WELLINGTON ROTES.

Evening Star, Issue 12763, 16 March 1906, Page 2

WELLINGTON ROTES.

[Special to the Star.] March. 16., The Premier has .burst up/as bo did at Levin on Wednesday night, the pretence that -the Manawatu Railway purchase by tbq, Government is immediately imperative. Ah you know, he said, that by Wiiii get tne lino for £50,000 less. The effect of the announcement is visible , in the extreme reticence of the people. Tho rmuiager said yesterday to a reporter that he had read the Premier’s speech. “What is your opinion of the Premier’s utterances?” queried the reporter. “The Premier, of course, is at liberty to say what he likes. I can saynothing,” was Mr Hannay’s diplomatic answer. “ Not even about tho personal reference concerning - your contemplated trip to London on company business, and the allusion to tho debentures ?” pursued tho reporter. “No, I can’t say anything about that either,” replied Mr Hanpay, genially. Mr Anderson, a director, began by saying that the Premier’s remarks were not worth notice, and ended thus : “ I think the less said about the railway at present the better, and I can only tell you this, as one of the directors : the thing is all right.” The many friends in Dunedin and Christchurch of Mr Arthur Towsey will be glad to hear that the debut of his son, Mr Cyril _ Towsey, as an organist, at his recital in the Town Hall, was a pronounced lucoess. The critics to-day speak of him In high terms, reserved for past-masters, air Cyril Towsey will, the musicians think, have a great career for his exceptional talents. , The Premiership is not a sinecure. Take Wednesday, for example. Spent a busy forenoon; rede on horseback from Foxton to Lemn; listened there to the requests of a. big deputation; opened the boys’ training farm at Werarea; in the evening spent several hours at a banquet tendered to Mr Field, finally reaching Wellington by special train at an early hour yesterday morning; and left for the South in the evening. _ Inter alia, apropos of education, he said : “As Minister of Education I shall refrain from allowing the salaries to be paid.” Mr Field': “It will bo a very awkward position for the teachers or the Education Board.” The PreJiiier : “It is a violation of tho law.” Tide is a warning to the Education Boards who have recently taken to circumventing the Education Act by sending one name only to the school committees in connection with teachers’ annointments, instead of a number up to the limit nrescribed by law. Mr Seddon is usually a man of his word. Wireless telegraphy is a wonder, so is wire-fid surgery, if we may judge by the following case, discussed by both papers here :—A serious accident which occurred at Crabtree’s foundry some months ago led to a somewhat remarkable surgical operation being performed on tho person injured—a young man named Harold Williams. Besides losing his right hand by contact with a powerful electric current, Williams burnt the sole of his right foot very badly, the flesh being stripped away, and it was in connection with the latter injury thafr the operation was performed at the ■Wellington Hospital. The injured solo was strapped closely to the inside' of the loft leg, to which in time it grew. The foot was then, bv another operation, removed from tho leg to which it was pmwmg, and .it was found that tho skin had grown over the injured sole, with tho exception of one small patch, which was mended by binding on to it a piece of skin taken from the left leg. The ope-, rations were remarkably successful, and Williams was some weeks ago able to take a trip to Auckland. It has happened, however, that one cart of the injured foot never quite healed, and he has again had to go to the hoanital, whence it is hoped he will soon bo discharged, with the unhealed portion of his foot complctelv cured. It is pleasing to. note that Williams has already received as compensation £1.750. Another case which happened yesterday is not quite so sensational. Ono of the department’s men kid hold of a wire that was dangling about the street, and was laid out with many yells and a narrow escape from death. He knew the wire was alive, and he kept his indiarubber gloves, supplied by the department, in his pocket. " He is all right, luckily, in snite of the yelling, but if he had not been ho could not have recovered anything.