SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT,

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 79, 5 April 1881, Page 3

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT,

There aro not wanting many indications that a marked improvement in the value of property is steadily setting in. The utter stagnation which has so long prevailed is slowly but, we may hope, surely passing away. One very strong symptom of renewed activity in mercantile matters generally is the ready sale at satisfactory prices which the town and country properties recently offered have met with. For some time previously land was almost unsaleable save at a rninous sacrifice, but now it appears to be gradually coming into demand once more and saleable, if not at the "fancy" prices produced by the fictitious value placed on property a few years ago, nevertheless at favorable rates. All this seems to point to a revival in trade after the long period of depression. Ihe recovery has been slower in Wellington than in other parts of New Zealand because we have hardly any back country yet brought into railway communication with the city. In Chnstchurch and Dnnedin, where they have ample back country, opened up by 800 miles ot railway, the improvement which appears now so tardily reaching Wellington has long been in full swing. This ought to be another spur to the energies of those who are promoting the West Coast Railway. Until the Wellington back country is thoroughly opened by railways, and thus brought into easy communication with this port and its splendid harbour, Wellington will always lag behind other parts of 2Sew Zealand. The great object of our aims and endeavours ought to be, therefore, to overcome this drawback, and so to place Wellington in the position to which her exceptional advantages of site and harbour justly entitle her to aspire.

A meeting of the Executive Council was held at Government House this afternoon. His Excellency the Governor presided, and the Premier (Hon. J. Hall;, the Colonial Secretary (Hon. T. Dick), and the Post-master-General (Hon. Walter Johnston) were present. The business was of the usual routine character, excepting that it was de-

cided to prorogue Parliament from the 19th instant to the 17th May, but net to call it together on that date for the despatch of business. The necessary proclamation will be issued forthwith. To-day' a telegrams report Colonel Soberts to have passed a fair night, and to be slightly better this morning. The_ fever is believed to have now passed its crisis, and hopes of his recovery are entertained. The Wanaka, with the San Francisco mail, is expected here on Thursday afterneon, and will leave again immediately for Lyttelton. The offices attached to the R.M. Court were closed at noon to-day, and will be closed at the same hour to-morrow. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday they will remain closed to the public throughout the day. The depth of water in the resorvoir this morning, notwithstanding the rain last night, was only 19ft. sin. — the same depth as it was yesterday morning. The total rainfall since Saturday only amounted to 0 91 of an inch in all, of which 070 fell np to 9 a.m. yesterday, and the balance since This, of course, ia too trifling a fall to do much permanent geod. The total rain during the month of Maroh was but 0"80 of an inch. The Finance Committee had under consideration last evening the striking of rates for the year just oommenced, and they decided to recommend the following to the City Council, which meets on Thursday next : — That the general rata be Is in the £ ; water rate, 5 per cent, on houses where water is laid on ; 2.\ per cent, on houses within the prescribed distance, but not taking water; and 2^ per cent, on stores ; and that the rate for payment of interest on the City Improvements Loan be 3d in the £. Yesterday, at the Pier Hotel, a presentation wa3 made to the Chairman of the Kilbirnie Highway Board, Sir. Hendry, when Messrs. Bradsford and Downs, on behalf of the distriot, handed over to him a purse of money as a mark of appreciation of the manner in which he had fought for, and obtained the establishment of the Kilbirnie Highway Board. As an instance of the difficulty of getting bush fires under, we may point out the fact that, notwithstanding the recent heavy rain, no sooner did the wind freshen up last night than several of tho fires in the Karori and Makara districts twinkled brightly again. Of course all dangar of spreading is past, still it shows how difficult it is to quench a bush fire when once it gets started among dry hard logs. The attention of the citizens is particularly called to the urgent necessity of seeing that their water taps are securely closed after the water is turned off at 1 o'clock in the day. as it is found that when the water is turned on from any unforeseen cause, or for fire protection purposes, a considerable amount of water is uselessly wasted from want of attention to the above warning, to say nothing of tho damago to property likely to arise when the tap is inside the house. With all the talk there has been in Wellington about working the various local reefs, it has been left for our more enterprising Dunedin brethren to be the first to start the erection of machinery in the Wellington provincial district. It will be remembered that Mr. William M'Lean visited tho Wairarapa district about a month ago to report to a number of Dunedin residents upon a reef known as " Brandon's," situated near the lake, about 16 miles from Cross' Creek. The report was such as to induoe the gentlemen in question to place machinery on the ground, and they have lost no time in doing so. A quartz-crnshing battery, with all its concomitants, arrived here yesterday, and was sent np to the Wairarapa to-day. Four men are now engaged in cutting a track to the claim, and the machinery will be erected without delay. The reef has been known to exist there for many years, but no attempt was ever made to work it before the Dunedin people took it in hand. It is about 17ft thick, but from tests that have been made the gold is only expected to run about 7dwts to the ton. A shaft has already been snnk 25ft, and a drive put in to the extent of 50ft. The reefs at Terawhiti are expected to turn out from 1 to 3ozs to the ton, and yet the steps taken to develop them are bo slow that it may almost be said they are at a standstill. In yesterday's issue we mentioned that a draper named John G- Dudgeon had been missing since the 30th ult.,but «re have since learned that he has been seen in Wanganui by the traveller for Messrs. Staples Bros. He then stated that he expected to procure work in Wanganui. The Public Works Committeohave decided to grant the request of the Naval Brigade for the use of the hulk Omega for a depot, on condition that tho boats be hung in-board. Another information for unlawfully supplying liquor on a Sunday will shortly be heard at the Resident Magistrate's Court, the defendant being Mr. Thomas Bould, of the Foresters' Arms Hotel, and the alleged offence having been committed on Sunday last. In the country districts round Wellington there has been scarcely any appreciable rising in the streams. The rain, being a gentle, steady downpouring, sank rapidly in the ground, which had many deep crevicea yawning for its reception. His Honor the Chief Justice held a sitting of tho Supreme Court in Bankruptcy to-day, when, on the application of Mr. Brandon, Mr. E. W. Mills was granted an order of discharged. Mr. Sandilands moved for an order of discharge in re Daniel Mahoney. Mr. Forwood, on behalf of Mr. A. A. Barnett, a creditor, opposed, on the ground that the debtor, who was a contractor, carried on business in a reckless manner. After hearing counsel his Honor adjourned the case for a month. Messrß. J. H. Bethune's extensive land sale yesterday was attended by a very large number of town and country buyers, and the bidding was exceedingly spirited. The sale was a genuine ono, the properties offered being free from mortgage of any kind. A number of sections in the Opaki Block, comprising an aggregate of 1077 acre 3, were sold to Mr. Henry Welch at £6 per acre. Messrs. Campbell and Welch were the purchasers of 500 acres in Opaki at £o per acre, and Mr. John Morrison 8f cured a section containing 63 acres of totara bush — also in the Opaki Block— for £2 15s per acre. A flock of 1600 head of sheep and lambs, of mixed ages and sex, was knocked down to Mr. John Tuck at 5s per head. A section in the township of Mulgravo, and another adjoining the township with a hotel thereon, together with two sections in the Opaki Block, aggregating 1 472£ acres, were withdrawn from sale. Two rural sections in Fitzherbert, containing S9 acres, were purchased by Mr. Reuben King for £1 10s per acre. The Alicetown property, Lower Hutt, was next submitted to the hammer, and fetched prices as follows : — House and about 1 acre of land, w£2oo; 15 allotments, .£ll 10a each; 27 do, .£ll each; 11 do, £10 10s each; 2 do, .£l6 each. The total amount of the sales effected was £10,740. There wa3 only a small audience at the Theatre Royal last night, when Mr. Reynolds and his company repeated the play of " Lost and Won." The weather, doubtless, had much do with the paucity of attendance. The same piece will be presented this evening. To-morrow night a new play, entitled " A Christmas Mystery," from the pen of Mr. Reynolds, will be produced. " Petoni " writes to us as follows : — " Can you inform me how is it that we cannot get our dogs registered in the Hutt County ? I went to the registrar of dogs for tho Epuni riding with 10s to get my dog registered, but the registrar told me that he could not register my dog, as the County Councillors thought 10s was too much. Now, sir, if my dog happens to get killed, what remedy have I got against the county members ? Is not the Act a compulsory one, it being a Goneral Government Act?" Tho Act appears clearly compulsory, and our correspondent should consult his solicitor as to the legal steps to be taken for compelling the local authorities to do their duty. The programme for the entertainment to be given this evening at the Athenaaum, in aid of the building fund for the now school- j room, Wesley Church, appears elsewhere, and is calculated to attract a large audience. Mr. Louis Hook, of Allen-street, off Courtenay Place, writes to say that George Maxstead, who=e death was recorded in our obitnary column on Friday, was not of the Lower Hutt, as stated, but an old settler residing at Porirua Road, who arrived in Wellington by the ship Lord William Bentinck, 17th May, 1841. He adds:— "lam sorry to have to complain of negligence displayed by the Hospital authorities in this case. The deceased's sons requested the officials of the institution, Bhould there be any change for the worse in the condition of their father, to notify the fact to them as soon as possible, a similar request being also made by myself. In spite of a promise to this effect, the first intimation either his sons or myself had of the old man's death was the undertaker's announcement on r riday evening appointing the funeral to take place on Saturday morning. Now, sir, I think it is unwarrantable presumption on the part of the authorities to take upon themselves to bury as a pauper, without consulting his family, a man who has so long resided in a place and brought up a large family re- | Bpectably." The Pioneer Lodge, 1.0. G.T., held their weekly session last night, in the Friendly Societies' Hall, and attcr initiating several new members and transacting the routine work, the doors were thrown open to the nublic. The chair was ocenpied by Bro. Hutchison, W.C.T., and th« remainder of the evening was devoted to singing and addresses by various members of tho fraternity.

The members of the Wellington Chess Club are requested to note that the general annual meeting and opening of the session takes place this evening, at Barrett's Hotel, at 8 o'clock. As will be seen from an advertisement in another column, there is businesß of importance, and the attendanos of members is particularly requested. The members of the Wellington Literary Association are reminded of the annual meeting of the association tfcis evening, at 8 o'olook, in St. John's School-room, Willisstreet. The Juvenile Temple Rising Star was convened last evening at the Athenaeum, when, though the weather was somewhat inclement, 35 children were preaent. An addition was made to the roll of membership. Bro. W. Johnson, G.W.C.T.,wasthe acting superintendent. After the children were dismissed, the Degree Temple Crystal Spring held their monthly session. One candidate was admitted to the third degree. All the Turkish Government departments some time ago received orders not to pay any salaries or make any other payments whatever until the end of March, the whole revenues of the State being absorbed by the military preparations in progress. It is satisfactory to learn from a recent paragraph in the Melbourne Advocate that our New Zealand youths are able to hold their own against Young "Victoria "in the contests for literary honors. At the late Melbourne matriculation examination it appears that the only candidate, among thoße from all the colleges in Victoria, who passed " with credit " was Denis Francis Gerity, a native of Timaru, and latterly a student of St. Franoiß Xavier's College, Kew. Other pupils from the same college were also very successful in the same examination. Announcements of new goods for the Autumn seem to be the order of the day among the oity drapery and clothing establishments. The New Zealand Clothing Factory, determined not to be behindhand, notify in our advertising columns that they have now on hand a supply of Autumn goodß, of a better and cheaper character than heretofore. Messrs. T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co. announce a large clearing sale of furniture, &c, in their' mart, on Thursday next, at 2.30 p.m. Particulars of the gooda to be sold appear in another oolunri .