ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 246, 14 March 1888, Page 10

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

London, January 12. THE. DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. Alu Orrvvux Moucux will, early noxt session, introduce a bill into Parliament re cognising- the. \alidifcy in the United Kingdom of nuuiia^es with a deceased wife's M-ier li\\ hilly contracted in tho colonies The measure is pretty sure to pasas tho Coir-moui? w ilhout difficulty, but Mr Morgan lv-> aluMdy ieoei\od notice of strenuous* opposition in the House of Lords. The Bishops, in fac'., look upon it as iiiuch t-ho Mine t-hiny as the Deeded Wife* Sifter Hill itself. If i.he one yel-. ih-ouoh t his? bes.-ion, they say the oilici will neve It is considerably m ".'u tluin llie thin edjic of the avoclko. Mr Moii;»ui i.s suiuuine of htic- ( 'c«. \V!u!s' o in Au.straliii and New ZeaLir.d lie ui(|ur.ed into the inani.'i»e que^tioti e> hausti\^lj , and lias collated numerous toots tending tvi .show the iniM'luet and injustice caused by the present anonudoucondition ot ailaiis. MrMoigan'h propo^al will, it should be noted, only paitudl) lomovc e\Utin<^ anomalies, since it will at least leave in doubt the status of the persons aflected in thoce coionietN ni w hi^h sucli marriages are nou already legalised, and it i» questionable on the w vole whether, if a solution of tho macter is to bo ouud at all in this direction, it would not bo better to adopt tho buggestion brought forward by Sir James Uarnck at the Colonial Conference, that tho validity of such marriages contracted under any colonial 1 iw should bo recognised for all purposes in all parts of the Empire. Mr Mom 'in il I be supported in the House 01 Commons by Mr Hennikor Heaton and many other.-..

SALMON FOX THE COLONIES. Amongst intending \i*itois to New Zealand is the t'hiet Inspector of Irish Fisheries, Sir Thomas Brady. He goes out via Tasmania about the middle of March, and -will take some Irish salmon ova with hnr, the idea bein£ that it may suit your water* bottcr than the Scotch.

LORD LOFTUS. Thanks to the apropos demise of an el ieriy relative, who left Lady Augustus Loftus a Mjflicienb bum of money so strictly ti.'l up that her lord's creditors could not <r?i at it, the late Governor of New South VVales seems in a fair way to escape from hi-, bankruptcy troubles. Lady Augustus ha- agreed to part with £2,000 in cash, M'lich \\ ill be di\ ided amongst the creditors, and altogether 'tis expected tha estate will yield 3* in the £.

AUSTRALIAN PARCEL POST. The new Australian mail contracts were, contrary to general expectation, signed Idil Friday. The Go\ernment had delayed .so long that it was expected (or lathor feared) Parliament would be consulted about them. Luckily, the urgent representations of the Agent-Generals prevailed. Tl.e P. and O. and Orient Companies are willing to reduce their parcels rate from 4d to 3d a lb. If the Po*t Office would reduce its charge from Id to 9cl, the two companies would even accept as little a.s 2d per lb for the carriage of parcels. Aie we never to liave a N.Z. parcels post ?

SIR JOHN GORST. Si: Johir UoroL is so much botter that the Government may after all decide to appoint him to the Governorship of Cape Colouy or New Zealand.

SIR DILLON BELL. Sir F. D. BeU, who was never specially comimimcatho to newspaper representatives, has become taciturn and reticent to si decree since the correspondent of the | Melbourne "Age" misieprcsented his j views with legarc 1 to Sir Robert Stout ami the Now Zealand elections. It is ttlmo3t impossible to see the Agent(Jeners^ nowadays. He cares little or nothing whai; the colonial press may say about him, and ptobably considers your Special correspondents" troublesome inti .lit-rs.

DEATH OF MR SPIOER. The death U announced of Mr J. Spicer, the Tred~mei of the Colonial Missionary Society, and the head of the well-known linn of Spice. 1 Bio*., paper manufacturers. \ Spirer.i do a large business in Australia and isV'V Zealand ; in fact-, one of their representatives is generally "doing" one or ot'.er of the colonies. Mr Spicer wa3 81 .yca~s of apre.