MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1247, 23 January 1896, Page 35

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Minister of Lands was interviewed last week by Mr S. H. James (chairman' of the Stratford Town Board) and Mr 1. 11. Penn (Town Clerk), whose object was to have Stratford incorporated as a borough under the Municipal Corporations Act. A difficulty in the way was the fact that the Act provides that no town district can be incorporated as a borough unless there is a certain fiSed revenue from rates, and the question is whether the ratable property in the proposed district is sufficient to yield in rates the niirtirridrti prescribed by the Act. On. the annual value the deputation thought tnero would be a sufficient revenue to Meet this provision, but ontlie capital value tlie revenue would be under the minimum. The Minister promised to have further enquiries made into the matter. . Iu is understood, tiiat tlie Wliifce Stuv Coinpany are building a new steamer to replace the Doric in the London-New Zealand trade. The vessel will be similar to the Gothic, but will have special provision for carrying cargo, especially frozen meat, only a limited number of passengers being provided for. Harland and Wolff, the well-known Belfast firm, are the builders. The Onslow Borough Council has decided, to take the necessary steps to raise a loan of £IOOO for expenditure in the three wards. The Domain was the scene of a large and pleasant picnic on Tuesday, writes . our Featherston correspondent. The visitors were the children from the Roman Catholic schools at the Upper and Lower Hutt. They arrived by the morning train from Wellington under the charge of the Rev bather Lane, who was accompanied by His Grace Archbishop Redwood, Rev Father O’Meara and the Rev Fathers O’ Sullivan, Clancy and Bowden from St. Patrick’s College.. The Archbishop spoke in high terms of praise of the Domain, and wondered that it was not more frequented by Wellington schools. In the afternoon His Grace-and the clergy wore entertained at

afternoon tea J> Card of the Empire Hotel The visitors returned by the alter noon "train, being- highly pleased with their <Ja l’ 9 ls«teiion, consisting of tha citairman of the Clifton County Council (Taraeahi), the chairman of the Moa Road Board_ and tßujihev gentleman, waited upon the Minister of last week to aak tor Government assistatfed in completing the metalling (six rMlesJ of the Junction road from Kaimate to -& Td¥at£t (inland from Inglewood) The local ogives 4 interested wore prepared to find .£2OOO towar'dk tit' cost.- Tbo Minister said that the Goverlifiienf ’fetid. engineer for the district had been instructed’ gome' tune ago to report on the road,. and as sootf ris-this report was received he promised to submit-the appii(ifition to Cabinet for its decision. _ i The evidence taken in connection with the’ j; Midland Railway arbitration has been > Printed 1 in the form required for binding up in thd Muc-bpoks, and extends over 330 pages of priuitci mutter. , Tbs addresses ot counsel and the forjs&L aWd legal papers put in (not including correspondence) are not yetthrough the press, but will naske- nearly as much. . , , ....... i \Vo find that a rather important error has b&eil made in reference to the late Mr 1l oung, Who hii'S been described as having petitioned. Parliament "it# redress through losses in connection with the Harper case. Mr Young’s action wag against the tun ot J'orif“ mid Newton,- of Christchurch. Die action was. after appeal here, decided against j the plaintiff by tMc’ Privy Council in 188 b ; and was begun so far back as 1870, before what is now known as the 1 Harper case had arisen.