ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1160, 25 May 1894, Page 31

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

t From Our Special Correspondent, i London, March 30. 1 NEW ZEALAND FIVE TER. CENTS. 3 On Thursday last tho annual drawing of 1 bonds in connection with the New Zealand * Government five 'per cent, consols took 1 placo in tho presence of one of tho Crown Agents for the colonies and Mr John 5 Bridge, the Notary Public of the City of 3 London. In all eight hundred and thirty- * six bonds were drawn to the value of .£231,900, and upon this amount interest " ceases after April 10th next, There wero '» 72 bonds of £IOOO each, 102 of £SOO, 187 1 of £2OO and 415 of £IOO each. Tho lowest k number drawn was a four in the thousand > pounders and tho highest number 1 13,098 in tho £IOO bonds. » NEXT OF KIN AGENCIES. I should advise New Zealanders who 3 contemplate entering into negotiations _ with London Next of Kin Agencies on the strength of specious testimonials and j extracts from flattering provincial newsB paper puffs to go to work through a reB spectable local solicitor, since most of theso g agencies are conducted in a manner which £ does not render them above suspicion, and they are a very greedy lot. Their r scale of charges may seom moderate enough when you first approach them, but once fairly in the toils you have to pay a guinea for this and a guinea for that and half a one for some other trifling enquiry. You want particulars of an advertisement which appeared in a Times of a few years 3 back. The agent has simply to turn up . tho indexed book and find it —tho work of a couple of minutes —but before he will * even listen to you properly your guinea 3 must bo placed before him. And in some 7 cases ho will charge you a guinea for look--7 ing at each advertisement you may want to ’ see. A colonial friend of mine has recently 3 had some experience with those agents. He gave them all a turn and 5 finally proceeded to business with the ] one in whose book the name of the person from whom ho thought ho had “ expectations” appeared. The agent, of course, 1 had to majee certain enquiries which would take a few hours. Being busy, my friend J loft full particulars and instructions plus } a few poimds, and left tho offico with L the agent’s “manager’s” assurance that * ho would have full information in L the course of next day. Tho inter- | view took placo on the Thursday, ' but Friday and Saturday passed without my friend receiving a word from the agent. On Monday evening he wroteastiffish letter, asking why the promise of com- ' munication within 24 hours had not been | kept. To this epistle no reply was vouchsafed, and with similar cbntempt two further letters were treated. By this ! timo my friend saw he was being, as he put it, “ played with.” Tho agent wanted him to go to tho office again, believing no doubt that he could be induced to part with a little moro money by dexterous soft sawder. But the victim saw through the dodge, and instead of waiting upon the agent went down to Scotland Yard and stated his case to a ’ detective there. Tlio detective told him that his was only one of several complaints that had reached the “Yard” in connection with the agency, and advised the colonist to at once lay an information against the agent. This, however, did not at the moment suit the New Zealander’s book. He believed that the agency could supply him with important information if its principal chose to do so. So he left the “ Yard ” and straightway wrote a very warm letter of remonstrance to the i principal at his private address, hinting darkly at legal proceedings. This letter produced effect with rapidity. In the course of posts the agent wrote to say that this manager had sent him the particulars to his private residence ; together with other people’s papers on the j Friday, but unfortunately burglars had en- j tered his liouso and taken his cash box con- j taining the papers away. Would the gen- I tlcman kindly furnish fresh statements, ! &c. ! This burglary, strange to say, had j not been reported at the local police court, • and I have no hesitation in stigmatising the tale of woe as an untruth. These agents will most of them run straight | enough if approached by people (solicitors j and the like) whom they do nob deem eapa- | ble of being fooled, but if by chance their I clients show themselves to be a little bit j “green” tho majority of them do not scruple to squeeze him, even if tho squeezing might in a court of law be called “ obtaining money under false pretences.” WELLINGTON POSTAL CONFERENCE. The resolutions of the Postal Conference in New Zealand against Imperial Penny Postage have left the indomitable Henniker Keaton undismayed. An ordinary person would see in them the indefinite “ hangingup ” of the member for Canterbury’s scheme. He recognises merely bureaucratic parsimony and pig-headedness, which (a touch of temper here) “ are much the same everywhere.” The Conference, Mr Heaton points out, embodies the views, not of the colonial public, but of colonial Treasuries, and Chancellors of the Exchequer are “ much of a muchness ” all the world < over. The friends of “ federation through ; the post office ” are discouraged because : the colonial Conference has declared i against it. They might just as well have < been discouraged by the n«n possumus of \ our officials over here. Officialism (our j poor Henniker knows by bitter experience) is not tho pioneer of post office reform, but ] the obstacle to it, and chambers of com- i rnerce must keep on pegging away until 3 the obstacle is removed.

The Home papers express mild disapproval of the resolutions of the Conference. The Chronicle remarks that “if the colonies had faith in their future they would consider that cheap postage is one of the surest methods of educating the people and consolidating their interests as well

amongst themselves as with other parts of the Empire. And we believe it will not bo

many years before this is seen as clearly in tlie colonies at at Home.

The Westminster Gazette says : —“ Tho position taken up at the New Zealand Conference is absurd. Not only docs it decline to reduce the rates for postage to England, but it seeks to prevent any reduction of the rates for postage from England. What sense is there in this ? Why should tho relief of the British letterwriter be made dependent on the condition of Australian finance F”

The Financial Times says : —“The objections of tho Conference are simply a resurrection of the old objections raised when Rowland Hill first brought forward his scheme, and the absurdity of assuming that cheap rates will not stimulate communication has been amply demonstrated. If the colonies are indeed losing £40,000 by the last reduction, the loss, wo may bo sure, will not be long maintained.” The Council of tho Linen Merchants’ Association of Belfast have selected this juncture to petition the Chancellor of the Exchequer re Imperial Penny Postage, remarking “it has been proved beyond a doubt the greater number of the colonists aro anxious for this concession.” The Chancellor replied by forwarding tho resolutions of the late Postal Conference.