ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12457, 30 December 1903, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

[from OTJJt own CORRESPONDENT.] London* November 28. Mr. W. Emery Stock writes to the Morning Post calling attention to New Zealand ;as a winter resort— winter, New Zealand summer. He says: — "I had the pleasure of spending three months and a-half there last winter, and it-is impossible to express in adequate language its many and varied attractions." Mr.° Stock proceeds to give the colony an excellent advertisement.

It is stated here that an English com-' pany with a capital of £300,000 and 10 trawlers has been established for the purpose of carrying on trawling on a large scale in New Zealand waters. The company's representative states that its operations will embrace the whole of the deepsea fishing areas off the New Zealand coast. It is proposed to employ 10 trawlers, and these will be built in the colony if shipbuilders will undertake to produce vessels in accordance with the Grimsby specifications.

A correspondent of a London paper, said to have lately come from New Zealand, and to be quite a stranger in London, writes: —I was walking in Cheapside and wished to make a few purchases at a certain outfitter's, so jumped into a cab and toitl the cabby where to drive me. After driving through several side streets, he stopped at°the side entrance of the establishment. After making the necessary purchases and coming out of the front entrance, I was greatly surprised s; to find myself just at the place where I took the cab."

A long letter from Mr. J. Henniker Sea ton, M.P., appears in the Times, relating the history of the New Zealand Government's action three years ago in establishing universal penny postage, so far as that colony was concerned. lie cordially compliments New Zealand on its enlightened enterprise in taking this progressive step, and he concludes with the prediction :—" That the action of the British Government, followed by the spirited action of my friend, the PostmasterGeneral of New Zealand, will make it impossible to delay much longer universal penny postage."

On Wednesday, at the ordinary general meeting of the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company, Sir John Wolfe Barry was in the chair. He said that the gross receipts for the half year showed a decrease of £18,757. The actual falling off in the receipts from the Australasian traffic was nearly £31,000. At the present time the company was suffering from two . causes in Australia. The first was Government competition, and the second the drought, wliicn had certainly reduced the volume of business,' One cause would remain, but the other, there was every reason to hope, would pass away.

Evidently the War Office does move sometimes, even though movement may be so slow as to be almost imperceptible. Nearly six mouths ago I sent you word that response to representations made by Mr. Beeves, the War Office had promised that for the future frozen meat for troops in garrison in Great Britain should be from British colonies. Yesterday the general commanding at Aldershot issued an order that all frozen mutton for the troops should be of colonial origin. This has now been telegraphed to the press all over the country, and appears in this morning's papers. The Pro-Boer Free Trade Press calls it "an extraordinary order." :

How keen is the competition existing between the Eastern Extension Cable Company and the Pacific . cable was illustrated last Saturday, when what has been described as " a remarkable cable record" was established. In fact both lines made a new record in their race to secure supremacy for lightning telegraphing of big events from Australia. Both companies were handed the identical message at Sydney at six p.m., giving the close-of-play score in the cricket match of New South Wales against the English team. Both companies take Sydney time as exactly 10 hours ahead of that of London, and the result of the race was that the Eastern Telegraph Company delivered their result message in London' at thirteen minutes past eight, the time of transmission being thus inirteen minutes —an absolute record for a public message from . Australia. The Pacific telegram, sent over the new route and re-transmitted over the Anglo line, was less than one minute behind ; while the press messages on this latter line also came through within the hour. The efforts of the two companies and the marvellous celerity with .which they are now handling messages from New Zealand and Australia are creating great interest in the telegraphic world.

Last Tuesday the annual general meeting of the proprietors of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company was held at the head office of the company, 54, Castlestreet, Edinburgh. In moving the adoption of the report the chairman (Mr. Robt. Stewart) referred first to the long drought in Australia, and then turned to the New Zealand estates, which, he said, showed an increased profit of £27,677. During the year 8136 acres of freehold had been sold at an average price of £5 lis lOd per acre, which he was pleased to say gave a surplus of £1724 15s 9d over book value. The deficit on land sales was now £66,157 16s, against £67,882 12s last year. During tl'e past year excellent prices for all fat and store stock had prevailed in New Zealand, and there had been nonnecessity to seek another market. With the exception of 3200 lambs which were sold in London, the whole of the company's surplus stock had been sold in the colony. Owing to the reduced quantity of wool available, and a strong demand for crossbred qualities, prices had risen considerably, and at the present time both merino and crossbred wools were at a higher point than they had together attained for a long time. The year's clip of 12,067 bales had averaged £13 14s 4d per bale, being £2 13s Id more than the average of the previous year. While the wool sold in London was less by 936 bales as compared with last year, the wool account showed an increase of £30,320. The finances of the company were entirely satisfactory. , The motion was seconded by Mr. William Couper, and carried unanimously.