ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12395, 3 July 1902, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

I — • . - • it (Fnow Ocr Owx Correbpokdext.) 0 LONDON,'May 23. ; Speaking at Aberdeen .the other evening y Bryce, M.P., a prominent Radical, K made reference to Imuprial Freotradc. Ho 0 said this would Us a valuable means of 'j knitting the self-governing colonics to one another and to the Mother Conntry, but that was not proposed, for the colonies did not wish it. They-desired to mainj tain an elaborate tariff system on many , liotli for protective and for revenue ' purposes. What they might ask Kngland to do,- as - Canudit seamed -already to be ° asking, win to impose Customs duties on a great number of. products, including food 1 and raw materials of manufacture, in order '> to give them preferential treatment. "I: 'j pass by the difficulties that scheme might •create, with foreign _ countries,"' said .Mr B Bryce, "but see whero it may lead you: " Canada will. ask preferential treatment fo' 1 ? her wheat. What will you do for Australia and 0 New Zealand, who must alsolie considered? 11 Mr Sea anil Mr Seddon will ask for the • imposition of duties on wool and meat, and (hey will expect ft high duty, else the pre, 0 ference will <lo them little good. Tim price! ■1 of these taxed articles will rise in Britain, e ?nd probably other articles will be similarly > taxed—timber, for instance, in which Cauada;competes lvith other countries. We ' shall no longer lx> free, to raise or lower " our Customs duties as we think best, because 9 wo shall be bound by a group of treaties ' with the several colonies, This is a dis--1 quieting prospect. Reciprocity treaties withT foreign .countries may conic to an end with- | out ill-feeling. The runture of agreements ' with our colonies would be more serious.We are bound to look at this matter eare- ■ fully. The Colonial Secretary lias no mono--5 poly of Imperial-patriotism". Radicals deJ sire' oloser relations with tbc colonics as much as (he Ministry do,' We should like to see these, relations established on,a basis J of inter-Imperial or intercolonial Free- , trade. But we think'that these proposed- ' bargains over tariff with the self-governing | colonies might not only tio our hands in a ; way prejudicial toith? masse? of tho British J people,, but irjight carry us into a vciion j fertile in occasions for dispute and controversy. It is just because we prize so highly ; pur connection with the colonies that we , deem it wise to pause before entering on a' j course which "might make those relations . less rmooth,; less elastic, less easy andJ friendly than they have hitherto bceii." ; There was a largo gathering of colonial , representatives and others prefeent at the r opening on Saturday by the Prince of Wales ! of the-new headquarters of the recently I established regiment of; King's Colonials in , the Kind's road; Chelsea. Tho Prince of ! Wales, who was attended by Lord-Crigh ton, arrived at the entrance of the hall puiictu- . nlljr at' 3.30 p.m.', and was received by ■ , Major-general Trotter, commanding the ; Home district, and'other officers, proceeded j to inspfcf the regiment, and was afterwards conducted oh to the balcony, Where he witnessed tho march past, at the conclusion of which tho men were formed up in close i order. 'Addres'ing .the. officers and men, the Prince of Wales said:—"l am very glad to have beeivable to coma here to-day, as your honorary colonel, which position I am very prnud tp hold, in order to open your new drill hall, and to see you on parade. ■ I am very much .pleased to notice your very soldierly and pmart- appearance, which'' shows 1 , that both officers and men lmvo worked together to have attained "this creditable re- . suit in >0 short a time. I am sure T can fully endorse the very complimentary report which the general officer commanding*, tlin Home district issued after he had inspected i you tho other day, T am glad to see pre; :Senfc so many of . the Agents-general ..and others who liave. assisted in the formation , and equipment of the, regiment. We must remember that wc are a young, newly-formed; i regiment j we have to make our own name, i our own prestige, and our own esprit' do corps, and as we are fortunate enough to have the sympathy ?nd support of the. Mother Country and our colonies we .must" not forget that their 1 eyes are-also iipon "us. Our career will lio. doubt be followed with' critical intcrqst both, hero and in the groat dominations beyond the seas, all of which. I bore, will be represented in the regiment, and I am sure that every man in the Kins's Colonials wi|l do his utmost and strain e\cry npr\ e .to make it worthy of the unique position, 'which, by its constitution, it occupies. I have now von' munh pleasu v e'in declaring our drill hall opon." The remarks of the Prinoe were greeted with much cheering. Colonel Wallis thanked bis Royal Highness for the kind words he,had uttered. ■ He was sure they would bo duly appreciated • by all the men, and would cncourage thc-m to do their very-utmost to attain the highest state of proficiency and to do their share of whatever work they might bo cal'od iipon to do. The officers of the regiment were snteqtiently presented to the Prince of 1 Wales m,the mess quarters, and the visitors were entertained at- tea in the room attached to the hull; while in the evening a successful, smoking conwrt to attended by the members of the corps in their iiew quarters. renounced that a new oompany, the Celd Storage Trust, has been registered with a capital of £618,000 in £1 shares. The object is said to be to .adopt all agreement made by this- company with the South African Supply and Cold Storage Company and, generally, to acquire by purchase or. otherwise, and to lend money upon and carry on _ pny undertakings, businesses. worKs, buildings, lands, mines, projects, and enterprises of any description in Africa or olwwhcre. No initial public issue. The fipfc directors—to be not fewer than throo nor more than nine—are to bo elected'by the subscribers, The qualification is £&00 and the remuneration £1500 per annum, divisable. . A sportipareyriter this week says: "Tlie chief Australian-racing interest for the weekhas been the.continuation of the Carbine i: trumph. Boginnirig at Nowmarket on Thurst ay, Sir Edgar, "V inoent's Pistol easily carried off the Payne. Stakes, of MOsore, for ' three-year-olds, a race run over for tho la<st" milo and a-half of tho Cesarowitch course.The most remarkable feature of tho raco wasundoubtedly tho comparatively long pries at which the co|t started. His opponents, were of very moderate pretensions, and one would certainly lmyo expeotod to see him a warm i favourite oi), his meritorious second' to ' Sceptre in the Two Thousand. Yet two of \ his oppoiK-nto were sent. out fit a sliorter i price, and' backers recognised their folly when the colt romped home an easy winner. He ran rather a bad raco at Sandown some \ timo njro. and on that account he was presumably set down as a non-stayer. Rut- ■' anything that could live to tho end of a mile run at tho pace set by Sceptre inu<>' 1 lie possessed" of. very considerable shying ! powers, an .argument that may bo commended to the notice of those who fear that Sceptre will ,pot he able to see the Derby out. w . ■ . " At. (l:\twick on Friday (says the same ! writer) Wargrnve crediletl Carbine with yet another win, the race in this instance,being 1 the Chamoney "Plate, of'3oosoVs. Wargravo ; carried the cplonrs of Mr Bottomley. which lie al.io sported when he ran second at Kemptnn in tli? Jubilee. Wargrave was ' pulled out again on tho succeeding day for ' the .Prince's Handicap, of lOOOsovs, but ho carried a penalty, and could succedd in getting no iiejirei' than third, Another Australian (sic) that came tautalisingly near at i (tajwick was _ Scringapatnm (Screw Cun), I which was third in the Alexundra Handi- i cap, of lOOOsovs. Sir Edgar Tinecnt ran 1 two in this race, Wabun and Seringapatam, i and the Australian carried second coloiii's. t He \vas always in front of his stable com- f pnnion in the raije, liowever, and should 1 score at no von- distant date." i Mr Chamberlain has spoken out on the. i Zolhwoin question, ami it is plain that ho s intends to, turn, a sympathetic car to the colonial appeal for preferential treatment of j colonial product?. The , Daily Xews in- t quires: " What is the essence of this ap- i peal?" and answers its own question thus: t "'lt- is that'we should adopt a protective 1 attitude towards foreign nations, risk .their i fiscal reprisals, and doprivo ourselves of their i food and raw • materials in order lo have duties to rc-lnx, in favour of, and that we ] may become ' a preserved market for; our t colonirs. The colonies which are chicfly coil- f eerned in the.lippeal are Canada, New Zr:t .] land, Itiul Australia, whose trade with the c T T tiitcd Kingdom is lis follows:— . ' -1901. . ') Imports from U.K. Exports to U: IC. i Canada ... £ 7,79b,000 £19,77-1,000 ' i New Zealand 5,602,000 19.56t.000- s Australia. 21,300,000 2U18.000 Totals ... £34-,698,000 £54,456,000 1 Now it may be admitted that- our colonies could purchase British goods in far greater. I quantities than at present, but if the trade 1 with those wliich are agitating for preferential treatment were doubled, it would hot "i compensate us, for tho low of the far richer foreign markets which now buy from' its f twice as tnuoh as our colonics." s According to a trade paper connected with Australasia. Mr Sleigh, of Melbourne, who is stated to have secured I ho contract for tho New. Zealand-South Africa steamship line, has ."associated with him a leading firm;in the city.connected with Austral- j asian shipping business, and it is proposed ' to float ;i joint stock company in order to 1 work thoroughly this scheme, which has c for years past received the warmest support of the Premier of New Zealand. It, .is slated-that negotiations arc pending for the t

purchase of a fleet of British-built steamers, ' and that within a very short time tho promoters of the new company will make .an announcement of considerable importance to tho shipping world. Jlr' Sleigh is dctcr- , mined to work the business thoroughly, and r there is little doubt that he will succeed in making it a profitable business." It is 1 further added tliat at an early date arrangc- ' monts for the service will lie completed, t I learn that, after all, the consignment of New Zealand fruit sent hero to test the market—tiiat consigned hv the s.c.. Wailento— turned out badly. Contrary to what was at first reported, frost had got into nearly all the cases-if not into all of thciii. Jh? pear* were condemned by the health officer. About half the apnles were plpced on the market to test it. hut they were in such a bad condition that only smnM'prictt were realised. From all accounts, it would appear that no * special arrangements-.-had been made in tho vessel for tho rcceptioti of the fruit. The Misses Patricia, N. W„ and I Thomson, of Invcrcargill, came to this country by the Orient'steamer Ophir, from Aug-' tralia. They dcfcribe their voyage a.s it 'splendid" one. Their journey to London is undertaken mainly on the account of Miss 1 IV. w. Thomson's health, which had beeiii Unsatisfactory. lam glad, however, to learn that it has very much improved. The Misses Thomson purnose spending part qf the summer-in Surrey and on the Thame?. Later they, will visit the English lakes, arid then go on to Scotland, Tljeir pre-jent intention is to return to New Zealand to-' ward the end of tho year. Mr George 11. Clutsam, the quondani iJuneuimte who is so steadily rising in London s estimation as a gifted and sterling musician, line attained the honour of haying a cyclc of his sons* accepted for perform* ance at the vonerable Philharmonic Society of London, now in its 90th year. The song* ' are fout in numbor, mul are entitled "From the Turkish Hills.' Tliev will ha sung by Mrs Kenncrly Rumfor'd, better known by her maid'en name as Clara Butt, the very tall and popular contralto. I