Condensed CABLEGRAMS. London.

Manawatu Herald, 11 March 1899, Page 2

Condensed CABLEGRAMS. London.

The Agent -General for Victoria i.urging the Government to fix a stanI dard percentage of preservation in r utter, to be applicable to the whole of the United Kingdom. Capain Barclay, lecturing on "Nrnhern Australia "at the Imperial In^titu c, announced tha P ince Ro'and Bonaparte has promised on hie death that he would present the Australian Commonwealth with Tbsman's original map of Australia. In connection with the Railway Accidents Prevention Bill, which has been introduced into the House of Cmimona by Mr Ritchie, it i< estimated that the cost of providing automatic couplings, and carrying out other reforms, embraced in the B.l\ will be ten million*. The R*il way Association is sanding a Cora mission to AmericH to in"ve*tigate tu. facf. whereon the Bill is founded. In the Hou^r of G >mmons, th iiight Hon. W. S. J. Brodrick, under Secretary for Foreign Affa : rn. stated that the statement made by M. De'cassp, the French Minister, cone*™ ng the Muscat incident was imn^rfrcr. * It was known, Mr Brodrick also inf urn-il the Hmse, that an agen f h:' Freoch Government in Mubc>» h.d in Ma eh of 1898 secretly ob t -in d 'be cession of a t-mall harb< v f Mm ih" Siltan Muscat wnh tbr ght to hoist the French F<ag and to fortify the *pot, although M. Del casse had asset ted in November last, and hf»d repeated the statem nr. jus ••Hc-ntiy, that he as the French M ; ni*iter for Foreign Affiira was n » ware of th^ acquisition. Undei iiv-jsuie, huwev- r, from Lird Silis »u>y <he lease «)f the place to fbf-Frt-nch bud been annulled, and the iuijJtrial Goveiumeot Uai not repa*

rliatfd the British Agent's action in J enforcing the nullification of the 1 lease. There was no objection, con- ; tinued Mr Brodrick, to the French j p issuing a coal store provided tb«t , right whs not accompained by tbe < Cdssion of territory. The London Chamber of Ora- < roerce has made startling disclosure'- ( with rrferenee to tbe practice of tak ! ing secret commission 1 ?. It s?ate.p j the custom is prevalent amongst all , trades and prif-nsions and advi°e*tbe iotroducthn of etringt-nt l^giela ti .n to deal with tbe evil. In the House of Commons, tbe Bight Hon J. Chamberlain, Secretary for the Colonies, in reply to ; a question, paid it was untrue that i f was contempt tted to convert New Guinea into a Crown Colony at an early date. Nine steamprs for Europe, with* 250 rouls aboard, are overdue. Reinsurance* of ninety guineas have been effected on several.