A PACIFIC ISLANDS TRADING COMPANY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1818, 18 April 1888, Page 2

A PACIFIC ISLANDS TRADING COMPANY.

Many people, obporvea the London corespondent of the " Argus/ now ine'ii-.o to tho balief that Sir JaJias Yogel exhibited a wise foresight when be advocated many years ago that the oomtnsreial anarx»tion of the lßl.mda of the Prtcifis ahould preoede their territorial acquisition. The m )Bt formidable rivals cf Great Britain m the Paolfio have endeavored to develop this policy with results distlnotly disadvantageous to British intereatß. Recently the idea of ceaing a gteah commercial company fa the Paolfio has been again revived lv New Zealand, and a Bchema will shortly be submitted lo the British public. A Pacific lilanda Trading Company is to be formed with a capital of £120,000, to take over the Pacifio properties and business interests of Messrs Eenderaon and Maofarlane, cf Auckland , This firm have buslaeßS ramifications all over the Paoific, controlling as they do no lean than forty* two stations. In virtue of undisputed poßseaslon for many yeara, they claim the ownership of Christmas Island, about 100 mllea m clroumference, and Suwarrow Island, about half that size. Their other stations have been acquired by puroheaa from either the Natives or the Europeans. The company will trade m oopra, mother-o'-pearl shells, cotton, beohe-de-mer, fuDgu3, vegetable ivory, eto; MrHender-, son, fta reyr sejtiog the vendors, ezpeots to receiva £20,000 m oaah, and an equal amouct m deferred shares, with. 10s paid up, which will receive dividends as Boon as tho 80,000 preference shares have bean j paid 10 por cent.