WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7782, 30 October 1886, Page 5

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.! Wellington, Friday. THE REVENUE.

All the local papers to-day are concerned with the apparent deficit of the revenue for the financial half-year. The New Zealand Times argues that the financial position of the colony is not so bad as the figures would suggest. The writer finds, in various source" of revenue, promise of considerable increase during the summer half year. The Post suggests another reason, which is not quite familiar, namely, that it is only in the last quarter of the financial year that the telegraph is used to bring to account the sums paid to receivers of revenue throughout the colony. But all agree that there is no escape from a considerable doti ciency. The Post adds "At the same time we may say that it is exceedingly discreditable to the system of bookkeeping in the Treasury of this colony that any such explanation should have to be made, and that the accounts duly certified and gazetted should not, as they purport to do, give an absolutely accurate statement of the receipts for the period they profess to cover. This in more especially discreditable considering the absurd and entirely unjustifiable delay which takes place in the publication of the Treasury returns. As we pointed out yesterday they are always about three weeks after those of the Australian colonies, and even then they are to some extent misleading, and only in one quarter of the year are they brought up to the date they bear. Evidently our Treasury should take a lesson from our Australian neighbours in this matter. CAUTION TO TRAVELLERS. An important decision has been given here in Wellington of which travellers by steamboat should take note, The facts are these : —One Andrew Casey, mariner, took steerage passage from Westport to " Wellington, having in his possession a number of charts, which were damaged by rats during the passage. He sues to recover for the damage. The question arose whether his ticket, with the conditions endorsed on the back, was the contract. The Union Company pleaded the ticket as proof of the contract. The plaintiff replied that he did not read the oonditious on the back of the ticket. It was held that the company were not liable, and judgment was given for the defendant company with costs. NORTHERN RAILWAY ROUTE. I understand that the Manawatu Railway Company have contracted to bring to Wellington to-morrow (Saturday) from the Taranaki end 400 sheep and 100 head of cattle for the Wellington Meat Company ; the through communication to New Plymouth from this city may therefore be regarded practically as an accomplished fact.