ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11307, 28 December 1898, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

'.;.[.■ ".'" "X ■ £o^o^Sl|?|rSbe|^W: 'In the C^ncery^Diyision^fSi|^:^gh?'G^': of Justice on' Saturday I^B|ll'C^|Kß|fee SfiW i sanctioned'; a petition•■ oiJrjfti^^^fSft&S^t? Zealand and Kivp:'-Pla||'^a|^jMw|^^ Company for a reductiofijoftiW* cMrcrfc?! ■ £2,000,000,, in £iLO slia*^pt;^iJni' N of^P* l; '' share being' paid up, ipMttlie exjP^!on>,?* 500 shares on wliich B'qaTe'l£23'6 .ha*dS§e?\ scribed.:, The rcductib^^as:);tof^)9fto>.^ 0t) '< tho reduction, tio bo effected by 6^e?l' D? **?." called capital".to the/ißxjent of fiffer'shar^', Cheap .cable ratesttfive iotig^feeft'.the^orjp ■ Now wo hoar talfclfif^endiSjffessage?s^?* London tt> New'ZoMaJpa ,lot)y<ms^|^ord. ; Mr Hennjker Heato'^wliojiwife^ constitutents. at ,^ntSrliurl.liS3>rni^de the'; : announcement tlfoi':hißTne.x{B^^.e|tprt:.^in:. be to establish/j^i^«^^<^^^'<^|>V^slPftv'tion between eyisry paitpfc;W'EmpJT*»; ■;r ;^ ; All London's Ip'§nrtyfd&ilfeVJth;t% exception of.tlie>'StanSard:l-t(br'.aßvbte«avweekly: article to.i^'BntMn*J^y^A;the^Sßtis.'/. 3 And t New : Zealand»^re'^uenii3y*c6upies no/, iricon-;. sidorabl6 v-.«;fplacsVffoitetoa|i6r!ißerves vp v a summaiy' of •■sos jtM ''• fiinddcrlt^tli tf .statement * of.: the VMiiiife^'^for^ands ''-that' whatevef'• he'i jiad"••■ dbne lie' %M'. :iievar rubbed nose? witliv'lSLo.ttie,Spais;"1 and tlie scene be-' ttfeou Mr Taylor and }a Ward, which ended in Mr Taylor bein£ 'gianie'd" and censured1, b gIIOW JIOW thij New/Zealand Parliament has • deteriorated., Aiiothfe Writer refers to Mr Seddon's."triumplia/'a«i«?f.tsa" by a select committee. So it iffll'/bo seen Ihftt though New Zealand ip.'io^iar removed from: London, dirty linen cannot be in the colony ...without.ii6ws- of* it reaching even here, and that-very often in a^ono-siided jnann'er. ' Mri'rederickff. Moss, late British Resident at Rarotbivga; lias, in The Tinie'S, B«en raiiting .tKe^'Philiitines, in the form of "The aS Tative"Rsvcns' .Liquor Traffic United odrn- ( miUßSi'|!''riii« body, in its report, had a reference ito the"Codk. Inlands, the paragraph; slating," in effect, thai — tho Kative Parliament "Jiod decided upon prohibition) but the British llesidout, though he. at first agreed that liquor was demoralising the natives, afterwards adopted- the view that regulation aloneavas preferable in thn interests of foreign residents, which regulation, unfortunately, had increased the import of liquor from 700. dollars to 4500 dollars a year."- A greater number of lnis-statements, Mr. Moss says', could scarcely havo been crowded into the same space. He then gives his version. When he went to the islands theM was1 ■'•'nominal' piohibition," but no machinery exialfld for enforcing it, while very few (if any) .of the' natives were total abstainers, or; wanted total prohibition. Tho ,result was tho law was a complete dead letter, and in 1890 ■"the.vilest rum was openly landed' by the quarter-casks and openly sold in 19 known house's and shanties where nativeE—men and women-^wara to be seen drunk at all hours and in all places.'' Regulation of the traffic was accordingly substituted for this " aham prohibition," and the denial is emphalie tliat the change was made Yin tho interests of the foreign residents." I am inclined to-, think, however, that Mr Moss's letter will cause a flutter by.reason of cc-rtain statements made not altogether in disproof of the N.R.L.T.U. Committee's report. The figures given as to liquor imports intothc group, Mr Moss declares to be " glaringly incorrect," and he previously exposed tneih when the error was first made bya New Zealand prohibition paper, taking five months in 1591 as a whole year. He also says'it is true the Arikis grant liquor permits I for a trifling consideration, which i.hey put ' into their own pockets—if they have any. But, and here is tho sting, he adds that those chiefs "are not only of high rank, and powerful by reason of their office, but are high officers in the Mission Church! But the missionaryl in the present case thought his duty was done by throwing the blame and responsibility on the British Resident, • M-hd had no direct power of any kind, • either for legislation or: administration." The import of wines, spirits, and taer. Mr Moss claims; be" has confined ' almost entirely to Europeans, but the natives get secret a-nd prohibited manufactured liquor by the fermer.tatiori' of orangesi bananas, and pineapples. Withlthis evil "the British Resident is poWerless to interfere in any form, and the mission seems equally helpless, although with a, large Staffof native pastors, as. well as a pov/erful congregational committee, at its disposal."', On the 29th inst. the fourth annual general' meeting of the- New Zealand Loan and* Mercantile Agency Company is to b'O'hekl, and mr 'their report' for tho year.'endnd 30tu/June .the-directors'state that the balance sheet arid > profit and loss account show that flte -pony 1 pah'y has earned;,' the. sum/:df £W6,'6ii.';' Th<v: result of the year's working shows, after payment' of interest on the prior lien and second debenture1 stock, a deficiency of £4516". This, adiled to the debit balance brought for\,varc| from 1897,, makes' a total deficiency"'©! '£6Ti3: The. revenue has been adverselj1-' affected; by the fourth consecutive year of-drought in Atistralia ; otherwise the produee'and agency business of the company has been well niaihtniried. ..• ' ' 'v' " ;' ■ "Blame anyone you can " seoms to Be the plan adopted by those caught'in' -wrong doing —all tho better if you frame" this;1 blame -So that there cari! hardly "h& a reiply; So New Zealand sometimes becomes the scapegoat for thing 6of which she is innocent. I have' a strong ppinioh that this was tho case this' week, at Lambeth' Police Court, when afirm was summoned for selling " rabbit flesh" unfit for food. To.appreciate the tent) you must understand that in the lower parts.- of London, whore they p'annot'afford to buy a whole rabbit,, joints are sold just as they'are of mutton, beef, or. pork. • The retailor's excuse in this case was that the rabbits were; "New Zealand, and discoloured quickly." The magistrate firied him £20, and costs; or rather more than' £1 for 11!) of rabbit offered for sale:; asking at the came time"if New Zealand' rabbits Were ever good by the time they got to this country. Whether; these'rabbits were from, the colqny or not it is impossible' to say; but this I can.say: that every .con-, signmentj that roaches London is carefully inspectedi and nothing but the good allowed to go out. If as much care wore taken in the colony, the New. Zealand rabbit .would'beat' everything in its line. Mr Registrar Hope on Wednesday grant-eel the discharge from bankruptcy of.Messrs. C. C. and G. Hopkinson, bankers, whoso.probate, claims were put. down, at £190,552,..and asset?, at £206,000, so that creditors were promised 20s in tho pound. The assets' include. ;"it is ui!der3tood, the value of the Mokau estate. Mr C. C. Hopkinson being one of tile gentlomen "Labby." has entered the lists against in the interests of'Mr Jo3hua Jones. Professor G, B. 'IJawes, F.R.S., at a meet-i-i» of tlie Zoblpgical Society on Wednesday.last, exhibited a series of. embryos aiid living eggs of the Tuatnra lizard,. which he had received from Trofessor Pondy, of' Christ.' church, for tlifi purposa of working .out. Hie' developments of-the skelotqn. These lizards, it was explained, arc'of extreme interest, as being tho sole survivors of a group lon X extinct. ~ , . ~ . It is ofßcially -announced l)y. the t.auacliar. Steamship Company that the first of a new lino of steamers will sail .from' Milford. or. December, 7. next for Paspebiac, a new pori north of Prinoe Edward's Island, and .300 | r.iiles-oast.of Quebec. This; port claims tVic advantage of beina free from Newfoundland' fogs, and i.« accessible at all tirrie3 of the ysar." The route, is nearly 1000 miles lp.« than fro'ih Liverpool to Nev/'-Torlr, and vessels• like tho Lucania can do the distance in four days fj;oin port-to port. To April 1 the soryice will jw carried on by 14-knot boats, doing tho trip';in from six to seven dayb, or a saving of 43 hours as compared-with any other service-between England and Canada. After.the date named 17-knot boats will be put on. The..company are negotiating with tho postal authorities for a mail sonico which.will bring Quebec two days nearer. London than at present, and thi? may ail'ect the Australian and New Zealand--services. • ' _-, Sir Edward Fiy, ex-judge of the Higlr Court of Juatice," in. a powerful articlooir "Conciliation'i»:id' Arbitration," deals'with New Zealand's'code of labour laws. He regards tlio logialafion as experimental, and as not calculatwil to remove, or even to shako, thu common se:iso objections to compulsory' arbitration, which is said to " render the process impossible on this side." He shows how tho''laws,, which he reirards as, one-sided, '"may be Svorked to the -injury off.tho:,eni' ployer, and he seeks in vain for. anything. lin the act which would- avert, this kind of. iniustioo." He also "doubts whether the: of--fect.of tiio act may not-be to drive capital from the colony.'- ■ •■■[■ - ■ Next year, in .consequence of tho.erection of' the C.C. and T). Co.'s new cold stores on-the Manchester Ship' Canal, will, it is oxpected; see shipments of frozen mutton "from "New Zealand and Australia direct to Cottonopolis. Further, tho Manchester Guardian points out that new smelting works nre being built.near Kllesmore Port, and when they are finished IHerS willbe a constant demand for Australasian ores—a kind of enrgo that.will afford a very wolcomo "stiffening" for ships 'laden with light and bulky merchandise, such (is wool and refri.enrnt.cd produce. So there may bo a chance for Tnvnnaki yet. Recently I met Mrs Goorge H. Oatway, of Dunedin, who arrived in the mother country come little lime-back. She told motfiat she and her. daughter had boon.xpondiiifr.tho summer with friends in Devonshire, nnd has now settled down for the proEont at.Hisliirat^ —the hilly, and salubrious northorn suburb of Lou'don. . ~''.. ■-:...- Mr Donald Keid, of Milton, I am glad to learn, has quito recovered, and is now walking: about, os-hc-sayst.'" quite woll." ; Tho rapirlily. of his recovery,-after so severe an operation; is littlo short of inn.rvp.Uous. ■■■■■■■■■■■■: Among rpoont victims to binyclo pirates in Mr W. P. Hooves. As a rule. Uib Acerrigeneral rides his wheel to Victoria street, Snd onn dny this week, as usiinl', l«ft li;s'vu«h).no insitlo the'Aßency-;;rnprßl buililiß?:; 'but or.t-

Mid*'his own office, v One of .the prowlers whd [iWaiiftt Loftdon' entered throigli the. frpnt doors1 Ktef?6outse, with an excuse ready should he be %cpsted), but no one beiiig about for the Pnipinent, he-easily,appropriated the : -•bike I S.nd rode off with it. ; . ; ;■,,,,:.;...., . - 5 JiJTS Coote, widow of Major ■ Coote,. who .wai"'formerly weil-khown in' New Zealand, dial recohtly'at- her residence in :S'ussex.- J > 1 understand that..her*ilbaess;waa :of' short dura- - 'itibn,1 and the end iomewhat-sudden, v .: ~i '■■• /; ''--' The persona? estate of the late Mr, James,,'-,-, 'Temple, 'iflanagiriK. director of the Shaw, Savill.'and Albion Company, has been valued 'at £195;975, and the Rrosjj value has been esti-"' 'mated at £199,450 for the.whdlo estate; : ; Bishop Wilson left-for New Zealand, on his ivay back to his. diocese, yesterday. .:-. In tho list' of successful competitors for ' scholarships atCa.mbridge;there' appears tho .' name of Mr Leo B. 0. Greenwood, of Can-^ terbufy" CollegeT New' Zealand, whcTtttes the; 'iTiaurence Sauiiders .Scholarship of £80 for :ilas)^C6.at King's College?: He".w.a- son zi *fr •JKratam. Greenwood, ,'ma ' only recently, arrived in this country. He had intended -to compete .seriously for >the scliolarship tins year,'as he had.gaot been in .good healfcli lately, * but meant to go. up, next year. His coach,- , however, advised him to go in for tho .examinar "tion.'justas a sort of trial-trip, or a,test-of,his-: powers, also that ho might see what tlie examination was like. -Much to his owa'sur-., 'prise,' be came out with 'flying: colours-asva winnferof't-he'-scholbrshipy'- r -."•.-■•'•-' ■■'■'■ \"' : f:'i