ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES,

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 36

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES,

(Faoit Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, April 7. The Paris journal, Le Temps, prints an exhaustive survey of the Anglo-French agreement with regard to the New Hebrides question, and also comments upon the great dissatisfaction the agreement has aroused in Australia and New Zea.'and. It cays that it is a foregone conclusion that when the terms are fully known the two colonies will recognise that their outbreak of indignation is not only premature, but unjustifiable. France and England have done their best to arrange matters, and it is absurd for Australia and New Zealand to suppose that if they only cry loud enough both Franco and England will hastily drop the whole business. If Australia and New Zealand want a co-dominion they can have it, and if they want a division they can have it also ; and it may be added, as far as France is concerned, that she would prefer a division. In any case, France has far more righte and interests in the New Hebrides than any other Power, and whether Australia and New Zealand like it or not. she intends to have those interests properly safeguarded. A colonial visitor to London denounces it as a "fee" country. He writes: — "This is a queer village. Yesterday I bought 'Bleak House.' 430 pages, in a paper cover, at a railway stall. All that for 4£d. Last night they charged me sixpence for a theatre programme. Sixpence for a mcasley sheet, covered with advertisements about restaurants and whie&y ! And another tanner for hanging my coat on a hook !" His lively recollections of the Australian theatres, where programmes have always been free and oloak-room tips are optional, have lamentably prejudiced his mind again3t the advantages of being in a " fee-country." " I'm not going to stand any more of it,"' ho announces truculently. "I mean to see all the theatres, and it's going to bankrupt me. It's bad enough to have to pa-y seven-and-six for a show that begins at 9 and ends at 11, with two intervals of 15 minutes each, when I can get twice as much, and better, and room for my legs, too, in Sydney for two bob. I'm going to save on their bally extras, anyhow. Take my coat and hat with me. That's one sixpence saved. Then I shall cut the cast out of the Telegraph, and paste it on a post-card. And that knocks another tanner off. Programmes'. Mine is going to cost me one penny a time in future." A sample of New Zealand-grown apples has been sent to the High Commissioner in order to test the market here. The frint arrived in good condition, and it has been sent to Covent Garden for the purpose of obtaining a report upon it I hear that some pood prices ha\c been realised for a few bales of poultry feathers which have been gent, to London from the New Zealand State poultry farms. D" ck feathers wont as high as Is 4d per lb, but Ihe average price of hen feathers was only about 2£d per lb. A small lot of New Zealand poultry has come to hand this week. The birds were shipped from Auckland, and they look well, but as they have not yet been placed on the market", it is too early to say whether or not the shipment has been a success. The Waihi Gold Mining Company announce that the final accounts for the year 1905 have now been received, and, subject to audit, the directors at the coming meeting will recommend a bonus of 2j> per share, making the rotal dintribution for the year 65 per cent., as against 60 per cent, for the orevious year. Seventy thousand and thirty-nine pounds have been written off for capital expenditure and depreciation, ac against £53.489 last year, and £16.626 will be carried forward

April 27. On the Ist May the meeting will take place in London of the Auckland Electric Tramways, and the report of the directors has just been issued. It is stated in that report that the total revenue for the year has amounted to £122,995, as compared with £112,429 for the previous year. The traffic receipts, which amounted to £121.872, show an increase of £11,305. After deducting all expenses chargeable to revenue, including £14,255 for interest on the debenture stock, and providing for the rental and percentage of profits payable to the Auckland C'itv Council amounting to £2684. and after setting aside £13,949 to meet depreciation, there remains a surplus of £20,919. making, vyith the £3098 brought forward from the previous account, an yv ailable balance of £24.018. The directors recommend a dividend at the rate of 7 \-er cent, per annum on the share capital, leaving the sum of £3018 to be carried forward. With the above-mentioned addition the re serve and depreciation fund will stand at £32,000. It i 3 further noted that the total route mileage operated by the company during the year— namely. 18.64 miles — has remained unaltered, while the passengers cairied have increased by 1.743.342. The number of cars in service at the end of the year was 55, as compared with 47 at the

end of the previous year. To meot the increasing requirements of the traffic five additional cars have since been ordered, the bodies of which are being built in Auckland.

Information has reached me that the shareholders of the Assets Company ore to receive a distribution of 17 per cent, for the year. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since it was registered to acquire from the liquidators of the City of Glasgow Bank the whole assets of that concern, consisting of large amounts of preference and ordinary stock of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, and estates in New South Wales and New Zealand, as well as in Scotland. In 1889 the estates in New South Wales were disposed of, and in 1899 practically all the preference and ordinary stock of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, held by the Assets Company, was distributed among the proprietors. The capital is now £100,000 in fully-paid shares of £1 each. During the past year the profits from the company's property in New Zealand again showed a very large increase, chiefly atributable to the enhanced prices for wool. £1150 has been recovered in connection with the land titles litigation in New Zealand, and it is hoped that still further sums will be obtained on this account.

The committee of the Nelson Institute, which was recently destroyed by fire, has decided to write to Mr Carnegie and ask whether he will be willing to give £5000 ', for the erection of a new library in