WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8531, 3 April 1891, Page 6

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

[by TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Thursday. CIVIL SERVICE classification. The Hon. Mr. Buckley (Colonial Secretary) and tho administrative heads of departments had a conference to-day upon the subjecb of the proposed classification of the several departments of the service upon the lines laid down by the Cabinet and recently published with the assent of the Premier. The business 'was of course wholly confidential, so that no particulars have transpired. THE POSTAL SERVICE. The decision of the Postmaster-General in refusing to recognise any organised association as the exponent of departmental or personal grievances is regarded here as a general principle applicable to the whole of the public service, but the Premier as well as the I'ostmaster-General recognises the usefulness of associations for the improvement of tho condition of their members. I understand that the attitude of the Government upon the whole of the matters connected with this subject will be discussed in Cabinet. As to the " general principles" 1 am informed that the Cabinet are agreed, but there are particular cases having relation to the improvement of the service where the collective opinion of tho officers would be considered. This, however, is no more than saying that the officers most experienced would be consulted. - " " ' MRS. WARD. \ I The Hon. the Postmastor-General was summoned suddenly from Wellington yesterday, in consequence of' the dangerous illness of Mrs. Ward.' .The Government have received advices from the Hon. Mr. Ward at Lyttelton that his wife is out of ! danger. NEW ZEALAND HEMP. The Agent-General telegraphs to tho Government from London that the price of New Zealand hemp has advanced £I—that1 —that is to say, for first-class hemp, from £27 to £28. Eleven hundred bales were sold with animation, but the prices and qualities are not detailed. < THE MOKAIT COAL MINES. The associated coalminers that left the West Coast for Mokau are likely to make a good thing of the venture. Twenty tons of the coal from the new mine arrived here yesterday. It is described as an excellent housecoat. Theco-operativesharesare taken up, the miners themselves being the principal owners. Their agent is making necessary arrangements for registration, and Mr. " Mokau" Jones is in Wellington ready to execute the lease. When the registration is completed it is proposed to charter vessels to carry coal to Wellington and Auckland. It is stated that tho coal can be sold at either of those places for 24s a ton. JUDGE RICHMOND AND THE FEDERAL CONVENTION. The full text of the letter of the learned Judge to Sir H. Parkes upon the question that the Australian Court of Appeal shall nob be subject to review by the judicial committee of the Privy Council, appears in th Post this evening, having been forwarded by himself. It is a long document, bub the points are pub with admirable clearness. It is divided into sections as follows :—(1) That large investments might hesitate to come to a colony if there were any fear or suspicion that the wellknown principles of English law should be departed from in the decisions of the local Court; (2) that in cases where vast interests would be at stake, about which the law might be somewhat doubtful, the parties themselves would nob be satisfied unless they had the opportunity of submitting their cause to the highest Court of judicature in the Empire; (3) that it would be a dead loss to the bench, the bar, and the general public if the standard of the legal profession should be reduced in consequence of being excluded from practice in the highest Court in the Empire ; (4) that every colony exercising constitutional power exists under an Imperial statute, and cannot sever itself from the control of such legislation, therefore the decision of the local Court must be subject to review by the authority under which it exists ; (5) that the status of the judges, their Courts, and the legal profession would be lowered by being removed from all professional cooperation with the great courts of law established in Great Britain, their judges, and legal practitioners. There arc four other sections, bub they refer to considerations affecting the general practice of law, and the administration of justice under the proposed Court of Appeal.