WELLINGTON NEWS NOTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 40

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, May 28.

The efforts of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society to preserve the game in the ureas under its jurisdiction from extinction are, for some reason unknown, meeting with opposition from the present Ministry. Government interference with the shooting season has been frequently complained of by the various societies, and in its annual report the council of the Wellington Society expresses regret that the Government could not see its way to give effect to the recommendations that the season for both native and imported game should be from the Ist May to the 31st July, but opened the season for native game a month earlier than that for imported game. The result has been just what was anticipated by the society — a vast number of the ducks shot were merely flappers and the pigeons poor and miserable, and the country overrun by youths carrying guns, who potted everything they saw, whether half-grown or not. The effect of this has been to undo the efforts that have been made to conserve to some extent our native game, to spoil the season for the license-holders, and to seriously check the society's efforts to establish game birds in the country. The society thanks the Government for its generous assistance in the work of acclimatisation, but, in conjunction with other societies, "cannot help regretting that their efforts should be to a certain extent nullified by the action taken with regard to the opening of the season." Mr John DutMe Is making gj gplendid

recovery from his recent illness, and confidently expects that he will be able to take his place in the House on the first day of the session. WELLINGTON, May 29. Mr J. Hutcheson, M.H.R., -has received invitations, one from an organisation of Independent Liberals in the South Island and others from private individuals, asking him to pay visits to Timaru and Temuka to lay his political views before audiences at those places. It is not improbable that Mr Hutcheson will accede to these requests. The Palmerston Standard of a recent date says : — The Seddonian party organiser, Mr Edwards, the ex-schoolmaster, paid a visit to Ashurst to organise the Seddon party, but as he could only find one person of that colour in the district he reluctantly left without accomplishing his mission. Mr Edwards has now arrived in Wellington, and invitations have been issued to all those who have hitherto identified themselves with Liberalism to meet him at a gathering to be held shortly. A good deal of friction is likely to arise on account of the manner in which it is proposed the organisation shall be conducted. The rules, which are to be placed before the meeting referred to, provide, for instance, that the whole of the organisation in Wellington shall be" given into the hands of a council of 10, who shall have power to take all such steps as shall seem to them meet in the furtherance of the work. The rules when once adopted may be amended iy the council of 10 as circumstances may seem to dictate, but they may not be altered by the maiu body of members except at an annual meeting, and then only on giving two months' notice. -A great many members look upon these as arbitrary stipulations, and will go to the meeting with the intention of combating them in common with a number of other conditions which Mr Edwards has drawn up. A lively meeting may therefore be anticipated.

The motion of want of confidence passed upon Mr J. Hutcheson, senior member for Wellington, by the Workers' Union on account of his outspoken speech to his constituents recently has drawn forth two counter resolutions — one from the Bootmakers' Union, whose membership is five times as great as that of the Workers' Union, and one from the Painters' Union, also a much more influential body — both stating that they have the utmost confidence in Mr Hutcheson as their representative in Parliament.