H. J. Greenslade has been actively advocating in certain quarters the desirableness of holding an international exhibition of mining and metallurgy in London, on somewhat similar lines to that of July, 1890, in which the whole of the gold-producing countries of the world should take part. Such an exhibition, he contends, would prove of incalculable benefit to New Zealand in particular at the present juncture, aud he says he feels sure that notwithstanding the dissatisfaction that was caused amongst colonial exhibitors in 1893, all interested in the New Zealand goldh'elds would cheerfully assist. Though such an undertaking would doubtless prove of material advantage to New Zealand I do not think the proposal is at all likely to be taken up, at any rate for the present. Reviewing the report and balance-sheet of the Kauri Timher Company for the past year, the Financial Times draws pointed attention to the "heavy increase in management expenses, amounting to nearly £10,000 over the previous year. It remarks: '-Shareholders are no doubt informed as to the reason for this heavy increase in management expenses, ind if not they ought to be. for in 1894 the management tees were only £6/.i4'4 and the gross profit £106,033, while the gross profit for 1898 shows an increase of only £24962 over the previous year." Arrangements have beeu made for the erection of refrigerating stores at Southampton to receive New Zealand frozen me.it. A letter from Mr. Thomas Brydon, of Otago. appears in certain journals devoted to agricultural and pastoral ■ topics, warmly praisiDg the Lincoln sheep obtained by him from the famous flock of Thomas Kirkham, Biscathorpe, Lincolnshire, and recording their brilliant success as prize-takers in the colonial shows, All this sort of thing does New Zealand good by bringing U and its advanced civilisation under the public notice here. In accordance with the request conveyed by Mr. William Izsrd the Agent-Geueral a department has secured a very satisfactory collection of animals and birds for the (Jhristchurch Acclimatisation Society. These include ten head of deer, namely, three stags and seven hinds ; thirty pheasants aud twenty-five brace of partridges. It is not yet certain when they will be shipped as the department has not yet completed arrangemeuts with the shipping companies. Negotiations are now in progress for the conveyance of the animals and birds by an early steamer. Last Saturday evening Messrs. Mackenzie and Twopeny, in company with a meat expert as guide, went through theSmithfield meat retail market, spending au hour or two there and thence proceeding to Islington, going subsequently to the East End of London. They saw mutton sold there from ljd to 4d per lb, all expressly guaranteed to be best Canterbury, but on oareful examination of the carcases they were able to assert positively that not one single ounce ever came from New Zealand at all. Their expedition was not a wholly pleasant one, ae the night was exceedingly stormy and snow fell thickly all the time. However, they had the consolation of knowing that they were "doing the State some service." Under the heading "The New Zealand Bank Scandal," the London papers publish a telegraphic summary of the report presented by the liquidators of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand. It has attracted a good deal of attention, particularly with regard to those statements by the liquidators that Mr. Ward and the Farmers' Association had an overdraft of £82,000, whereas only £45,000 had been authorised, which overdraft was increased to £122,000 for the purposes of the Association's balance-sheet, the overdraft being reduced by Mr. Ward's cheques for £21,000 and £35,000, the directors being cognisant of the transaction, Mr. Ward's note for £55,000 being also accepted and treated as cash when he was insolvent. In conversation with Mr. M 033 Davis, yesterday, he expressed to me the opiniou that the New Zealand meat industry is only in its infancy at present. He is convinced that the English butchers are making large profits out of New Zealand meat, profits in which the New Zealand producers ought to have a far larger share than they get now. He strongly advises a combination of colonial meat producers to open retail meat shops in London. It will be remembered that Mr. E. i>. Wright wrote strongly to thie effect, more than a year ago, and that Mr. H. C. Cameron has not only advocated such a course, but alsohas personally proved its feasibleness as a paying enterprise. Mr. McWilliam, a New Zealand expert, came up to London from Glasgow yesterday, and gave me a good deal of interesting , information with reference to the progress being made in Scotland by New Zealand dairy produce. He mentioned that the excessive delay in discharging the s.s. Mamari, owing to obstacles mterposed by the dock authorities, had caused much ot her butter to miss its best market, aud to make matters worse five or six steamers with colonial butter had arrived "one on top of the other." Hence the market had been temporarily glutted. "New Zealand butter," said Mr. McWilliam, "is getting much into favour in Glasgow, and there is already a large consumption there. lam glad to say there is not nearly so much complaint this year of the fishy flavour with which so much fault was found last season. It is evident that great care is being taken in New Zealand in the preparation and the shipment of butter. Just at present the New Zealand butter arriving is rather too high in colour—too yellow—to please the Glasgow consumers. A few years ngo the deep yellow colour was. preferred, but now a change has taken place iu the public taste. This, is well understood in Denmark, and the Danish producers send butter of a much paler tint, so there is a marked difference when New Zealand butter _is compared with it." "Auother faultfound with this season's New Zealand butter (continued Mr. McWilliam) is that it has 'too much flavour. , Ido not meau flavour of an unpleasant, kind, but that the natural flavour of the butter is rather too strongly pronounced. This of course is due mainly to the richness of the pastures, especially early in the season, while on the other hand the competing butter is mostly' produced by artificially fed stock. The high colour is also due to the same cause. Tho Government inspection at the ports of shipment has done, and is doing, great good, but the official grading is of no use whatever, and nobody at this end takes the slightest notice of it. A3 to New Zealand cheese," added Mr. McWilliam, " it now takes the highest rank of all imported cheese. New Zealand butter takes second ulace us compared with Australian, but New Zealand's cheese stands quite first, Its quality this season is remarkably fine, and it is uow in active demand at 555, while the price may probably rise to 5Sj shortly. Unfortunately the New Zealand factories will not get the advantage of this, as they sold out cheaply to speculators, who will reap the most of the benefit." ■