WELLINGTON NOTES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9280, 4 December 1895, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(By Tki.eciiu.ph,)

(FBOM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) WELLINGTON, December 3. A large and influential meeting is to be held on Friday evening to inaugurate a Wellington section of the National Association. I hear of a surprise in connection wich the coming reconstruction of the Cabinet, that may cause some heartburning in the ranks of the party. At present I can only say that my forecast of ;the reconstructed Ministry seems certain to bo wrong in one important particular. One of the witnesses at the Midland Arbitration Court yesterday described himself, in reply to successive questions of the examining counsel, as mining agent, auctioneer, commission agent, practical— here Mr Blake laid down his pen and, leaning back, asked—" Does this gentleman do any thing else t" "Oh, yes," was the reply, "he has also boen manager of mining Companies, Director of the Government ■School of Mines, ami is now advising agent to Mr Zimau, the South African mining speculator." After that Mr Blake appeared disposed to regard as supererogatory counsel's next question aa to whether the witness had not "some knowledge of miniug." It has transpired that one of the most ludicrous of the many peculiar provisions of that triumph of legal ingenuity, the new Licensing Act, is section 22, subsection 5, where it is solemnly enacted chat it ehall he lawful for a licensee to sell liquor at uny time to a lodger or a bona fide traveller seeking refreshment on arriving from a journey, providing that the liquor so sold is personally consumed on the premises by such traveller, and by no other person. The lodger can buy the liquor, but cannot driuk it. After purchasing a glass of refreshment the ouly satisfaction he can get is to ace a traveller drink it, though when no traveller is available even that vicarious satisfaction is denied the unfortunate lodger. There is still no sign of the barque Weathersfield, and there seems some conflict of opinion among nautical nieu aa to her probable whereabouts. As H.M.3. Lizard is in port, and is not timed to leave for Sydney direct until Saturday next, it has been suggested that the Government might cable to the Admiral of the station asking that the gunboat may be sent in search. As the Hinemoa is not in port this would not appear an unreasonable request to make.