ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES BY THE AUCKLAND "STAR'S" LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 112, 25 July 1885, Page 3

ANGLO COLONIAL NOTES BY THE AUCKLAND "STAR'S" LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

A Strange Case, You may remember my mentioning the case of a well-connected Leicester gentlemaa—a Mr Townehend who was arrested some little time ago on board the Coptic (I think it must have been) just as he and a large party of relations were sailing for Auckland. The relations went on, but Mr Townshend wasjocked up in Leicester gaol on the charge of absconding as a fraudulent bankrupt. The case (a complicated one) has been dragging on for some weeks. On Thursday last the accused man was at length discharged. He was, however, almost immediately re-arrested on a fresh charge, viz., that before leaving Leicester he obtained £300 on a mortgage of property conveyed to his father, also named George Townshend.

Special Items. Sir John and Lady Hall, with their family, will return to New Zealand for good in September next. Lady Hall is, I regret to hear, in a somewhat delicate state of health, but Miss Hall, on whose account they mainly came to England, has benefited considerably. Colonel Middleton, who has just been created a K.C.M.G. on consideration of the valuable assistance he rendered the Canadian Government in suppressing the half-breed revclt in the North West, first made a name in New Zealand as long ago as 1546. He was only a lieutenant then. Mr Sydney Olivier, M.A., one of the most popular officials in the Colonial Office, was married last week to Miss Margaret Cox, daughter of Mr Flouiersham Cox, Judge of the West Kent County Courts. Mr Olivier's many friends in Australia and New Zealand will no doubt be glad to have an opportunity of congratulating him. By-theby, I wonder if it is generally known that Cardinal Manning began life as a clerk in a colonial office. I see Sir Henry Taylor mentions the fact in his autobiography. Mr F. D. Rich has arrived in London from New Zealand, and ia busily employed forwarding the practical details of his railway schemes. I have not seen him yet. Mr Bealy, an old " identity," whose name will doubtless be familiar to many of your reader;?, returns to the colony in the autumn. There appear to be substantial reasons why Sir Win, McArthur should be thinking of retiring from political life. At a meeting of the West Newington Liberal Association the other evening, when he was proposed as candidate for the borough, only four members voted for him, the meeting unanimously resolving to support Mr Seymour Keay. The ocean race between the Ruapehu and the Tainui resulted, as /was generally anticipated, in favour of the former. The New Zealand Shipping Company's liner achieved another " best record," making the run Hcme in 36 days 15 hours. The Tainui's time was 3S days 9 hours. Both remarkable passages ! Captain Henry Wyatt, of the P. and O. steamer Chusan, has been greatly scandalised by an accusation to the effect that he raced with another company's steamer in the Bay of Biscay, and that the two boats were steered dangerously close to one another. The passengers who made the complaint stick t o their story, so it is possible there may be an inquiry. The Inman liner City of Berlin, which a few years ago wa3 a favourite vessel with Australians travelling via the States, ran into an iceberg off the Ameiican coast the other day, well-nigh coming irreparably to grief. Sho was (owing to a dense fog) going dead slow at the time, or nothing could have saved her. As it was, thousands of tons of ice fell on the fore decks, smashing into the hold, and doing altogether some £s^ooo worth of damage. Boats and rafts ■were instantly lowered, and preparations made for the worst, but the vessel being found perfectly dry and seaworthy, the captain proceeded on his voyage. Later the same morning, the Berlin shaved two other immense icebergs. H.M.S. Cormorant sails at once for the Pacific station to relieve the Undine. It has not been decided yet who commissions her. Mr B. L Farjeon has dramatised his highly successful novel, "Great Porter Square," for the stage, and it will probably be produced at a matinee in the course of the next few weeks. The cadet of a large English firm contemplates starting an earthenware manufactory in New Zealand. The precise location has not been fixed yet. One hundred and fifty seamen have left to join the new armed cruiser Stirling Castle at Malta. She will then proceed to join the Australasian squadron. A Mr Whitaker from Australia is staying at Bailey's Hotel, the great Anglo-colonial centre in South Kensington. I presume he must be a member of the Auckland family of that name. The Mr and Mrs Oliver, who were to have been presented by Lady Derby at a recent drawing-room were not, as I thought, the the Hon. Thomas Oliver and his wife. They tell me your Mr Oliver is a w idower. The appointment of Mr Thurston to be Lieut. -Governor of Fiji is on all hands con eidered a deserved reward for the excellent tact and foresight he showed on the Pacific Commission, the labours of which have proved most satisfactory.

Labour in New Zealand. The "Globe," having asked for "the truth about the Australian labour market," a father of a son who has been two and a-half years in Kew Zealand forwarded that journal one of his boy's letters on the subject. This youth, dating from Dunedin on March IS, says : "The country is overstocked with governesses, clerks, servants, farm labourers, craftsmen, tradesmen, educated men, lawyers, doctors— anybody and everybody but capitalists. Ido wish those who call this a glorious country for working men would come out here and carry their swag for a few [months, It is a crying shame to send so many poor workmen and women here, where thero are about two men to every job in the country." On the other hand, we have the enthusi astic Arthur Clayden solemnly adjuring the working men in all our great provincial towns to emigrate forthwith to New Zealand. According to him, whatever drawbacks the colony may have to clerks and professional men, it is the paradise of the artisan, the craftsman, and the navvy.

Frozen Meat Trade. Nothing has been doing during the holidays. The lluapehu and Tainui each brought large consignments. The Tainui's carcases are in excellent condition, but about 16,000 per Ruapehu arrived, I regret to learn, in a very unsatisfactory condition, 2 not absolutely unsaleable, nearly so. Defects in the refrigerating machinery are, it is presumed, the cause of the failure, though nothing definite seems to be known. What with tho Rimutaka's cheese and the Ruapehu's meat, the N.Z.S. Co. have been rather unfortunate lately. I have not heard what the Ruapehu's cheese is like. Current rates : New Zealand mutton, 3s 4d to 3s 6d per st j New Zealand lamb, 5s to 5s 8d per fit.

The Views of Basil Hodges. Some important and interesting information with regard to the payable development of the frozen meat trade between New Zealand and tbis country was given the other evening at the Canterbury Farmers' Club, by Mr Basil Hodges, of Vincent, near Margate, a well-known Kent agriculturist, who has just returned from a six months' tour of the Australasian coloniea. In the main, of course, his lecture consisted of well-known facts to you, but there was one observation struck me as worth reproducing. Mr Hodges said that in future some of the principal shippers meant to freeze and send Home not whole carcases, but hind-quarters only. They proposed to cut the sheep in two, sell the fore-quarters to the tinned meat establishments, and freezo the hind-quarters only

The Maori Mission and its Results. At the annual meeting of the Aborigines Protection Society, the other day, Mr Uhesson (the Secretary) gave details of the recent visit of the Maori chiefs to England, hoping it would be followed by l< highly beneficial results in their own country." Later, Mr Alex. McArthur moved, and the Rev. H. P. Chase (chief of the Objebways) seconded, a careful and sage resolution, which proclaimed " great need for wisely directed efforts on the part of friends of the Aborigines Protection Society, in order to secure justice for the natives of NW Zealand." Truth to tell, the Maori mission was an unspeakable boon to the Aborigines Protection Society. Without it they would have had no nigger notoriety to show about last seoson, and an occasional nigger notoriety is an absolute necessity to their existence. This year they've got hold of Lamshun Ghose, an eminent Hindoo, who stands for Greenwich at the coming election, and is known at the National Liberal Club by the familiar but irreverent nickname of " Goosey." Mr Gorst will rake up the subject of the Maori mission in the House of Commons on an early day. I hear Te Wheoro has sent him a formidable petition signed by from 4,000 to i), 000 natives. Ifc appeared that for putting in tins the fore-quarters were more valuable. They cut up better and made better tinned meat than the hind-quarters. These shippers claimed too that by freezing the hindquarters only they would _ put a larger amount of meat into a given space and thus reduce the cost of importation, whilst they also oxpected to be ablo to dispose of the divided cavcas© to greater advantage, and thus carry on their industry in a larger way and at a greater profit. J At the Central Meat Market, on Saturday week, N.Z. frozen mutton was in gi eater request than town - killed, and fetched better prices. To the list of nations and colonies exporting frozen mutton must now be added the name of Roumania. An AngloRoumanian refrigerating company has just been started at Bucharest.

drinking on Board Ship. A Mr George W. McCree writes to the London dailies that Mr T. W. Glover (presumably the temperance demagogue) says £2,500 was spent in drink at the bar of the ship in which he (Glover) recently went oub to Australia. " Can there," asks McCree, " be nothing done to prevent drinking and gambling on these big steamers? I happen to know something of the sacrifices made by parents to give their sons a chance—sometimes a last chance — in a new country, and it seems scandalous for great firms to keep open bars and c gambling hells' (for that is what it comes to) on board their ships." Messrs McCree and Glover are, like all fanatics, thoroughly unpractical people. It is supremely to the interest of the big Shipping Companies to keep their vessels free from drinking and gambling, and they do the best they can to burke tho3e vices, but they are not capable of working miracles. A certain class of outward-bound passengers to the colonies irill gamble and xcill drink, do what the authorities may to prevent them. Mr M;: Cree admits that many of the culprits are "bad eggs" sent to Australia as a last chance. Their friends at home, with every possible influence behind them, have failed to induce them to abandon probably these very vices. la it likely, then, that when all the restraint of home trammels is removed, they will keep straight ? All that can be done is done. On board the Orient liners (to which I imagine Mr Glover's accusation refers), a man's drink is stopped directly he shows signs of intemperance, and the passengers^ and stewards warned not to give it to him. So long as -a drunkard has money, however, he will, through some false friend or venal steward, be able to get what he wants. As a matter of fact, though, it is not the habitual drunkards that are riotous and wasteful, but the young scapegraces, who soak morning, noon, and night -without ever getting absolutely tipsy. A captain daren't stop a saloon passenger's procuring liqour simply because he drinks champagne at dinner, claret at breakfast, beer at lunch, and nips enumerable of whisky or brandy between whiles. He may warn him or give him advice, but he can do no more unless the fellow gets intoxicated or makes himself a nuisance to the passengers. When the latter happens, captains invariably act promptly. A*few years ago I went out to Melbourne in an Orient boat which carried a rare contingent of rowdy "bad eggs." They drank like fishes, but there was no possibility of interfering decently till one night when " pretty well on " the party began chorusing songs on deck at midnight and disturbing people. The Captain promptly stopped the grog of the lot, to their intense indignation. After a few days they were allowed a modicum of beer and wine, but no spirits. Consequently for the rest of the voyage " cadging " on a fellowpassenger was the only way they could get a "nip." Gambling is forbidd< a by regulation both on Orient and P. and O. boats. No law can, however, possibly be made to prevent people playing for counters or nuts, which, by a private understanding, represent specified sums. Even if cards were prohibited altogether (which would be absurd), gamblers would find a way to "have a flutter." Till he's "stone broke" the gambler is incorrigible.

Labour in Auckland. A most damaging letter appeared in the " Globe "on the 27th. It has already been widely quoted in the provinces, and will, I fear, do much harm. The writer says :—: — "I know New Zealand from end to end, and I should wish to give you my opinion as to emigration there — and that is, that there can be no question but that the statements contained in the letter published in your issue of the 22nd are correct, that every trade or calling is overstocked. When I left New Zealand last year, meetings of the unemployed were being held ia every town from Auckland to ' Invercargill. The letter of Mr Robertson, in your paper of to day, is, I have to say, that of a squatter, whose interest jt is, of course, to induce as much immigration as is possible, so that the price of labour may be further reduced. But he speaks of Australia and of New Zealand, and as regarding the latter colony I should most strongly deprecate emigration of any class, except such as navvies, roadmakers, &c. The

colony is overburdened with debt, whioh amounts to at least £76 per head of the population, manufactures little or nothing, and has for the past year or two been oarrying on the boasted frozen meat trade at a heavy loss. So far as I have been able to ascertain, and I have reason to believe my information to be accurate, very little money indeed has ever been made by any means in New Zealand. By this Ido not, of course, mean to imply that there are not wealthy individuals there, but I do mean that the bulk of what capital has been really acquired has been so by doubtful land transactions with the natives and by usury. Even now by far the greatest portion of the land, whether in small or large holdings, is heavily mortgaged, and owing to that, the country may practically be said to be ruled by the Bank, and the Bank may so continue, co long as all goes well in tho money market; but suppose the position of the New Zealand Government failing to obtain n loan here! The Bank then, I think, would be scarcely able to realise the enormous amount as securities held by it on mortgage and the result would be and will be, before long, a complete bankruptcy. Your correspondent of to-day says that there is 'no such thing as starvation in the colonies. This, I not only most flatly contradict, but say that, though I have been in nearly all countries of the world, there is no place that I have ever seen where the crime of poverty is so savagely punished as it is in New Zealand. Doubtles3 on the beggar - onhorseback principle. That my statement may not be accepted without proof, I beg to enclose a few slips, which I beg you will publish, selected from a number which I had cut of papers in New Zealand, and which might be multiplied a hundred times. Lot no one go to New Zealand who by any moans can remain in England, unless he is a pawnbroker, or something of that nature. It is on the pawnbroking system that money is made there. I enclose my card, and am yours truly, Waitangi."