ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11779, 7 July 1900, Page 10

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From: Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 2. Australians generally, and - New Zea- • tenders in particular, axe wondering why it was that no stall for colonial produce' was allowed at tho National Bazaar. Lady jSelso.ii and Mrs W. V. iieaves had taken iip tha idea wajnily, and on placing the ] natty;:- beioro ihe General Committee sanelion' was given. 'J'iiere was no intention, i-may Kay, of making the stall a New Zealand one solely. . (Jii permission being given, Mr. At. O. 'Jamtruii, the .New produce commissioner in London, then interviewed, nearly" all, il not all, tlie . wholesale houses in. 'iooluy street and Smithfield-who-deal- in colonial produce. Unanticipated:success at-' tended Ins efforts, and he secured, promisesfur' produce worth over £200 .at wholesale m-ices—mutton,'.lamb, butter, cheese, - tinned fruits, and, in fact,... nearly., everything which the colonies .send -to this country. Not only so, but Messrs John Rose and Company,' one of the largest dealers in frozen meat, and Messrs Hudson arid Company, the well-known produce merchants, each gave .the services of • one of their best men .so that the stall should bo made as attractive as possible.. At the last moment, however,, just when- everything was in readiness, the committee sent anintimation, that the stall could not be' permitted. No one knows .why.,-. The consequence was.that nia-iiy of the,largest donors withdrew their gifts; while, with regard to those .who did not, Mr Cameron had to.find customers as best he' could, with the result that sdme £30 goes to the ■ coffers ■of the • bazaar fund, instead of probably ten times as much. . •' " Many compliments have : been . paid to New Zealand and its contingents during the .past -few months, but 'few have been more gracefully put. than the one ' uttered by;.Sh George White,- the ;defender of Ladyssuth. Speaking a few. evenings ago, he said he had "not bad the good luck to command New Zsalanders or Canadians," but those colonials who had been under him •he had found .splendid. Evidently .those who have had to do with the colonials think it a piece of great good luck-to have New-Zealanders with them. i I notice that the Council' of the Institute of Journalists, in their most.recent report, * state that " the reply of the New- Zealand Institute- of -Journalists.- to the. proposed onditions of •affiliation '..is- still" awaited."' Those conditions were prepared, it. will be remembered, at the request' of the New Zealand Institute and approved by the council in July, 1899. • :- Up to ■ the present .time-little has resulted from the' appointment of the committee formed a short tinie ago to go. into the question of delay caused by the multiplicity of marks on frozen mutton. ; The deliberations of this body are distinctly deliberate. The Frozen Meat Association is also moving in the matter of seeing that the discharge of vessels carrying meat is attended to properly, and adequate attention, is drawn" to the defects in the.' system. What appears ,to be wanted ', is a man, vested with some authority, who- is recognised by the : steamship companies, .to look after the discharge of the ships and see that things are done correctly. The shipping companies at present malce certain arrangements, but often these are- neghfeted. For instance, I was this week told 6i a case in which the awnings—very useful with a strong sun—were hanging " any- ■' how,," and consequently, were of no iise at all.' '•' Then .men > threw the carcases'about as it they were so many bags of flour or sand,, and crack goes a leg here: and another there.' These remarks apply, perhaps, to one line more than to another, which to name would not be altogether wise. ".■■•-■-■' A sporting writer says : —" The New Zea- - land Steamship Company's s.s.'.Papanui took, out Phoebus Apollo, a- descendant of St. Simon,' consigned to Mr T. Morrin's Auckland stud, and three young mares for another New Zealand breeder. ■ These are Saucer, 4yrs, by Sorcerer. (son of Ormonde)., out of.Angola; Otterden, 4yrs, by Sheen-, out of Spring Morn;, and Stresa, 3yrs, ; by Orvieto, otit of St. Mildred, ; by ' St. Simon.. These beautifully-bred mares 'will certainly make a mark in New Zealand; if they get there safely and- have reasonable .luck. Another equine passenger on the same steamer was Mr Gollari's horse The ■ Possible, who was never able here to reproduce his true form." " • In the House of Lords this week the Colonial Marriage Validation Bill passed its second reading, the object of-the - measure being to ; make valid in this : country marriage with/a deceased wife's sister, contracted h)' the colonies, where such marriages are legal. It .will,, however, not be altogether unexpected if the bilhis thrown ,/ut on the .third reading. In the first division list Lord Glasgow, was' stated to .have voted-for-the measure; the. following Say's Times, however, published a correction, and stated that your. ex-Governor, voted against it. "Very widespread-interest is"felt iji the matter, which .has assumed a: somewhat fresh phase through a very able letter addressed for', -the -.Agentrgeneral 'for New. South'.-Wales to The Times/in which. h^> points ■ out tfiat the Queen gaye her Royal assent unconditionally to the colonial acts authorising -the marriage .of a--mar. with the sister of .his-deceased wife, and Cat - those'acts, thus accorded the force of Imperial law, declare that every such marriage " shall be deemed and. is hereby declared to have been and .to''be valid, and of full force arid" effect, any' law or^ custom, to. the contrary notwithstanding." \He-points out that the scope of. the act'si vali'litj ■ was not limited by the Crown,' while it is declared "by the -act .itself to be vk-tuniiy imlimitcd.'" He contends, therefore, that such marriages are already lawful and valid in any part of the Empire if they have Hen contracted within colonies where these acts are enforced ; and' that Lord Strathcona's bill is only needed, for'the purpose <>f making this absolutely.'clear; and' of -providing an auth'orita-fcive interpretation. ••■■■■, According to the-. St." James'; Gazette, . " Australia and New Zealand may now be said to be. definitely asunder." This apparently is founded iipon some, statements in an Australian paper that MrSeddon is a"monumental blitberer," and- that New Zealand is " the -'"Judas of the colonies." This, the St. James' Gazette thinks, is due to the action taken- in regard to the Commonwealth Bill. It is considered that New Zealand will, be the", "gainer, oy. l.^v:ii^ greatei individuality. . .:'.■. An illustration of the Aberdeen-Angus "Tottie" and her calf is given in the North British. Agriculturist; and in. a 'descriptive article her championships at Dimedin are recorded,•• together with a. history, of the New Zealand and..Australian! Agricultural Company, the owners of the cow and calf.. Writing from'Blnemforitein, a special correspondent of the Standard pays'.high- compliments to the New Zealanders who were before W opener. ' He says'these men, the Eough Riders,^ deserve some special description, and then goes on, "they arc a. very fine body of men," and " expert riders and marksmen." Their horses and equipment are "highly commended," if not given the blue ribbon of the. ring, to use the language of the. show-yard. ■ " The uniforms oflha men 'are of." splendid quality and of mw Zealand cloth"; the horses are " very strong, medium-sized, clean, in the legs, of good condition, and trained-to gallop over the roiHjhest country."' ..-'.' Mr A. J. Wilson, of the Investors' Review has another knock'at the New Zealand Government over the,. New Zealand Midland railway business. He says he fears nothing' can bs done to help the bondholders, as the' New Zealand Government " sheltered itself 'behind -a law jthat -allowed it to forget equity and do as it, likes." . . Some bother is being made as to a- supposed " hew m'etiiod in finance " ''which has' been adopted-by the New Zealand Government in regard to an issue of 3£ per cent, stock at. par; .and'iin regard to Which it is said that no transfer can be executed until J.JIO. Truth, .-however, describes the whole thing, or,. rather, the objection which certain city writers have ta.kcn to the procedure, as a " mare's nest," though there, is a hint of a-doubt as to the wisdom of the coursa'.'proposed. '. ' With reference to the trouble recently caused . here ■in consequence of frauds practised on clients .by solicitors, the Daily News-thinks that a lesson could be learned from New Zealand, where a Public Trustee is appointed. : From'the Colonial Club the following has been sent to the press by Mr George Hamilton, and.the letter has attracted some degree of attention: —"Will you permit me to bring to the notice of ' Sons of the Em-

pire' resident in and near the metropolis a proposal for the formation of an Imperial Volunteer Corps in Londqn. It would appear to be an opportune moment for. adding to the force of volunteers in London an 'Imperial' battalion to represent the Em, pire outside the British- Islands in the same manner as there is now a battalion representing the London Scottish and the London Irish. The proposal has received the general approval of those representing the leading colonies in London,...and I have reason- to believe that,' provided a minimum number—360 —qualified recruits are forthcoming to enable the applicants for leave to fornvthe new corps to comply with the military regulations, the War .Office would sanction the formation of the corps. I should be glad, therefore, 'if air gentlemen who are willing to join an Imperial Volunteer Corps will write to me expressing their wilingness to offer themselves for enrolment. The qualification proposed, for enlistment is that the applicant.shall be himself a son of the Empire (outside of the British Islands) by birth,, parentage, or former residence, 'and now residing in this'country, or that he •shall be a member of the staffs of the Coio-nia-1 or Foreign Offices or'of the offices -_i the colonial-representatives in London. It is proposed to hold a meeting of those interested .in the: matter to elect an influential, committee to' .work- out the. details necessary to the formation of the corps. "For the coming, Hoyal Horse Show at Richmond, to "be'-held on June 8 and 9, Mr Frank Hyams," of Dumsliii, has supplied to order "two of the . important. pieces of presentation silver. One is for the . four-■in-baiid challenge bowl, ■ the. other for the reserve champion. hunter class. This certainly is a good achievement for one wno has started'so recently in^Londdn. ■