ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES

Otago Witness, Volume 14, Issue 2648, 14 December 1904, Page 49

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES

(FitoM Otje Own Coehespondent.)

LONDON, October 8

It is announced that the directors of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company have declared an interim dividend for the halfyear ended 30th June on the ordinary shares at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum.

Writing to a London paper, Mr W alter Reid gives the following picture of the sort of reception vhich awaits a travelling colonist who desires to push business and himself in London commercial circles: — "May I shortly sot down a rather disappointing experience? 1 am a New Zealander, and was fairly successful in my own line of work in New Zealand, and in Australia also. I was a typewriter salesman for on© thing, while doing other agency work. I crossed the ocean, and made my way through the United States ; and I found that neither in the colonies nor in the States did men shrink and shrivel up the moment I called. They all recognised it as a possible, and even natural, thing that a young man with some ambition to get ' f orrard ' should go globe-trotting, making his bit here and his bit there as any job within his competence might offer. It never seemed to occur to them that I must have embezzled, or done some other dreadful thing, or I should not have left my native land. But in London it .is very different. I am suspect at onee — particularly by office boys, whom alone, in many cases, I can get to see. As an energetic, and, I will claim, a resourceful colonial traveller, I find I can do little with my time in London except go to music halls and hear glorious songs about the Empire's pride in its colonies. And for that I've no particular taste; nor, indeed, the money to spare." " The New Zealand Band," remarks the British Australasian, " was conspicuous by its absence from the great national band festival at the Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it is hoped that in future years the contest will induce other of our colonial bands to enter.''

Mr Recce, of the British-New Zealand Produce Company, lias made an excellent start with the company's business in London. A large corner shop has been acquired in Soho for the purpose of serving the city and West End hotels and business houses. These premises possess a large, light basement, which will be available for defrosting the carcases as they are required. In addition, a business has also been acquired in the Uxbridge road, Baling, where high-class suburban trade will be catered for. None but prime New Zealand meat will be sold by the company.

About a month ago I sent you some information regarding a company in course of formation to work the New Zealand ironsand 'by a new pi'ooess which had undergone some very successful tests at Sheffield. A London technical paper publishes the following statements on the same subject : — ■ "It is reported that a prospectus will shortly be issued by the Colonial Iron and Coal T fields Construction Company i'or the purpose of utilising the vast accumulations 'of New Zealand ironsand. The company has obtained a concession from the Government for this object. On the coast of the North Island (New Zealand), near the River Patea, there exists a deposit of ironsand — principally on the beach and in certain localities

little distance inland — extending for many miles along the seaboard. This, with the exception of an inferior ore on the River St. Lawrence, is said to foe the only workable deposit of its kind. By an electrical process, which obviates the necessity of having to work the iron in a concrete form, the Colonial Iron and Coalfields Company claims to Txs able to make pig-iron in New Zealand and import it into Sheffield at a price lower than the Swedish article. Many attempts have been made during the past 50 or 40 years to make ironsand a commercial commodity, but have failed. The difficulty has been that of reducing sand to concrete iron, and the ohairman of the Construction Company now states that this has to a large extent been overcome. He also states that the greater portion of the deposits of ironsand is iron, a cubic square yard weighing two tons. The New Zealand "Government have offered good terms to the company, and have increased their original order for 50,000 tons of marketable iron suitable for railways at current market prices in England, plus the freight, to 75,000 tons. The electrical process which has solved the difficulty of working ironsand can, it is said, with 5000 horse-power, produce some 3000 tons per week. Pig iron under the process is produced at 28s 2d per ton, and crucible steel ingots at about £8 per ton."

Last Wednesday the third ordinary general meeting of the Indian Glenroek (Wynaad) Company was held at Winchester House, Old Broad street, Mr J. L. Matthews presiding. After referring to the Indian properties of the company-, the Chairman said that the Tipperary mine in New Zealand was situated almost adjoining the Premier mine The cost of acquiring ihis was so very small that the directors thought the opportunity was too good to be lost. Mr William Patton, the manager of the Premie* mine, was instructed to proceed at once to open up the property, and in a very short time he was able to report a crushing of 50 tons of ore which had yielded 320z of gold. So far as that had gone it was a very satisfactory result ; but he was sorry to say that the lode had not maintained the tame richness. With regard to the future policy in connection with the property, it would be a. great question for them to consider hereafter. The next matter he had to refer to was the Premier mine. In respect to the company's holding in that property, they had received the sum of £312 10s in the way of dividends. In this property also, he was sorry to say that the latest results were not so good as they had been ; but they had great confidence in their manager in the colony, and he hoped before long that he would be able to report that the mine was doing better. That was the information he had to give the shareholders regarding their properties. They would remember that in the report of March. 1903, it was stated that the directors considered they had a good legal claim against responsible people for the payment of a portion of the defalcations of Mr Owen, thoir late secretary. He was glad to say that this had worked out well, and they had received the sum of £1886 1&3 6d from that source.

Mr Hooper, of the- Produce Department of _ the New Zealand Agency-general, has paid another visit to the west coast ports in order to inspect the- discharge of cargo from the s.?. Buteshire. He found great improvement in m?;ny resy^cts. In conneo-

tion with this direct service the- Federal Company has secured the services for a time of Captain Noak&s, of the New Zealand Shipping Company, who will put future discharges on a more satisfactory footing. Good business in the west is expected next season.

At the Bank of Australasia meeting this week, Dr Drysdale, an authority on population statistics, mad« passing reference to the decrease in the 'Now Zealand birth rate. Sir Montague Nelson had remarked that in seme parts of Australia there were somo times two lambing seasons in the year. Dr Drysdale. laughingly remarked that Australian sheep were different from New Zealand ladies, judging by the decrease in the birt.h rate. However, in view of the evils arising from over-population, he thought the ladies were to be commended for their prudence-.