WELLINGTON NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9017, 2 April 1888, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] - Wellington, Saturday. < ..POLICE CHANGES. It is stated that compensation for loss of office will be allowed to the retiring Police Inspectors, upon a scale graduated according to length of service. - It is also reported that Inspector Brown will remain in Wellington. ' •- i THE HUTT RAILWAY. Three hundred men were engaged to-day repairing the railway under Mr. Carruthers, Assistant-Engineer. The cost of repairs is' estimated at £3000. THE COOK STRAITS CABLE. ' /. It is the cable between Lyell's Bay " (Wellington) and White's Bay . (Marlbro') that has "gone;" or, to use another phrase, "baa become unworkable." There is a cable from White's Bay to Wanganui, but the line between the latter place and Wellington is interrupted somewhere north of Otaki. It is believed that the break or defect or obstruction, whichever it may be, in the Cook Straits cable v occurs about 15 miles from the Lyell Bay end. No determination has yet been arrived at as to the best means of repairing the damage. It is said that neither of the Government steamers are suitable for the work of repairs. After what has passed, it would be greatly against the grain of the Government to ask, for the loan of the Eastern Extension Company's cable-repairing steamer, but I think , it likely that one of the local steamers will be chartered for the purpose. All the necessary material is in the Government stores. 4 THE PROTECTION SOCIETY'S CONFERENCE AND THE PRESS. . f The newly-elected president censures the Press for its comment on the report of the conference, which could not be known to | anyone before sent to the Premier. The I president maintains that the article was based on insufficient information, and the writer in the Press replies as follows :~ " The Conference have themselves to blame if their proposals have come under the scrutiny of public opinion in a fragmentary manner, and they have no right to complain if the public take their own way of pulling them to pieces, and exposing their stupidity and impudence. The Conference refused to admit the Press to their proceedings. When the constitutionally-elected representatives of the people take into consideration any question of levying taxes on the people they are bound to do so publioly, in the fight of day. Every reason that is offered for imposing any tax has to be given publicly, and ©very word that is uttered for it or against it is published. Yet these selfconstituted and irresponsible representatives of monopolists, when they meet to prepare a scheme of crushing taxation on their fellow - citizens for their own interests, determined to conduct their deliberations in secret. They would not let anybody know what was said or done at their meetings. They were ashamed of what they were doing, and they were afraid to allow, their reasons to be publicly criticised." The writer asks why the conference should have their report printed at the public expense, and if they had any right of that kind, why the public press should be silent to suit their convenience ? The battle of the " Tariffs" is heralded in the following uncompromising vein"The Protectionists need not fear but wo shall discuss their precious proposals as a whole, but we shall also discuss them piecemeal. We shall discuss them in every way which we think best calculated to make their hatefulness most conspicuous. The Protectionists have thrown down the challenge to us, and we have picked it up. They flew at the throat of the people, and tried to drain their blood. We have taken up the cause of the people, and it is war to the knife." MOVEMENTS OF MINISTERS. Nothing certain is known as to the exact date of the departure of the Premier and the Hon. Mr. Fergus for the South, and the Hon. Mr. Fisher for Auckland. Movements of Ministers just now are contingent upon a variety of circumstances. It was thought that the Minister of Education might leave to-day, and the Premier on Monday ; but Ministers themselves were uncertain even when the Government Buildings closed atone o'clock.