THE LATE MR. SEDDON.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 141, 15 June 1906, Page 6

THE LATE MR. SEDDON.

Wa are informed by the Acting-Pre mier that the Government offices will be closed to-morrow, Monday, and Tuesday. From this it would appear that the funeral will, under ordinary conditions, take place on Tuesday. As a suitable burial sitb for the late Premier, '"Fighting Mac" suggests the disused fort at the top of tho Kelburne tram. The fort is on Government ground, is easily accessible, and is in the most commanding position available. All the cabs in Wellington have alifcady been bespoken foi the funeral of the late Premier Solicitors practising in the city are requested to close their offices to-morrow and on the aftsmoon of the day fixod for the late Premier's funeral. Mr. Edward Seddon, of Cambridge, brother of the lute Premier, and Mr. Glenister, of Auckland, a relative of Mrs. Seddon, will arrive in Wellington to-night. The Magistrate's Court will be closed until Wednesday, except that a short sitting of the Couit Mill be htld on Saturday, Monday, and Tue&day at 9 a.m. for the transaction of police business".

Captain Edwin's forecast for tho weatnei during the twenty-four hours J ending 9 o'clock to-moiro.y morning ! st-ates that rain is probable noithward j of Xupier, Taupo, and Ra <r lan, and frost to-ni-iht in all other pirts of tl-c cum- ] try. From this forecast, there should he fine \.e ther in Wsl'in.ion 10-moiiow. In \Veilin<rtbu last ni,!it, u it«r a uiiM | t\ eniuvf, there was a suii Jtn clmii ,c of ue.ither, the atmosphere becumip,' cold, 1 and rain fallin' r shortly b? r oi'e 11 o'clodc. ! Rain u^ain fell this morn 11 , but it 1 1 bsequentlv the »*y cl«;ued. The temp*ia- 1 ture wa-3 cold. \t 9 o'clock this mom- . injr the 'shade t-emperatuies in the (our j centres were : — At Auckland 54dng., Wellinoton 44deg., Christchuroh .ISdog., Dunedin 44deg. Owing to the heavy sea, lurmtig in the straits, the Tutanekai, with the cable repairing staff on board, returned to port this morning. The uoik of rej,airiu)j tlifc duinuged cablo will be resumed as soon as the weather moderates. The export of gold from New Zealand for 1 the past fifty years has totalled 17,188,9300z, valued at £67,401,649. Six years ago #he Hawera Borough owed £4250, and to-day (says the Hawera Star) is is in debt to the tune of £67,611 plus a cash debit of £2600, total £70,211. We have had our "vigorous and progressive" policy, and now we are paying the piper. To take the extreme view of our municipal debt it> may be mentioned that it works out at the rate of about £140 ptr acre, and to put it in another way, at aboutj £35 per head for eveTy man. woman, and child in the borough. Over against this liability there are valuable endowments. The rental of those let last year brought in 1 over £10C0, an amount not likely tb de- ! crease. I In "the course of a sermon on "Tha Bankruptcy of Language" at the West- ' port Methodist Church (s>ays the West- j port Times), the ltev. 11. A. llugby j Pratt referred partnthttiealiy to a recent drowning case. Mr. l'ratt said he was infoimed that the unfoitunate man Harry Skeet was in a state ol paralytic drunkenness on the aiternoon before his death, and was in the same condition at 8.30 nexb morning. At this hour he was staggering to a watery grave carrying a bag in which two bottles of grog hud been carefully packed in straw so tliat the poor fellow should nob break them as lie rolled from the hotel which supplied them towards his ship_. Mt. Pratt said language was bankrupt in face of suet. damnable callousne&s as could supply a man with drink in these sordid circumstances. Speech was inadequate to denounce the tiaffic that made such tragedies possible. He hoped the public and the authorities would not allow the matter to be hushed up. The wife of a labourer in the Government service sends ue a letter from Petone strongly urging that Government servants should be paid fortnightly instead of monthly. She states that she is an invalid with seven lit.tle children, and that the necessity of running monthly accounts is equal to a difference like 5s in the pound as against cash payments, which makes a heavy taoc on a workman's Avages. To make the matter worse, the writer states that some tradesmen in her neighbourhood have agreed to sell for cash only. An old-age pensioner, seventy- three yeaTS of age, came under the notice of a constable in Manners-street on Wednesday evening. She had trouble with a peison from whom she rented a room iv York-street, and her effects had been bundled out of the place. The conttabU took her to the police station, where she wa» accommodated for the night. Next morning she was permitted to go out and muke provision for her future atcomrat dation, but her efforts in this direction were unsuccessful, and she found hei way back to the station. The attention of the Ohiro Home authorities was directed to the case, and they offered to make provision for her in the home, but ohe declined the offer. Eventually the police found it necessary to lock her up and charge bet with having inaoflleient means of support. Thia morning she was brought before Dr. A. M'Arthur, 8.M., on the charge in question. When interrogated about her trouble she said an effort had been made to make her pay rent in advance l and she refused on the ground that there were two things a persons should not do, and these were to pay in advance and not to pay at all. (Laughter.) She implored tne police "nob to show her up," and said, "I cun pull through the world since I have money in my pocket and get money." Hi* Worship adjourned the caso for a week in order to see what could be I done for her.