ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 46

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(From. Our Own Co&bespondent.) LONDON, February 25. ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE. The annual meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute will take place next week at the Metropole Hotel. The report congratulates the fellows on the sound and satisfactory position of the institute, both as regards its finances and its membership. During the past year 114 resident, 255 non-resident, and two honorary fellows and 18 associates have been elected, or •a total of 389, as compared with 279 in 1908. On December 31 the membership consisted of 1412 resident, 309 non-resi-dent, 14 honorary fellows, and 18 associates, or 4527 in all, of whom 1346 have compounded for the annual subscription and qualified as life fellows. Twenty-six Rhodes scholars have been elected honorary fellows during their residence at Oxford, in place of a similar number who have completed their studies at the university. The council has invited the following gentlemen to become vice-presidents : —Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Mr Alfred Deakin, Sir S. W. Griffith, Sir Joseph Ward, Dr Jameson, and General Louis Botha. THE CAR IN THE ANTIPODES. A writer in " The Car " has this week an interesting account of a motor-car tour in New Zealand. After detailing the places visited he says:—" New Zealand is an ideal place to live in. The roads are good. One can motor from the Bluff, in the extreme -south, to north of Auckland in the far north. There is every variety of scenery, between : the snows and the Alps of. the South Island and the thermal region in the north;' and the Dominion Government lays itself out in every Way to make things easy and pleasant for the tourist. It guides the adventurous aver the alps, and gives all information and assistance gratis. Qars of many of the well-known makes are to fee had at most of the important centres, and there are motor-boats on all the lakes and rivers. Hotel accommodation is everywhere good, and costs, on the average, 10s per head per diem. If fortune favours us, we shall certainly visit this charming country again, and can strongly advise those who have not yet toured in New Zealand to go speedily and do so." LINERS' OCEAN RACE. On the arrival atf Plymouth on- Friday of the Orient liner Omrah from Australia, it was stated that from Gibraltar she had engaged in a speed competition with the P. and O. steamer Arabia from Bombay. The Ormah left Gibraltar on the Tuesday morning, two hours after the Arabia, and reached Plymouth twenty minutes ahead of her rival. The two vessels were abreast for a whole day at a distance of about two miles. Ultimately the Orient boat took the lead and maintained it to Plymouth. The P. and O. officials, however, attributed ther defeat to bad coal. EMPIRE DAY RIFLE MATCH. Approval has been given by the Army Council to the programme of the Empire Day rifle match for boy marksmen for the present year. The principal event will be the Earl of Meath Imperial trophy competition, in which chosen teams of cadet marksmen from the Dominion and provinces of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Natal, and Transvaal, and other oversea countries will shoot. The competition will begin early in the morning of May 24, and those taking part must not be over sixteen years of age. The trophy is at present held by England. The match is organised by the Imperial Cadet Association, of which the late Sir Francis Hanson was chairman, and Dr R. J. Hanson is honorary secretary. There is a number of other competitions and the practices are consistent with a natural sequence of physical training, graded to suit the capabilities of lads from the school age of 12 to the " Territorial " a§ ' UNITED EMPIRE CLUB. Thft committee and members of the United Empire Club have just given a dinner to which were invited some thirty of their number who were returned to Parliament at the late election. Among members of Parliament who accepted the invitation were Earl Winterton, Major Archer-Shee, Mr I. Hamilton Benn, Mr Arnold Ward, the Hon. Guy Baring, etc. Owing, to a previous engagement Mr Austen Chamberlain, Mr Walter Long, Mr Henry Chaplin, and several other wellknown members of Parliament, all members of the club, were unable to be present. Lord Malmesbury was in the chair. The United Empire Club has a membership o£ close upon a thousand, and is the great tariff reform centre in London. From now until July a series of house dinners will take place, at which Viscount Ridley, Lord Cawdor, and other prominent politicians will open discussions. It is also proposed to hold a dinner each year on the anniversary of Mr Chamber lain's birthdav<

IMPERIAL COMMERCE. Mr R. Sothern Holland, his Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Africa, has just concluded an extended tour through the principal manufacturing centres of Great Britain fci the purpose of interesting manufacturers in the South African market and of supplying information regarding the trade conditions in that country. This important development in trade relations between the Mother Country and the overseas dominions is a result of the Imperial Conference. It was pointed out by the colonial premiers that in the dominions there was a lamentable absence of any official corresponding to the consuls of foreign countries, a deficiency which was the more serious owing to the increasing activity of foreign agents and con suls in all the chief colonial cities. In response to this, the Board of Trade appointed four Trade Commissioners, representing respectively Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. A cheering result of Mr Holland’s tour has been the appreciation shown by British manufacturers of the necessity for a more vigorous trade policy in the South African colonies. THE MAORI RACE. Tire Rev. Dr Lucas contributes an interesting article on the Maori to the current number of the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine. It contains some of the more interesting of the the Maori legends specially connected with Auckland, Unfortunately the printers have been unkind to the Maori language. Hence we read of a Maori lady called “ Pare Whabreronqonna. ” There is, too, a very fierce old tattoed gentleman described as “Paroto, an M.P., and the pronunciations given to Maori words are frequently wrong. Apart from this the article will be of great interest here. MUNIFICENT GIFT. MR M'NAB’S RESEARCHES IN PARIS. LONDON, March 11. With the thoroughness which distinguishes all his historical work, Mr M Nab left last week for Franco to search the archives there for references to the activities of the French in New Zealand. Armed with an introduction from the loreigu Office, he was granted ready access to the official records, and within a day or two ot reaching Paris he had unearthed the journals of the St. Jean Baptiste. . One ot these, made in 1771, he states, is almost as good as the official journal, and even better than the official log.” It contains conies of D’Urville’s charts of New Zealand, Lauriston Bay, and a figure ot a Maori. The expedition of D Urville was in New Zealand at the same time as Captain Cook,' and at one time was within a few miles of the great English navigator, whose presence was only obscured by the thickness of the weather. . Mr M Nab has Mr Lever said that in the actions he recently brought against the Daily Mail and other newspapers he secured damages .ot £91,000, and as he never at any .time intended this money, should go to himself he had decided to assist the' university. He had arranged with the owners of the Uld Bluecoat School for a lease for a (number of years, * and during that time the university would have the option, of purchasing the school for £25,000. He also desired that the School of House and Town Planning, the School of Tropical Medicine, and the School of Russian Studies should be assisted, and accordingly he had proposed to transfer his £60,000 'worth of shares in the JBromhoro Pox’t Estate Company to the university. As these shares were not now paying a dividend he had arranged, and for 10 years he would guarantee, to pay 3 per cent, on the £50,000 which would make £IBOO a year for 10 years. This £IBOO was to be devoted to the three schools named. Ho proposed to call the Old Bluecoat School, which was to be used for the School of Town Planning, Liberty Hall, for the reason that he wanted it to mark his fight to carry on a business without the interference of a section of the press. Mr Lever s gifts represent an aggregate of £120,000. DOUBTS ABOUT PEARY. Something like a sensation was caused at Washington this week when the House Committee on Naval Affairs resumed its deliberations on the subject of an official recognition from Congress of the discovery of the North Pole by Commander Peary. Mr R. Macon, representative for the State of Arkansas, roundly denounced the commander as an imposter-, and declared that Ms story had as many flaws in it as Hr was it,” he demanded, “ that while the average rate of progress until Captain Bartlett was left behind was 9.06 mile® a day it mysteriously averaged 26.4- miles after the separation, and the moment tie rejoined his party this marvellous speed ceased?” This argument appeared to nnd much support in th© committee, for it unariimously decided not to take any steps until th© commander had submitted nis proofs. Mr Macon quoted Sir Ernest Shackleton and others to show that ten to twelve miles a day, or slightly over, were considered the limit of human endurance over Polar seas. SOME INTERESTING PICTURES. Sir Ernest Shackleton has promised to lend to the photographic section of the Japan-British Exhibition some of the most unique camera pictures taken by him during his attempt to reach the South Pole. It is believed that in view of the way m which pubilio attention has of lato heon focussed' upon these regions the collection will add materially to the value of th© section from the point of view of attractiveness and instruction. THE BRITISH AND CLUBS. It has been said that the British are not a dutiable people, but there is nothing to bear out the contention in “ English Clubs,” a list of over 3180 clubs frequented by the English in all parts of the world, just (published. This hook, edited by Mr E. O. Austen Leigh, M.A., gives much information about each settlement. For instance, it notes the names of secretaries, entrance fees, and subscriptions, and has, in some Oases, remarks on the qualifications for membership, etc. There are included in it London and provincial clubs in England, and a special feature is made ol the colonies, India, and on the Continent. In addition to' 1170 golf clubs •mentioned* there are 319 ladies’ cj,uba. The

number of clubs in India is 134, in Canada 57, and in. Australasia 139. NEW ZEALANDER IN TROUBLE. # Mrs Rosetta Peterson, of Abbott road, Poplar, who appeared at the Thames Police ! Court to prosecute Samuel Wilson, of Wellington, New Zealand, for obtaining money from her by false pretences, said that he came to lodge at her house in 1996, saying that he had come to England to get some money coming’ to him under the will of his mother. He said the legacy was “ a good bit,” and Mrs Peterson was trustful enough not only to give him credit for several weeks’ bed and board, but to lend him about £lO in money. One day Wilson went out and did not return. Detective Lee, of the K s, said he arrested Wilson, who said in reply to the charge, “ Yes, quite correct. After I obtained ’ the money I went to New Zealand, and have been back a fortnight. I intended to pay the money back Mrs Peterson.” Wilson now said he made arrangements in New Zealand for the money to be sent, and he thought this had been done. He was said to be well connected, and in remanding him Mr Chester Jones advised him to communicate with his friends. STIRRING MELODRAMA. New Zealanders have recently had the opportunity of seeing one of the latest military melodramas before London has had the privilege.. There has been a change in name, but that’s all. “ The Fighting Chance ” is the title of London’s newest thriller; in New Zealand the same play was called “ The Cheat,” but the latter name was not considered suited to the traditions of its new home. Criticisms here are immensely favourable, except that the abrupt and doubtful ending is not quite popular. But for something like 10 minutes after the fall of the curtain last Saturday night the audience at the Lyceum shouted and cheered vociferously. The gallery hissed for all it was worth when the villain, Captain Rivers, refused to ,surrender himself to the Afghans, when by so doing he could secure the release of two English nurses—one of them, of course, being the lovely, sorrowing heroine, played by Miss Ruth Maitland. The tension at this point became so unbearable that several ladies in the auditorium! were actually hysterical. Mr Eric Mayne 'made a “ gorgeous ” villain, Mr Frederick Ross took the house by storm as the heroic Englishman tortured out of recognition by the Afghans. It seems probable that “ The Fighting Chance” will have a lengthy run. PROSPECTS IN NEW GUINEA. THE FROZEN MEAT CONFERENCE. LONDON. April 1. The proceedings at the Frozen Meat Conference held recently in Christchurch have been followed with interest in London, but for various reasons the large firms engaged in the trade on this side prefer to offer no opinions on the matter at the present juncture. They readily admit that any steps taken in New Zealand to put the trad© on a more businesslike basis will receive hearty support at this end. They welcome anything that tends to uniformity of working conditions among the freezing companies, and they attach great importance to the mere fact of the conference having taken place. It brought the farmers and the freezing companies together, and could only make for good. Mr Rangiuia, who has been in England for some time now, has conceived a scheme, still in the preliminary stage, for a new sphere of education amongst bis people, the Maori. There are certain occupations which the Natives of New Zealand can never be expected to adopt with much enthusiasm as a means of earning a livelihood, but there are some others, Mr Rangiuia says, which might very well be considered as a means of teaching the Maori to support himself. As a race the Natives of New Zealand are very fond of music, and he believes that if they were encouraged to study music and make it their profession they would find the battle of life amongst the pakeha much more to their taste than in many other occupations. He therefore hopes to be able on returning to New Zealand to do something towards organising an amademy of music for the Maori. When that will be he does not yet know; but a trip to New Zealand is one of the definite plans of hie future. Meantime Mr Rangiuia is still doing well in London society with his Maori music, which is much appreciated. The criticism in New Zealand directed against the High Commissioner’s weekly cablegram has been the subject of comment here, and it is understood that the Hon. W. Hall-Jones is communicating with the Government on the alleged inaccuracies of the prices. The High Commissioner’s opinions that any fair-minded individual will recognise that Mr Cameron is perfectly fair in the estimate of the prices obtained for various products. At the annual meeting of the Association of Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom, the question of an Imperial Council of Commerce was raised l by Sir Albert Spicer, who moved a resolution approving the principle of the proposal made as the outcome of the recent Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire at Sydney. It was suggested that the council should be representative of all the chambers of commerce in the British Empire in proportion to the oversea trade of the different States. Sir Albert Spicer said it was interesting that the proposal should be made at their jubilee meeting, and he believed it would be fraught with great advantage to the Empire. Mr Fisher seconded the motion, and Sir John Oockburn supported it. It was carried with an instruction, by Sir Albert Rollitt, that the committee consider the practicability of including British chambers of commerce an foreign countries. A diliner was given at the Trocadero to Mr C. A. Darling, the general manager of the British New Guinea Development Company, by those responsible for the formation of the company. Lord Ranfurly presided, end among the attendance were Mr A. M. Marks and Mr O. J. Tvinder te-f Moaars

Trinder, Anderson, and Co.)- Mr Darling, in responding to the toast of hie health, said he hoped to be in Papua in about two months' time. It was an. outlying portion of the British Empire, an undeveloped country, but contained' among other things great mineral wealth. The climate was certain!) tropical, the rainfall heavy, and the soil ideal, haying! a depth of extreme richness. The fertility of the soil was exceptional. He had had experience of Australia and various tropical countries, and could say without fear of contradiction that they had in New Guinea conditions suitable for tropical agriculture second to none in the world. Mr Walter Chamberlain, in proposing "The Health of the Chairman," said they, were greatly indebted to Lord Ranfur ly for the services he had rendered as chairman of the Papuan Land Co., the syndicate which formed this company. He was now chairman of the New Guinea Company, and his services would no doubt be equally valuable. The suicide of Mr Bertram Armytage, who accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton'sSouth Polar expedition, Taises the question as to the effect which long isolation from civilisation has upon the minds of members of a Polar expedition. A wellknown explorer who was seen in London rejected the suggestion that' such explorations affected the minds of those who took part in them. He said : " While I have never been south, I have had some experience in North Polar exploration, and I have had a great deal of experience in African travel, and of the two the latter is the more unnerving. In, Polar expeditions one is seldom separated from, one's company for any length of time, and the sense of isolation from one's own kind which one feels so much in; crossing the uncivilised tracts of Africa is not so much present." . LONDON, April 8. NEW ERA* IN EMIGRATION. What with the spring rush to Canada and the visit of the West Australian Premier, the question of emigration is at present an absorbing topic, and the newspapers are devoting much space to it. On Tuesday the Daily Mail said : " New Zealand is an example of a Dominion which is deriving considerable advantage from the new movement, in spite of the fact that, unlike Canada and West Australia, it is making no special offers or inducements. There are no ' ready-made farms' on offer in New, Zealand and no free grants of _ land. Everything must be bought and paid for by the incoming immigrant, who has to meet the competition of the New Zealander in securing the farm lands opened by the Government. Nevertheless, the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, High Commissioner for New Zealand, w;as able to say: ' Undoubtedly New Zealand is attracting men with capital. We are getting farmers with £looo and upwards who are settling in New Zealand because they think the country offers brighter prospects for themselves and their children than they can see ahead of them in Great Britain. The movement is of recent growth. The only inducement now offered is a reduction in the second and third-class fares for farmers, farm, labourers, and domestic servants.' " SCHOOLBOY EMIGRANTS. An important movement for settling in the colonies public school boys from the Mother Country has just been initiated by the sailing for Canada of Dr Gray, head master of Eradfield College, with 12 public school boy emigrants. This marks the beginning of a really scientific movement for the introduction of boys of the upper and middle class into the colonies, and its progress will be watched with great interest. The organising secretary of the Public Schools .Emigration League is Mr W. A. Evans, and he stated that though Dr Gray had taken his boys to Canada, the choice, of future colonists from the public schools was not restricted to that Dominion. Similar arrangements were being made on behalf of New Zealand, Australia. South Africa, Rhodesia, the West Indies, and the other colonies. Thirty or 40 boys will be sent out shortly, and in every case they will proceed at once to a farm that has been selected by the committee of prominent local men that has been appointed in numerous districts in the colonies. Some 800 secondary schools in this country coma under the scheme, which is now being gushed forward with great energy. SCOTTISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. The Royal Scottish Geographical Society, in a special communication issued this week, says that the departure of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedi-: tion depends on the patriotism and enthusiasm of Scots at Home and abroad. Fifty thousand pounds is required, and if this sum is guaranteed, the expedition under Dr Bruce will leave Scotland on May 1, 1911. After touching at Capetown, a course will be steered for the Sandwich Group, and thence to Coat's Land, where a party of ten or 12 will be landed. The ship will winter at Melbourne, where the co-operation of the Australian and New Zealand Governments will be invited for special work. In the following spring, the ship will push on southward to M'Murdo Strait, where a sledge party with supplies will be sent further south for the party under the' leadership of D,r Bruce, crossing over the Antarctic Continent by way of the South Pole from Coat's Land. THE SIMPLE LIFE. A special correspondent of the Yorkshire Post devotes a column to " NewZealand—wool, mutton, and hospitality.'-? He remarks : "New Zealanders are a people who live the simple life. There is no luxury in their country, for luxury; is impossible where servants are so scarce.. To the million people there, there are; only 30,000 female servants (or one vant to 33 .people), and that number in-: eludes lodginghouse-keepers and domestics at boarding-houses and inns. In New, Zealand the women folk do their owi* domestic work, and those whose exjjerisf

ence enables them to make the comparisons are aware that the New Zealand homo loses nothing of its happiness because of the absence of the hired domestic. Every girl learns to cook, be she the daughter of a labourer or of a professional man earning a large income. The food is very plain, but it is very good, and it is marvellous tc eee what a number of superfluities can be dispensed with, even in the houses ©f the wealthy, without discomfort."