OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11113, 14 May 1898, Page 2

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(From, Our Own Correspondent.) London, Match 25. THE MEAT TRADE. A meeting called b? Messr« Weddel and Cff of the holders of New Zealand lamb was held on Wednesday, the 25rd inst., afc Smithfield, for the purpose of endeav ouricg to check the present downward tendency in prices. Atter a full diseußsiou it wpft finally resolved that holders should endeavour to procure 4-ijd perlb ! for the prirnest Canterbury lamb. Duriug the ! discussion it wbs poiotod out that the reason I for the fall in prices w#n chiefly due, to the meat j being conßigDed to too many agents here. Of course that 15 tbe same story which we have heard for years past. No workable plan has yet been. devited to meet tho difficulty and to place the New Zealand meat trade on a sounder basis. Iv connection with me New Zealand mutton and lamb trade, I called on Mr Thomas Maci kenzie, the London manager of tbe New Zea- ! land Farmers' Association. During tho 18 1 I months he has been in London he h»8 devoted j I much time and enerjrv to the New Zealand meat trade. He showed m« a scheme which I Ihe had beta working to make thiDgs bstteh j The plan is certainly a bold and original one, and some of tbe proposaln which he will submit are certainly drastic. Still, I believe that] nothing short of what he proposes will meet the j j case. He has gone to n great deal of trouble over tha scheme, and bo* thought out its details well. It is to be hoped that he will follow; it up, and that he will ha well supported, because I believeif it is' successfully carried'out great good will result to the New Zealand meat producers. MR HOLMES'S MISSION. It is very gratifying to notice that Mr John 1 ! Holmes has already p'oved to the colony tbe j benefit of his visit to England. For instance, I substantial orders have, 30 Mr Holmes tells me, I been already despatched to New Zealand r'or j regular supplies of New Zealand flax at much improved prices. Kecently, while dining at the House of ' Commons rcitu Sir Thomas Esmond, that ' gentleman expressed tc Mr Holmes the great j pleasure ho experienced upon hearing of the i advanca that New Zealand was making in Us import and export tradea. Sir Thomas Esmond j introduced Mr Holmes to Mr J. Dillon, M.P., I and to Mr E. Blaks, both of whom spoke in ; glowing terms about New Zealand, and were anxious to be, of any service to the colony. Through Sir Thomas Esmond, Mr Holmes became acquainted with Mr Horace Plunkefcfe, M.P., who 13 president of the Irish Agricui- I tural Organisation bocisty. Mr Horace ] Plunkett, according in Sir Thomas Esmond.. | took aa much interest in the economic development of Ireland as Mr Holmes did of New Zoaland. Mr Horace Plurkett expressed a wish to hear all about New Zealand, remarking at the same time that although Ireland, so far aa he ! himself was concerned, was bis chief | interest, jet he. felt tbat the claims of tbe | colony were equally prominent, especially a* j supplies of much of tha produce arriving from New Zealand reached here in the off-season t aud he considered that Great Britain should look to the colonies before Denmark, France, and other countries. In reply to inquiries as ;

to how Now Zealand could keep up an extended trade with Ireland. Mr Holmes pointed out to him that as New Zealand largely imported Iriah linen, lace, and other fabrics, in return the Irish ropemaliers might purchase New Zealand flax, which was suitable for I binders, twine, cordage, plough reins, &c. [ Beside, the Belfast Rojje Company had already found a profitable outlet for their manufactures in New Zealand. Mr Holmes also referred to the iact that | funds accumulated by in9uranco and other cooperatious in Ireland would find a profltable and absolutely Raft; investment in the Britain of the Sonth. lv answer to further inquiries [ on fcbe psrt of Mr Plunk»tt how ho could beat put the qdestion forward, Mr Holmes suggested * that the Irish Chambers of Commerce and Industrial Association, and last, but not least,,the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (of which Mr Plankett was president) should be conluiunicated with. THE NEW ZEALAND CONCILIATION AND ARBITEATION ACT. Those papers by Mr W. Steadmsn Aldis and Mi? F. G. Ewlngton on the New Zealand Labour Conciliation' Act have elicited some very sharp attacks on the Agent-general for New Zealand with regard to hi» frequent eulogies of the act which is now declared to have proved a disastrous failure. Let there be no misatitierßtanding hero—l am not expressing any opinion an to whether the acb has been a success or the reverse, or as.to whether Mr W. P. Kerns was tight or wrong, prudent or imprudent, in proclaiming its merits go frequently j and so loudly. I , But certain journals, possibly node too well disposed towards the introduction of the New Zealand policy into this country, have implicitly accepted the adverse statements made, and upon such acceptations have founded some articles of an exceedingly strong—not to say offensive-— character. For instance, the Scotsman, in the course of a leading article, reniar'ks :— "Ai a Fabian Socialist, and as the author of the scheme, Mr Reeves ought from tho first to have been regarded as a biassed witness ; but if we are to beliteve the testimony of other New Zealand authorities, the description 116 gave of the Working of the iict is worsa than biassed—it is essentially false." lam rather surprised to fiad the usually dignified and temperate Scotsman indulging in such an expression as "essentially false." I rather, anticipated that Mr Reeves would make rather a sharp reply to this attack, but he-tells me that he does not feel called upon to take notice of anything couched in such rude language. He Considers that he has stated the case from his point of view with sufficient fulness in the letter to the Times which I quoted last week, atid that, So far As* lie can judge at present, it will not be necessary for him to deal futther taifch the matter. : . ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES. The shipment of frozen, trout which was «ent from New Zealand by the s.s. Otartvma, arrived in London on Wednesday last, Sndis to be exhibited at the Aquarium. According to my latest information the fish have not yet been landed, owing to the large quantities of general cargo from Wellington which had been placed on top of it. It is expected, however, that it will be landed to-day. - ■ About 91 ov<Slook last Monday mbrnihg s. fire waa dieeovered on board the S.B.A. Company's s.s. Matakuaj wfaioh was lying off the Thames is the Royal Albert Dock basin, North Woolwich* I learn upon inquiry that the damage to the cargo is not thought to be great, while the ship itself has only suffered Blight damage to the insulator.l!. .-.'■' GENfeaAL. "A New Zealand Midland Debentureholder" writes to the Financial Times as follow^.:—''A receiver Was appointed several months ago to represent the debentUfe^holders t)f the New Zealand Midland Railway Company (Limited), whose property has been confiscated in such an extraordinary manner by the NBW Zealand (Jovernmebt. Nothing, to my knowledge, has been heard from that gentleman since his appointment; and I can only hope that an appeal through your valuable columns may elicit aorno response from him. Mo3t of us, I fanoyj. would like to know who ia to be blamed for the preafent state of affairs." Apparently the engagement of Lady Augtista Boyle to Mr Orr-E»iug, M.P., is Hot to be a long one, for it is announced that the marriage will take'place on the 28th of oexb month. The ceremony will be performed at Bt. Columbian Episcopal Church,. Largs. Lady Augusta has already received a number of valuable presents, and illuminated addresses will ba presented to her by iha - tenants of her- father^ Lord Glasgow. Mr-C. L. Margoliouth, who, for some years past, has carried on the attractive office in New Oxford street' whiob. bears ia such prominent characters s'New Zealand and Suushine," is about to pay a visit to New Zealand, and will leave nexb week by tho s.s. K>.ikoura. Ha ■intends to spend- about 12 mouths in the colony, largely.With the object of endeavouring to establish a system of colonisation and immigrk- I tion on a batter basis so far as New Zealand is concerned. It appears, from what Mr Margoliouth* tells toe,, that them is a widespread impression in England that newcomers are nob wanted in Now Zealand, but that the policy of the present Government ia "New Zealand forthe New Zealandersj" and that no others need apply. He ' tells me he has had applications from fully a thousand different pardon* who were anxious to settle in New Zealand if anything like-suitable opportunities were afforded them. Many of these would have made good and, valuable colonists, but iv the absence of inducements frohi New Zealand tnWof tham have gone elsewhere. Bo he means to make a, tour right through the. colony, and to ascertain 'frOm the public generally, outside of Government influence, what the "real state of tiojiular feeling is, and whether there is this di,»ihcllna<tion tp any increase of the population from without that appears to be conveyed by the course of action adopted by the Government. Some ingenious person haa started io assiduously^ disseminate a rapott thai; .Riwei, who, with his wife, toured trnd lectured in this country two Or' three yeaiS back, and <*ho was generally known as " the Maori evangelist,1' is dead. 'At .first sight there might) not! Stem much inducement to set such a sboty afloat, but there are ingeniouV people riowad&yPj and to one oi these the idea has occurred of trading on Rawei's name and success by carrying on a movement to raise funds oniensiuly for ths furtherance ef hi» mission. And this is either being done at the present time, Or was going on very lately, notwithstanding -the assurauce given that Rawei was not at all doad yeb. ;„ Have colonial readers of the "New Review" noticed, I wonder, some very able articles on Imperialism which are purported to be written by "M. do Thierry"? These articles and other*.iu different papers from the samo ablo pen Have attracted much attention, and I may add admiration, on acciunt of the force and grasp they display. Now, da Thierry is a name well known in Now Zealand, and is prominently connected .with New Zealand history, but I learn on good authority that in the present case it is simply tha ntm de plume of an exceedingly clever young lady from New Zealand, who, without any introductions whatever, but simply by sending her contributions experimentally to various papers, has already obtained a firm footing in the English press, aud.is likely to go still further. I regret to say that I ata nob permitted to disclose the young lady's true name, but if any of my colonial readers" gueas it, that of course will uot bo my fault. I may add that her articles from the " New Review " are about to be published as a separate pampblst, with a speoial preface by the editor of the '• New Review." The Rev. Leonard M. Isitt, enthusiast as he is in the cause of temperance, doei not by any means ignore more ordinary concern?. He has been talking freely about; New Zealand to various interviewers, to whom he stated that things in ,the colony are distinctly improving, and that the dairy industry has brought immense benefit to the small farmers during the ladb nine or tea years. He has had many long talks with farmers in various parts of this country. " I cannot Understand," said Mr Isitt to one interviewer, " how with rents down and farms lying idle, we, with much higher wages to pay and the Cost of transport to face, can pour thousands of pounds worth of butter into this country every year,, and your men with a market at their doors cannot make it a pay* iag business.' Frankly I ascribe it to the coneervatisin or obßtinscy—call it which you like— of the British farmer and his lack of co-opera-tion one with another. Mr and Mrs W. S. Pillans, of Clutha, who, with their son, have recently arrived in this country, tnwe now gone to Edinburgh, after having spent about a week in London. Their aon is to study medicine in that northern city.

MOTHERS, DO YOU REALISE how your little ones suffer when their tender skins are literally on fire with itching and burning eczemas and other itching, scaly, and blotchy akin and scalp humours? To know that a warm bath with Gimcuiu ■ Soap and a single anointing of Cuticura, purest of emollient skin cures, will, in the great majority of cases, afford instant relief, permit rest and sleep, and point to a permanent and economical (because ao speedy) cure, and not to use them without a moment's delay, is to fail in your duty. No greater legacy cun be bestowed upon a child than a akin without blemish and a body nourished with pure lood.-19 — A device for preventing collisions between ships has recently been patented. It consists of a telescope jib extending out in front of the vessel, which slidos inward when touched by any object, and eomplotes an clectriu circuit to rovnrse the engines and turn the rudder to alter tho course of the ship. The following testimonial speaks for itself :— Mr Alexander Millar (the well-known vocalist), Chriatchurob, writes: " I was indnced to try your Cinnamon Cure for a severe cold, frora which I wall suffering, and found extreme relief therefrom. Shortly afterwards I administered a. few doses to a youngster of mine who wan suffering from croup. The spasms were almost immediately relieved, and the following morning he appeared to be pertectly well." W. P. Xowne'nd, pharmaceutical chemi»fc, 185 Colombo street, Chrintchuroh,—Advfc.