THE OLD COUNTRY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 3, 20 January 1909, Page 8

THE OLD COUNTRY.

The new issue of half-a-million stock by Dalgety and Co. has been fully subBeribed. Reuter’s Agency states that the Imperial Government does not intend to regain Imperial control of Esquimault. The Meteorological Office is daily receiving systematic ethergrams describing the weather conditions from many steamers crossing the Atlantic. Lord Glenesk, who died In December, left an estate valued at £379,533. Practically all of this is left to his daughters the Countess of Bathurst. A three days’ international aeronautic conference has commenced at the Hotel Ritz, in London. There are forty delegates present from different countries.

The Union Bank of Australasia has declared a dividend of 10 per cent, and a bonus of 2 per eefit; £lO,OOO is written oil the colonial premises account, £20,000 added to the reserve, and £37,000 carried forward. The Colonial Office’s Visual Instruction Committee has issued seven lectures on the United Kingdom, illustrated by lantern slides, also lectures on the colonies ami India, the cost of which will be defrayed by a special fund. The Rev. Baxter, prophetic editor of tin “Christian Herald,” has obtained £5OO damages for libel against the newspaper •'Mimi,” for describing him as a charlatan. Under the Prevention of Corruption Acl Samuel Harris, a general merchant, .->( Barbican, a district of London, has »<n sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for offering the clerk of a collecting firm money to declare that goods from Germany were below the invoice value. Aviation. The Aeronautical Conference has decided to found prizes totalling £48.000 for aviation competitions, and appointed a c ommittee to discuss with various Goy, rnments the regulation of the traffic of aerial navigation. ■ \\e are on the ere of tremendous changes in methods of warfare. The development of aerial navigation is bound to bring about wonderful results. Just what the full effect will be I cannot fi retell, but the airship cannot help but play an important part in the civilisation of the future.” The foregoing is the prophecy !<• by Victor 11. Metcalf, forn.et Secretary of the Navy, in an interview al I.os Angeles last month. "The navigation of the air,” he continued, “has L n aeeomplisli-d beyond all question, I e.| it), its pres- ,il oiigims, the Wright mo plane, 1 am convinced, can mako

200 miles at a Hight, and can be perfectly controlled.” He said that all that remains to be done is the working out of the details, such as devising a new method of starting the aeroplane and perfecting motive power. Metcalf said he hoped the various powers would do away with mines and torpedoes, even if disarmament is not agreed upon. Continuing, he said the development of the airship and aeroplane will have more to do than anything else with disarmament, as the only possible way to meet a fleet of aerial craft would be with a similar fleet. In regard to the flevt in the Pacific, Metcalf said that with the increase in the size of the navy, a fleet will be maintained in the Pacific similar to the one in the Atlantic. He said that at the same time additional naval bases must be provided. The Paparoa Fire. A survey of the butter aboard the steamer Paparoa, upon which a fire broke out while on a voyage from New Zealand to London, is proceeding. . The contents of Nos. 1 and 2 holds were affected by smoke. The damage to No. 3 hold varies greatly, but a considerable quantity is unfit for consumption. - Getting Slack. The Bishop of Chester (Dr. F. J. Jayne), in a speech delivered to-day, said that unless the Terrtiorials were maintained on an adequate footing it was highly probable that the country would be driven to compulsory service. This would, he believed, have a beneficial influence on the national physique and character, which greatly needed discipline. Curing Drunkards. The report of the Departmental Committee <m the working of the Inebriates Act notes a decided failure to apply the provisions of the Act. It suggests that offenders be treated according to a graduated scale, beginning with measures of the mildest character and increasing the stringency if leniency proves ineffectual. The committee also suggests some new methods of dealing with criminal inebriates. The committee further holds that no permanent settlement of the difficulty is possible except on a basis of State responsibility. The Inebriates Acts, 1898 and 1899, made compulsion legal in the case of such drunkards as by repeated drunken-■ ness in public or by crime brought themselves within reach of legal procedure. The Licensing Act, 1902, gave power to commit a wife who was an habitual drunkard to a retreat. In his report for the year 1905. issued in 1907. the inspector under the Inebriates Acts, Mr. R. Welch Branthwaite, said that the committal of habitual drunkards to prison had proved useless and inhumane, and that the only chance of reform for habitual drunkards was early committal to special medical treatment and avoidance of prison routine. Chronic and irreformable drunkards should be permanently detained. There are three kinds of institutions to which inebriates may be sent: viz.— (1) Certificated Inebriate Reformatories, (2) State Inebriate Reformatories, which are for the worst cases, and, (3) Licensed Retreats, in which there has been marked improvement in late years. There are four Male Reformatories in England and Wales (at Warwick; Brentry, near Bristol; Newdigate, near Dorking; and Cattal, near York), and 12 Female Reformatories (at Aylesbury; Brentry, near Bristol; Duxhurst, near Reigate; East Harding: Farmfield, near Horley; Horfield, near Bristol; Whalley, near Blackburn; Chesterfield; Ackworth, near Pontefract: Ashford. Middlesex; Lewes; and Cattal, near York. In 1905 there were 443 committals. In Scotland there is a State Inebriate Reformatory at Perth, besides local reformatories at Girgcnti, Greenock, ami Lanarkshire, amt the Scottish Labour Colony, Dumfriesshire. There were 45 committals in 1905. Not always Suitable. The British Passenger Agents’ Association has sent Air. Wade, Premier of New South Wales, a strong protest against entrusting the selection of emigrants for New South Wales to the Salvation Army. At their meeting, called to discuss the subject, the members reviewed the consequences to Canada of a similar scheme, and claimed that the results would be the same in New South Wales.

An Auckland Loan. The City of Auckland is issuing 90,000 4 per cents, at 100 J. Froien Meat Trade. The New South Wales Colonial Consignment Company’s annual review of the frozen meat trade anticipates t]iat lower prices will rule during the current year than those previously during 1908. The review advances as a reason for this the statement that the purchasing power of the mass of the people is restricted, and the rate of meat consumption can only be maintained at low prices. Depression. The “Tinies” states that the business of the London banks’ clearing-house showed a shrinkage of £61,000,000 compared with 1907. All the provincial clearing-houses show a proportionate reduction. The railway receipts also showed a heavy reduction. Frozen Meat Trade. Weddel’s review of the meat trade anticipates that beef and lambs may maintain their prices. Mutton does not promise well. The prospects are that the supply will be larger and the demand lesser than they were a year ago. Reforming the Lords. Air Winstone Churchill (President of the Board of Trade), speaking at Birmingham last week regretted that militant Radicalism had fallen into the grip of a narrow-minded set of Liberal-Union-ist politicians without a single generous principle of government. Air Churchill did not deny that the recent by-elections had involved a sensible reaction of feeling of an unfavourable character, but such elections were Insufficient to deflect the Government’s policy one hair’s-breadth. The Government would only dissolve at a time most advantageous to the general interest of the progressive cause. He ridiculed the air of solemn humbug with which the Marquis of Lansdowne habitually invested the proceedings of the House of Lords.

Effective and far-reaching reform of the House of Lords must be the issue at the general election, whatever the result. No Liberal Government at any future

time would assume office without securing guarantees that such reform would be carried out. After claiming that the Government; had done much legislatively, and was abl<, to do much more, Mr Churchill chal-> lenged the House of Lords to force a dissolution by rejecting the next Budget. If they really desired a speedy appeal to the country, personally he would be quite content to see the battle fought as speedily as possible upon the plain and simple issue of aristocratic rule against representative government, and between the reversion to protection and the maintenance of freetrade, and between a tax on bread and a tax on—well, never mindl what. The statement was received with laugK-i ter. The Coal Trade. A hundred representative North-east coast shipowners met at Newcastle last week, and resolved to form an international combination to regulate the supply of tonnage to the demand. Mr Walter Runciman, the chairman, stated that nearly two million tons of shipping were idle, and dividends had dropped nearly 30 millions. . ‘ The British Army. Lord Lucas, Under secretary for War, in a speech at Belfast, said that Britain was able to immediately send 166.000 men abroad, but that there was still a shortage of five thousand officers. I. Fastest in the World. H.M. torpedo boat destroyer Tartar, steaming under war conditions, exceeded a speed of 38 knots per hour. No other vessel afloat has equalled this speed, and the world's record still lies with the British Navy. H.M.s. Tartar, one of the larger type of torpedo boat, was launched in June, 1907, and her official trials, when she developed a speed of 36 knots, were carried out a year ago. Evidently her war; trials were withheld until the engines had time to settle to their smoothest running. The Admiralty recently decided not to build such fast destroyers, and the nine vessels of this type are being built for a speed of twenty-five knots, a saving of about £20,000 each.