WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7885, 2 March 1887, Page 5

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Tuesday. MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS. The Hon. Mr. Larnaoh and the Hon Mr. Ballance will leave Wellington by the early train on Friday morning, en route for Auckland. Sir Robert Stout and the Hon. Mr. Buckley are expected to arrive in Wellington to-morrow from the South. CRIMINAL CODE. The Minister of Justice is busily engaged on his Criminal Code Bill, to be introduced next session. It is a measure that cannot fail to occasion a good deal of discussion. It is possible that other large and debateable measures, such as the Representation Bill, may have the effect of postponing the consideration of the Criminal Code until a late period of the session. It is not impossible, should the duration of Parliament be brief, that it might be crowded out altogether. There are several provisions in the Bill which make it desirable that it should become law at an early date. For instance, there has been a miscarriage of justice in a case where a person charged with a criminal assault upon a child too young to give evidence has escaped trial. In cases where the age as to which consent can be pleaded, it is necessary that the law should be clearly defined. I believe that tho Hon. Mr. Tole proposes to make sixteen the age at whioh consent can be given. Another feature of the code would be a provision to enable accused persons in certain criminal cases to give evidence. I understand that, should the duration of Parliament be short, or the debates protracted, the Minister of Justice intends to embody the principal teatures of the code in a separate Bill, so as to remedy the defects in the criminal law which are complained of by the legal profession. UNIVERSITY SENATE. There was an interesting debate In the senate this morning. It was proposed to abolish the annual ceremony of presenting diplomas, partly in consequence of the noisy bearing of the undergraduates in a Southern city, upon the last occasion when the ceremony was observed. This resolution was too sweeping for some members of the senate, inasmuch as it gave no notice of such a determination, and no opportunity was given for exculpation. But there wore other members of the Senate who evidently sympathised with the proposal, if only the graduates and undergraduates had had notice that such conduct in the future would be visited with punishment. An amendment to the resolution was proposed to threaten to abolish the ceremony. The Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Cowie) strongly deprecated such a threat as insulting to the graduates and undergraduates of Auckland, who know how to conduct themselves, and do eo on all public occasions. Both the resolution and amendment were rejected.

MATRICULATION EXAMINATIONS. There were two other matters disposed of in the Senate this morning, in which Auckland candidates for matriculation cannot fail to take great interest. The Sonata decided to-day to remove Latin from the list of compulsory subjects for matriculation in arts. Thoy also decided that .there is to be no separate examination for matriculation in soience. The fee for the entrance examination has been increased to two guineas. _ . THE NEW PROPHET OF THE MAORIS. Te Kari, who has assumed the mantle of Te Whit', apparently without any authority, is on his way to Wellington with thirty followers, to lay at the feet of the Native Minister his objections to the purchase of the Waimarino block of 490,000 acres. The objection, however, comes late in the day; for the Government have secured 900 out of the 1000 shares into which the block was divided. 4 VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS. The Minister of Lmds has given instructions to the Survey Department to lay off a thousand acres for village settlement, at Alfredton, iu the Wairarapa ; also a thousand acres, with the same object in view, near Pahiatua. NEW ZEALAND PERMANENT FORCE. Colonel Roberts, the officer in command of the Permanent Militia, has received instructions to come to Wellington to drill the permanent force here. He is expected to arrive to-morrow. THE GENERAL ELECTION. Mr. P. C. MeCaughen, formerly member for Riverton, is likely to come from Australia to contest the Mokonui seat.