OUR LONDON LETTER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14134, 14 February 1910, Page 6

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, Dec. 31. Mr. and Mrs. M. H. E. Oorringo, of Mangaweka, will leave on January 1 for the dominion. They arrived hero in June, and their visit was one of pleasure. They have spent a month in. Scotland, going as far as Inverness,' and much of their time has been spent in London, and in Dorset. In October they were on the Continent, and visited Paris, Lucerne, Florence and Monte Carlo, They are returning via Capo Town. Tho sight-playing prize (pianoforte) at tho Royal Academy of Music has been awarded to Arthur Alexander, of Dunedin. Miss Frances E. Osbornc-Lilly,, an Aucklander born, and the niece of tho late Mr. G. B. Lilly, one time editor of tho South Eastern Star, Mount Gambler, and on tho literary staff of the Otago Daily Times and other papers,,is having a book published by Messrs. H. J. Dranc, Ltd. The book is to bo a story of New Zealand life, and will be published under tho authoress’s pen-name of Cur wen- Bell. ' Mr. Thomas Allen, writes a wellknown weekly, can toll us something of Mr. W. T. Stead’s famous "Julia" because he had the honour of meeting her before she became*a spirit. . Miss Amos—Julia’s name in the last incarnation—and Mr. Allen met at the house of Miss Francis Willard, then tho world’s president of thc_ Women’s Christian Temperance Union. lie never heard Julia speak of anything concerning the occult, but says of her: “She seemed to me to be of a very bright, cheerful disposition, an up-to-date American woman, well road, much travelled, and intelligently interested in what happened hi the world. She impressed mo as being a woman of strong personality and at the same time sincere and genuine—as genuine, as anyone I ever met.” The New Zealand Association has opened its winter season with a whist drive at tho Westminster Palace Hotel. The attendance was the largest yet known at one of these functions—over seventy being present. Mr. C. Wray Pa Wiser had charge of tho arrangements. Following on Mr. ; MTvenna’s statement that he would shortly have to place orders for the Now Zealand and Australian battle-ship-cruisers, inquiries have been sent out for tenders for the construction of the vessels to several loading ship builders. As had been expected, tho ships are to bo somewhat similar to the Indefatigable, building at Dovonport Dockyard, and will be larger than the Invincible, which was built at the Elswiok Yard, Newcastle. These vessels are to form part of the hew Pacific Fleet. Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company, Elswiok, are among tho firms to whom inquiries have been scut respecting tho new armoured ships. It is expected that tho orders will be given out early in the coming year. Tho Hon. Sir Robert Stout, mentioned so often in former letters, has spent tho last few weeks in Bournemouth. Ho is now so far recovered that ho will shortly return to London, preparatory to commencing his journey to tho dominion. He hopes to be able to leave by the Moldavia on January 14. Next week there will bo dispatched from England to tho dominion a window of stained glass, designed _. and made bv Messrs. Jones and Willis, of this city, which is to be placed in position in the cathedral, at Auckland ms a memorial of William .Garden Cowie, D.D., who was bishop of that diocese from 1809 to 1902, and also for the last six years of that period Primate of New Zealand. The design includes some impressive symbolical figures of our Lord in His triple aspects of Prophet, Priest, and King, one of which occupies the central position in each of the three lights. Above them are canopies with angels hearing descriptive scrolls, and below are shields displaying tho arms of the diocose of Aucklnnd. tho arms and. crost of tho 'Cowie family, and those of the see. Tho cost of the memorial has been defrayed by public subscription. The Hon. W. Hall-Jones is making very favourable progress at Folkestone towards recovery from his illness, and it is fully expected that ho will bo able to resume his duties in tho course (.1 next month. Speaking at Canning Town in support of the candidature of Mr. AV. .Thorne, M.P., Mr, James Thorne, the New Zealander, said that tariff reform in practice was simply and solely a capitalist’s device for multiplying the existing •opportunities to gather wealth. Ho declared that Now Zealand mutton was cheaper ill England than in the dominion. " AVheat and dairy produce were also cheaper in England. Tho reason was that when a market was not subjected to foreign competition prices were forced up, and one had to buy or go without. Anvone .who knew anything about it knew that tariff reform was a deliberate scheme to delude the public.