WELLINGTON ITEMS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10309, 30 March 1894, Page 5

WELLINGTON ITEMS.

[Feb Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 29. Dr Cahill, of Wellington, who attended the medical conference at Napier, is lying there dangerously ill of typhoid. Dr Henry left to-day to attend him, and Sir Patrick Buckley, one of Dr Cahill’s oldest friends, left by the morning train. Mr Valentine, dairy expert, has returned from the northern towns. Reconsiders that co-operative dairying is going ahead in the colony, but that a great hindrance to its further success would be removed if each company left the management to a managing director who should work in concert with the manager. At the annual meeting of the Wellington Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Chairman said that the balance-sheet showed that the Association was in a very satisfactory condition. Its_ financial position was perceptibly improving, and had it not bean for the exceedingly wet weather which prevailed on the second day of the last show they would have been able to show a credit balance. Ever since its inception the Association had had a very uphill fight for existence, but it had now, he thought, turned the corner, and there was every prospect of the Association being permanently and firmly established. The lad Bolton, who shot a boy named Smith with a revolver, has been dismissed, the Magistrate holding that the occurrence was an accident. The Government has decided that New Zealand shall not ba officially represented at the Hobart exhibition. The Minister of Mines returned to Wellington to-day. The Gaaette contains regulations under the Civil Service Insurance Act and the agricultural statistics for a number of counties, including most of those in Canterbury, The payment of capitation allowance to Education Boards for the quarter ending June 30 will be according to the working average of the present quarter. A number of extra polling places in Waitemata have been appointed, and those at Weilsford and Komokoriki abolished. The resignation of Mr Seth Smith as Chief Judge of the Native Land Court has been accepted. The returns of rainfall for 1893 give 144 inches at Puyeegur Point, 154 at Inglewood, 120 at Stratford, 113 at Rotorua, 104 at Kimutaka Summit and 102 at Greymoath. At Auckland the fall was 53, Napier 57, Wellington 53, Christchurch 19, Dunedin 54. The fall at Christchurch was the lowest recorded in the colony. The greatest fall in any one doy was 10 inches, on March 11, at Kagonga, Wanganui. [from our own correspondent.] The death of a man named John M. Smythe, who lived in Bute Street, was reported to-day to the police, but as he had been suffering from consumption it is improbable that an inquest will be held. His history is rather peculiar. Ho was formerly a police constable, but he left the force iu order to become an hotel-keeper in Lyttelton. While there he was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife twenty years ago under painful circumstances. The woman was addicted to drink, and once while she was screaming out while drunk, her husband put a gag in her mouth. It happened to force her tongue back against the palate, and she was suffocated, Smythe was sentenced to penal servitude. Since hia release he has been carrying on the business of canvasser. The Railway Commissioners are now having conatruoted at the Petone workshops three palace cars for use on the Wairarapa line, and ten ventilated cars for use on the Napier-Taranaki line in the carriage of dairy produce. In addition, five frozen meat trucks are being constructed at the' Addington workshops for use on the Hurunui-Bluff section. Messrs Ronayne and Scott, Railway Commissioners, are expected back from the north next week. The Hon A. J. Cadman, Minister of Mines, returned early this morning from a visit to the Marlborough goldfields. He inspected the whole of the sluicing claims at Culiensville. The miners there were agitating, for Government assistance in the construction of a water-race, as the flaming they had put up was inadequate for the purpose, and whenever rains set in they were flooded out of their workings, and operations had to be suspended. As this affected no less than one hundred and twenty miners, the Minister undertook that the Government would provide all the sawn timber required for the erection of effective flaming if the miners would themselves construct it, besides finding standards and bearers. As this is equivalent to a pound for pound contribution the offer was promptly accepted. Mr Cadman then visited Mahakipawa, and inspected Wilkie’s quartz reefing mine, tho only one of the kind in the district. The reef is from seven to eight feet thick, and the Minister thinks that it will pay if operations are properly directed. Mr Cadman had a look at the tramway running from ■Havelock up tho Rai Valley. It will eventually be carried into an extensive forest reserve in the district. From the Rai Valley Mr Cadman went on to Orowatutu, between Blenheim and Havelock, and had a meeting with about fifty miners there. They wanted a better tenure ter their land holdings than the present occupation licenses give, and in support of their claim they pointed to the fact that they were charged at the rata of one shilling an acre, while only threepence aa acre was required for perpetual lease. The Minister explained that he intended to introduce legislation for the purpose of giving a better tenure to miners who desired to become permanent settlers. He then proceeded to the Langley Dale run, and promised some relaxation of the conditions in regard to fencing. He likewise received a number of deputations at Blenheim.