NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 7, 14 February 1901, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

The Right Hon. the Premier has received an intimation from the Agent-General that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will visit the colonies as originally decided upon. Op the 14 witnesses examined in Invercargill by the Federation Commission four expressed themselves in favor of New Zealand joining the lAustralian Commonwealth, four iwere against, and six were non-committal. Nearly £900 haR been promised in Wellington for the proposed statue to her late Majesty Queen Victoria. The Governor is reported to be disappointed at the manner in which the citizens are responding to the appeal for funds. Mk. H. McShekky (president) occupied the chair at the last meeting of the Ashburton Catholic Literary when there was a fair attendance of members. The programme fur the evening consisted of ' A night with the poets,' aud was the means of providing an entertainment of an interesting and instructs c character. , The Premier states that the Australian colonies are not giving effect to their threat to detain under-stainped — i c. permy — letters from New Zealand. They nre delivering the letters, but charging double deficient postage. He has reason to believe that they will shortly cease doing that. He is sure that the feeling in Australia generally is in favor of penny postage. Victoria, indeed, will institute the penny postage system on the UKt March. Mit Lawrhnci: Milmok, who died at New Plymouth a few days ago, gained distinction during the Maori wars in" the defence of the pah at Turu-turu-mokai. He settled at Hawera, and had resided there until removing, in bad health, to New Plymouth some time ago. He was of a \ery charitable nature, and had a large circle of friends. The deceased was a native of the West of Ireland, which he visited some five years ago. — R.I.P. The Right Hon. Mr. Seddon and Mrs. Seddon, with Miss May Seddon and Messrs. Hamer and Andrews private secretaries have returned to New Zealand from Australia, where they had' been attending the Commonwealth celebrations. Mr. Seddon said he had a splendid time of it, and that the New Zealanders were received with marked attention in Sydney. Sir Westby Pkrce\al, Lady Perceval, and their son and daughter arrive i in Auckland last week from England, having come out via Sydney. Sir Westby states that he is on a visit to the Colony, and that he has no present intention of making hu home in New Zealand. He will vimt the Lake district, probably continuing his journey and doing Wanganui River, thence through the southern parts of the Colony. He is chairman of the Consolidated Goldfields New Zealand properties on the West Coast, a director of the Crown Mines Company, and chairman of the New Zealand and River Plate Land Mortgage Company, having various properties in Auckland. He intends to visit the Waihi mine before leaving.