COLONIAL NOTES FROM HOME PAPERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4880, 21 December 1883, Page 3

COLONIAL NOTES FROM HOME PAPERS.

OUB BOTS. Aa a result of the reoent correspondence in the Daily Telegraph on the subject <* What to do with our BoyeP" it may be mentioned that a sooiety is now being formed to establish trade and agricultural sohools for the praotioal teaohing of trades, farming, and professions, to boys leaving, or ready to leave, the ordinary sohools. A system of colonisation, under exceptionally favourable conditions to yonths who pasß the sooiety'a standard, and are willing to emigrate, is also comprised. THB TABAKAKIIBOKSAKD. Sinoe my last I have seen some very inter* esting samples of oertain mixtures made by Mr Lewthwaite under his new patent process for improving iron ard.ateel by meana of the titanic steel sand of New Plymouth. The samples consisted of common Cleveland iron treated in a peouliar manner hy a oertain percentage of the Taranaki sand, and in one instance with the addition of a half per cent of manganese. These bars of ateel appear very perfeot, and- are especially good for all workine purposes. Mr Lewthwaite's method of treating lhe Taranaki iron sand is novel, but very simple, and will constitute, so expert metallurgists aay, quite a amall revolntion in one branoh of the metal trade before long. The speoimens whioh were on view at Westminster at the offices of the New Zsaland Agenoy are going out to Canterbury to the Museum there, and are consigned to Dr Heotor, and to that eici^cut man of contemporary soience, the well - known Dr von Haast. rABTBIDGBS. The other day, when at the office of the Agent-General for Pew Zealand, I found arrangements had been made for eending out, at the inatanoe of the Nelaon Acclimatisation Sooiety, a number of partridges. This reminds me that Mr Kennaway, who had undertaken the commission to send out the birds, was himself the very first to introduoe the partridge into New Zsaland, aad no doubt he was seleoted by the Acclimatisation Sooiety of Nelson oonsequent on his known experience in aaoh matters. Mr Kennaway, by the way, has ample reason for remembering hie initial acclimatisation experiences, for when he took out his irab partridges it was in the olden days of tedious and d ffioult voyages, and he was three weeks going from London to Plymouth, and, I think, 120 days altogether in reaohing tho Colony. STATS-AIDED BHIOBABION. The wire-pullers of the Associalion for Promoting Btate-aided Emigration had, immediately after tbe dispatoh of my last, a grand fleld day at Palaoe Chambers, Westminster, the habitat of the organisation. A grand inquiry was instituted into the statUß of the poorest of our East Bnd Londoners; and the net outoome of the report issued was that about 50 per oent of the whole of the Batt End poor would emigrate if they had the opportunity ! This more than justifies my reoent assertion that the withdrawal of 10,000 poor from the metropolitan Eaßt would not materially diminish the mass of destitution existing there. I am glad to note that some of the agents sent out to make personal enquiries into the real oondition of these woefully pauperised !Mia?es, had the honesty to admit that it would not be wise to send out all who desire to go. I should think not! It was added, however, that many of theße wretched creatures have been brought up in Ireland, " on the land," and these are deemed by the League aa speoially eligible. The general views of Irish "popular" agriculturists, however, are hardly saoh as Australian oolonists would wish to see reproduced among themselves, and to aend out ahoala of auch people would be nearly bb bad in come respects as an attempt to revive the transportation of conviots to the Antipodes. I peroeive that petitions are being circulated among East-endere for signature, expressing an earnest desire that the Home Government should take up their oase and settle them on new lands in the Colonies! If the Government meddle in this matter they will be sure to create trouble all round.