NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11201, 23 October 1899, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Mr. W. McMillan, of Messrs. McArthur and Co. (Limited), and formerly member for Bunvood, who left Sydney in April last, on a prolonged tour to England and the Continent, returned to Sydney on October 11. Mi. McMillan stated that he liajd been able to make business aramgements of such a nature that if his fellow-citizens desired him to sit, in the Federal Parliament he would be in a position to devote a large portion of his time to politics. He had kept in close touch with all political developments and movements with the intention of devoting a great deal of his time in the future to public affairs in the colony. In England Mr. McMillan states lie found a great and growing interest in all questions regarding the colonies, and amongst almost all classes the knowledge of Australian affairs had considerably increased during the past few years.

Great interest was manifested in tie federation of the colonies, and there ; appeared to be only one mind regarding the question, namely, that the colonies speaking with one united voice, and with a loyalty that was apparent everywhere, must be much better for the ultimate integrity and power of the Empire, than the various voices speaking previously often without, effect. With regard to the frozen meat trade, and direct communication generally with Manchester, the conditions, Mr. McMillan said, were now favourable and steady, and sure development might be expected. Owing to the existence of certain circumstances and interests,'trade had been to some extent interfered with and hampered, but the Manchester Ship Canal Company were making vigorous efforts, and there could be no doubt that with theiij enormous populations, the districts of the North of England and the South of Scotland offered an immense field for the distribution of Australian products, for which there must be airecfc communication with Manchester and Liverpool. A large store on the banks of the ship canal, formerly in the hands of a private company, had now been secured, and arrangements had been made so that it would be available to the public for the storage at reasonable rates of products from all parts of the world, so that these could be distributed as requited, with the minimum of handling. Seeing that the frozen meat trade was only in its infancy, and that most of the difficulties regarding it had been overcome, it might reasonably be expected that in a few years every country, both temperate and tropical, would have innumerable stores at all its chief centres for the distribution of fiozen products, and that frozen meat would to a large extent supersede in many places the old canned meats which to numbers of people were so objectionable.

Newspapers are so generally regarded as ephemeral that is is comforting to find a contrary opinion. It is the view of Dr. It. Garnett, late keeper of the printed books at the British Museum " Nothing grows in value like a newspaper; the sheets of today, which perhaps contain nothing of interest to any contemporary reader, will be priceless to the historian and antiquary of the centuries to come. Nothing so faithfully depicts an age for its successors; they are worth all the histories and all the novels. Their preservation—which involves their assemblage in one place for the sake of accessibility and of comparison with each other and with books—is a momentous trust, neglect of which would strike a heavy blow at historical, archteological, and sociological research, and inflict a grievous injury upon the ages to come."

A writer in Cassier's Magazine estimates the present aggregate money value of the British Navy. Its value about the time of Trafalgar be sets down at ten millionsa sum which we shall spend this year alone on new ships. The author of the article reckons the number of ships on the effective list at 489, and the whole value of these, it appears, is £108,000,000. We have, howeven, twenty millions pounds' worth of vessels in progress, so that the grand total would be £128,000,000.

The first great battle of the Boer war has been fought in Natal, resulting in a complete victory for the British. The Boers seem to have been outmanoeuvred, and a battle which lasted five hours culminated in the 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, Ist King's Royal Rifles, and Ist Leicestcrs, splendidly storming an almost impregnable heighth, which is described as a marvellous feat, somewhat the counterpart of Majuba Hill and the storming of the heights of Spicheren in the Franco-Prussian war. For a moment the Boers seemed inclined to stand, but they were outflanked and driven wildly down hill. The* fled precipitately, their guns being captured, and at the time of latest reports British cavalry were pursuing them in the direction of the Buffalo River. The Boer losses are 600 killed, and the British lost 10 officers and 35 rank and file, while 30 officers and 150 rank and file were wounded. The artillery and rifle firing were bad, and their distrust of General Joubert is said to account to some extent for their utter demoralisation. Parliament has sanctioned the granting of £10,000,000 as a supplementary army estimate. In moving for this vote Mr. Geo. Wyndham, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War, expressed gratification at the manner in which 19,000 troops had been mobilised and transferred to South Africa in four months. Additional troops have been sent from England, and by to-morrow 20,000 reinforcements will have sailed.