NEWS NOTES FROM WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7343, 2 June 1885, Page 5

NEWS NOTES FROM WELLINGTON.

* [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] Wellington, Monday. SAMOA. The Government have resolved to grant free passages to and from Samoa to delagates of the Chambers of Commerce of Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, and Christchuroh. It is, however, stipulated that the reports made by the several delegates shall be published for general information. THE JANET NICOL. The new South Sea Island mail steamer arrived here yesterday evening, with a large cargo of oranges, bananas, and cocoa nuts, from Rarotonga. CABLE SUBSIDY. The New Zealand Government have declined to comply with the request of the Cable Company, that the subsidy should be continued for Another ten years, on the ground that, the cable being finished, those who use it ought to pay for it. CABLE RATES. The New Zealand Government have refused to comply with a request made by the Government of Victoria to reduce the tariff to 3d per ten words on messages from Australia. The ground of refusal is, that no reascn appears for giving a preference to messages from abroad over those within the colony. On this subject the Post has the following remarks : —" The present rates also make no distinction between Press and general business message On , all other cable or telegraph lines in the world a distinction is made, and messages intended for public information are transmitted at a substantial reduction upon ordinary business rates. In any new arrangement with the company, this point should be insisted upon. The Press of New Zealand pay at present an enormous amount of money in cable charges from Australia. The messages which come out from England to Australia at a reduced rate are charged full scale from Australia here. If the rates were reduced; the Press of the colony would not expend less money, but the public would get a great deal more news in return for the expenditure. At present very little general Australian news is cabled here, and still less New Zealand news to Australia. This colony really suffers doubly. Therefore, New Zealand people visiting Melbourne or Sydney invariably complain of the paucity of information given in the columns of the Press there regarding the daily goings on of this colony." POLITICAL MOVEMENTS.

I had a conversation to-day with a member of the Government, who doubted the truth of the rumour of a new political combination in the South. He said he had good reason for believing that, whether such a movement was afoot or not Mr. Macandrew was not in it. POLITICAL INTRIGUES. Sir Julius Vogel takes exception to certain statements made in the New Zealand Herald of the 23rd ultimo, under the head " Political Intrigues at the Commencement of Last Session." He considers them incorrect and misleading. NATIVE COMMITTEES. The Hon. Mr. Ballance says that in respect to the surveys of native lands they must be sent invariably to the Chairman of that committee. The reason for this is that upon his taking office it was found that a lot of titles had been made out surreptitiously, and unknown to many natives who had claims to the land proposed to be disposed of.