MAIL NEWS.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 973, 18 December 1882, Page 2

MAIL NEWS.

(Evening Post's correspondent.) LONDON, Nov. 2. It is stated that Mr Rich, who came Homo to float the Thames Valley Railway, has succeeded in doing it; that a London board of directors, including Mr Grant, of Grant and Foster, has been formed, and that the work will be commenced forthwith. A number of English surveyors are being sent out for the purpose. Mr Rich leaves for the colony almost immediately by the P. and 0. steamer Clyde, but the facts of the ease are to be kept secret for a time. The Mataura, which brought Home the last and most successful consignment of frozen meat from New Zealand, has • been fitted to carry twice the quantity, and sails for Auckland shortly. The Opawa, for Canterbury, has undergone preparations to receive an unusually large number of carcases. Trade with the colony grows daily more active. The Mataura is already shutting out goods, and the passenger traffic continues brisk. Captain Ashby states that there are no steerage berths to be had on the Orient liners till the middle of December, and saloon passengers are unusually numerous. A discussion has been carried on in several papers relative to the desirability of introducing weasels, stoats, and ferrets into New Zealand, with a view to checking the rabbit pest. The balance of opinions seems against the proposal. The nature of my professional duties in London naturally brings me pretty frequently in contact with the leading colonial merchants and shippers, and I have been surprised to notice thatq though most of these gentlemen make f substantial incomes out of the colony, they still do not appear to think much of the culture, or civilization of the residents. “ The colony,, .1 suppose,” said a well-known merchant to me the other day, “is still in a chrysalis condition ?” “ Why, no, I should not say so,” was my reply ; “ what induces you to make-such a remark?” • “ Well, 1 judge,” quoth the city man, “by our own business. Our firm has been ship- • ping to the principal ports in New Zealand now for years, and we find that with regard to what may be called the business of life, only the cheapest and commonest kind of goods go down. Let me explain what I mean, by showing you some invoices. Some time ago we consigned China dinner services on spec, to a Christchurch- firm. They were not only new patterns, but exquisitely designed, and remarkably cheap, selling retail in London at five guineas the set—not a large price—and we anticipated realising a handsome profit. Mark the result. After some delay our correspondent wrote saying the goods were too expensive for the market, and that, after trying to dispose of them in various ways, he had put them up to auction, when they were knocked down for three guineas a set. The firm were sorry (the writer added) for the loss, but if we sent out a lot of the commonest crockery, no doubt the deficit would be more-than made up. More out of bravado than because we believed this, we took the advice and consigned to the same people a lot of crates of the vilest rubbish manufactured in the shape of crockery. Well, the profit was 200 per cent., as yon may see by the invoice before you. What applies to china applies to fancy goods and jewellery. The poorer the quality the better the price. There is no inducement to ship anything artistic or ornamental to New Zealand.” I have endeavoured to detail Mr W.’s speech as accurately as possible. Many others hold sirailarviews I feel certain. Yesteiv day I saw a number of cases. bad wine being branded for shipment the colonies, and remarked to the merchant, “ Whatever makes you send that stuff out ?” “My dear fellow,” he resumed, “ it’s nothing to me; I must send what is ordered. Your New Zealand friends, who drink the liquor, are the sinners.” It is now a positive’ certainty that Mrs Langtry, at present coining fabu-. lons suras of money in America, will go from ’Frisco to Australia and New. Zealand. Her repertoire consists of “ The Unequal Match,” “ Four,” and “ She Stoops .to Conquer.” The company includes J. C. Graham, W. - Taylor, Kate Hodson, Henrietta - Hodson (Mrs Labohchere), and lesser lights. Immediately after ; the arrival of the last San Francisco mail, a letter appeared in one of the London papers re the Maori mission, detailing Sydney Taiwhanga’s character in its true colours. It created a profound sensation in London society, and those whd'vlecT to entertain the; Maoris are bitter in invectives against Mr Chesson, of ttie Aborigines’ Protection Society, who, they urge, should have ascertained the precise status of the Maoris before bringing them out. My belief is, it suited Chesson and Co. to take up with the men. Unless an institution like , the Aborigines’. Protection ' Society comes' before the public frequently, people won’t support it. The Union Company’s now s.s. Tarawa ra leaves Glasgow for ' the colony • direct on 7tl? December. A large number of passengers were already booked. The vessel is of 2000 tons burden, 300 horse-power nominal, 2000 . effective. The Rev. the Earl of Mulgrave, the Marquis of Norman by’s eldest son, has resigned the family living of Worsley, and shortly goes out as a missionary to Fiji or British Columbia. Some of the society papers are sarcastic about the numerous paragraphs that have; appeared re Mr Francis Arkwright’s departure for New Zealand, One of them remarks—“ It is certainly extraordinary that a well-to-do country gentleman should deliberately elect to exchange a seat in the House of Commons and a beautiful home in one of England’s fairest shires for the doubtful joys of a shanty amongst the Maoris.! We cannot, however, see that the departure of such an eccentric individual is anything to deplore.”

The Colonies and India advises fruit farmers from Southern Europe to emigrate to the North of New Zealand, where the editor considers there is a good opening for those experienced in the culture of sub-tropical fruits. The Daily Telegraph of the 29th publishes an article on the rapidly increasing prices of meat, which encourages New Zealanders, who contemplate shipping frozen mutton to England, to persevere. “We learn,” says the writer, “ that England consumes 1,800,000 tons of meat annually, out of which she produces bnt 1,205,000 tons. Hitherto the annual deficit has been supplied from America, but meat is now as dear in New York, Boston and Philadelphia as in London. Frozen mutton will doubtless come to our shores in large consignments from- Australia, New Zealand and La Plate. Years upon; years will have; to elapse before.we can expect substantial help from these sources.”- _ v>- :