ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12545, 12 April 1904, Page 3

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

( [from OUE OWN" .correspondent.] . London, March 4. Mr. R. M. Houston writes a lengthy reply in tho Belfast News Letter to the observations made some time ago by Mr. John S. Wilson, who was " disgusted with New Zealand." ' The tidy little sum of £15,000 lias been received by the Lord Mayor of London as New Zealand's contribution to the memorial to the late Queen Victoria, now in course of erection in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace. Mr. Reeves handed over a cheque for tho amount stated at the beginning of this week. , Emigration from the United Kingdom to the colonies last year having been greater than in the previous year, except in the case of Australia and New Zealand, the Daily Chronicle asks: "Is this exception accounted fo. by the drought or by the antiimmigration policy of the Labour party which dominates Australasian Parliaments V'

Competition for the New Zealand and West Coast port steamship trade has begun in earnest. The Shaw, bavili. and Albion Company were early in the field, and on Wednesday another now steamship service was inauguarted between Glasgow and New Zealand ports by the Tyser line. The ports to be traded with are Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Otago. The rates will be akin to those charged from London.

Last Wednesday a special meeting of the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand, was held at Salisbury House,. London Wall. Its object -was to confirm as a special resolution the resolution .passed ot the ordinary' general meeting held on February 10., The motion embodied a proposal to substitute new regulations for those which had existed liithorto. The resolution was formally moved by Lord Ebury (who was in the chair); it was seconded by Mr. John Morrison, and adopted.

Answering a telegram from the Lord Mayor of Mauchesfei asking 1 that Manchester, as the largest distributing centre in the Kingdom, should be included in the list of ports to which a regular line of steamers from New Zealand, via the Ship Canal, is to call under agreement with the Naw Zealand Government, Mr. Seddon has cabled that, although the contract has been signed, he had referred the subject to the Federal Company's representative,, and that it. was Just possible that the latter might accept, if cargo was offered and if the canal permitted the vessels calling at Manchester.

The British Postmaster-General announces (hat lie has made an arrangement with the Government of New Zealand whereby postal orders issued in the United Kingdom at the existing .rates of poundage will bo payable in New Zealand. British postal orders payable in the United Kingdom and at various British offices in the Mediterranean will also bo obtainable in New Zealand, but this part of the arrangement will not come into force till early next month. The PostmasterGeneral hopes that, similar arrangements may shortly be concluded with India and the colonies generally, so that it may soon be possible to transmit small sums throughout the Empire at very low. charges.

Paper-? relating to the proposed adoption of a metric system of weights and measures for use within the Empire have been published this week after presentation to Parliament.- In September. 1902, Mr. Chamberlain transmitted to the Governors of colonies a copy of the resolution in favour of the system adopted by the Conference of Colonial Premiers' in London, and die replies now published indicate that the colonies favourable to its adoption include New Zealand, Ausivrallia. the Cape, Transvaal, and Orange River Colony. Canada lias not yet replied, and Natal's answer is indefinite. The system is already in use in Mauritius and Seychelles.

Tr. will probably cheor up the shareholders in the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company to hear that the Bill promoted by that company for giving effect to the scheme for dealing with the trustees' preference shares and certificates litis been passed as unopposed by the Select Committee of the House of Lords, which had it; under consideration on Tuesday in this week. It must not be imagined, however, that the opposition to the Bill has been abandoned, but the clear and temperate and fair statement of the case made by the directors has undoubtedly conciliated criticism in p. large degree and may yet prove successful in .securing the* passage of the measure.

A new league. and one which should have pood results has just been established. It is called the Victoria i<eague, and has for its president Lady Jersey, while Lady Twcedniouth is its vice-president, and the members of the Agricultural Committee are: Lady Wan (a ire, the Hon. Mrs'. Ivor Maxse, Miss Violet Brooke-Hunt, Lord Jersey, Mr. Charles A dearie, Mr. H. C. Cameron (New Zealand Produce Commissioner), Mr. .1. G. Colmer, and Mr. 11. H. Row. Miss Muriel L. Talbot is the secretary. The league, which is established ''to support and assist any scheme leading to more intimate understanding between ourselves and our fellow subjects in 0111 great ,colonies and dependencies." has appointed this committee with the special object of promoting mutual intercourse between farmers in all party of the Empire. In pursuance of this end the committee is endeavouring to arrange for the reception of colonial farmers who are visiting the Mother Country, and to provide them with opportunities of seeing British agriculture in its varied aspects, under the most favourable conditions. Reliable correspondents of the Victoria League in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and other parts of the Empire will furnish farmers proposing to visit the United Kingdom with credentials to the office of the league in London, and those who aro thus vouched for will be welcomed. It is stated by the secretary that the committee of the league is preparing a list of agriculturists in various parts of the United Kingdom who would be willing to welcome one or more colonial farmers for a short period and to afford the visitors facilities for seeing the farming of their districts. The ''Committee has already received offers of co-operation which encourages its members to believe that they may rely with confidence on the goodwill and sympathy of farmers in this respect. They do not suggest that any remuneration should be offered for the time and trouble which will necessarily be involved, but a moderate charge will be arranged for in respect of the cost of board and lodging. It is desirable that the list of farms to be visited should comprise, as far as possible, all classes of farming, e.g.. corn growing, stock breeding, grazing, dairying fruitgrowing, vegetablegrowing, etc.," and should embrace small as well as large holdings. With this object a form Is provided on which particulars may be given which will enable the committee to classify the list, accordingly. The committee invites the co-operation of owners and occupiers of land in its attempt to ensure that colonial kinsfolk should see British agriculture under its most favourable aspects, and as practised by its most progressive and enterprising exponents. The office of the Vietoria League is at Dacre House, Victoriastreet, London.