WELLINGTON NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 34, 9 February 1903, Page 6

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Saturday. TRADES' COUNCIL APPLICATION.

The Trades and Labour Council will ask the Government t$ accept a nominee of its own to fill the Harbour Board vacancy, brought about by Mr. G. Fisher, M.H.R., ceasing to be a member owing to his absence from meetings on four consecutive occasions. REMARKABLE SUCCESS OF [ RECLAMATION. Local bodies in other parts of the colony would do well to note the recent experience, of the Wellington Harbour Board, which serves to show the advantages connected with reclamation and subdivision into building sections. Yesterday, at a public auction, the Graingerstrcet endowment of the board, which, appears in the statement, of assets at the end of September last year as valued at. £38,104 10/, realised a rental of .£2074 i per annum, equal to a- capital value baaed on 4 pc/cent, interest paid by the Harbour Board on their last- loan of £52,000. Tne area of the land sold was j seme .11 acres, equal to about £23,000 per cere. The City Council, under whose control the original reclamation was car- I rie.l out, never dreamt that (ho land in j that quarter ol* the city would reach such a price. INSPECTION OF HARD W OOD TIMBER. Not lcnw afro the City Council made j application llirough the Premier that j the West Australian Government should i inspect, prior to shipment, hardwood tim- I ber now being procured for paving the , main route of the electric tramways. The.. I Government of West Australia bus inti- j mated its readiness to carry out ihe inspection ou the usual.terms, namely, that , the inspector's remuneration of 15/ a day be refunded hy the Council. The lat- j ter will lake advantage of tho Govern- j ment inspection offered, and has passed a j vote of ; hanks to the Premier for his good services. EAST COAST LANDS. It is said that a lons and animated discussion took place in Cabinet over the question of setting t'p the East Coast Native Trust Lends Board. There is every probability that the matter Will 'be definitely k\ed up within the next j week or ten days. j OUR EXPORT TRADE. j Cabinet has decided that Mr J. G. Gow shall go to South Africa instead lof Great Britain Now Zealand's trade ! representative to t*| en up markets for colonial products. It is understood the proposal to send a commissioner to j Great Britain on a similar errand has j been abandoned, at least for the pre-cnt, ; and that Cabinet was not altogether ! unanimous in arriving at the decision it j did.. Mr Gow will most likely leave for j his new sphere of operations 'by tlie steamer Kent. THE BANK OF STEW ZEALAND. After the speech of the chairman of j the Bank of New Zealand at its -hr.lf- j yearly meeting it, is assumed that Mr i Alexander Miehie, who is temporarily; i installed in Hie position of general man- i ; ager, will ultimately receive permanent i appointment to that responsible oliice. SIR ARTHUR DOUGLAS. | I Very little surprise, is manifested at ;the official announcement of ihe resigna- j | tion of Sir Arthur Douglas of his posi- j ;tion as Under-Secretary for Defence. Be- i ; fore lie left on his present visit to Eng- i : land he hinted that he might not be in ' I official harness again. 111-health is said 'to be the chief reason for Sir Arthur; Douglas''decision to retire. Many names : have been put forward as those of likely : • successors to Sir Arthur, but when num- <■ i bers go up it will probe.bly be found that | j the po«t has been secured by a "dark j i horse." j I SALVATION ARMY CHANGES, j ! Commissioner McKie, commissioner of j I the Salvation Army for (he Common-' I wealth and New Zealand, arrived in Weli lington this morning. After a tour of the South Island he will on Tuesday conifer in council with a large number of the 'Army's officers relative to certain imme- ' diato and extraordinary reforms in or- ! ganisation and working, which it is in- | tended shall be put in operation in Wellington as erne of the chief strategic forts I of' ihe Army. Accompanying Commissioner McKio is Lieutenant-Colonel Hoskins, chief of the training operations in Melbourne, pud Lieutenant-Colonel Giljmour, New Zealand resident leader. The party leaves for Auckland via Northern towns on Wednesday morning. ' THE FIRE OK A SHIP. Farther investigations have shown jthat comparatively little damage was | done by the live on t lie Machrihanish I yesterday morning. Ten kales of wool ' were actually charred by the flames, aud ! the rest of the damage clone was caused |by water. This damage will be assessed | oil a general average oven- all cargo, ami lis not"expected to be more than one per ! cent. The Collector of Customs will | next week hold a, preliminary enquiry into the causes of the fire. Credit jb given by the officers of the vessel to the night watchmen for (heir prompt action in taking steps to quell the outbreak.