WELLINGTON. NEWS NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10035, 28 April 1894, Page 3

WELLINGTON. NEWS NOTES.

(Fsoa Ode Own Correspondent.)

Wellington, April 27.

LAND ADMINISTRATION.

, The marked hostility displayed yesterday

towards the Minister for Lands by Messrs Hogg and Firani, M'.H.RV (sitting as members of the Land Board), in the matter of the proposed conversion of certain leases mnst have been an unpleasant incident to the patty leaders, and may prove the premonitory signs of revolt against Ministerial dominition by some members of the Government following, who seem to be placating their constituents by denunciation of the Lano" department. The Minister for Jiand3 is distinctly in the right notwithstanding, and prcpeily declines to benefit a class at the expense of the" community. The position is this: Certain settlers are in occupation of Crown lands in village settlements or special associations, and together form a considerable class of small tenants'. They had special facilities in the first instance— as.procuring .the land without competition at a low upset price and easy conditions of improve? ment as to time. Their title ia the perpetual lease, which ia subject to reappraisement of value at the end of 21 years, and their rent 5 per cent, on the upset price. Now they desire to change all this for a lease in perpetuity, and JUesßrs Hogg and Pirani apparently back them up in a demand for remissions that, if not firmly resisted, may grow to political pressure pf the moßt petiicions kind, injuriously affect the land revenue, and, |»b el«ewhere under similar conditions, lead to .utter corruption in the department., If a lease in perpetuity is granted to the present applicants, it will presently, be demanded by all, and the repeal of that tenure will ba more remote than ever. The altered tenure would be" a great relief to the tenant with a corresponding loss to the State, for the rent would fall from 5 to 4 per cent., and the unimproved value filed by the upset could never be varied by reappraisement. The L»nd Board, as represented by Messrs Hogg and Pirani, claim the power to vary (ibcso titles. Tha Minister denies their claim, and refuses their right to exercise the power. He will, I believe, stand to his guns, and there may bo a row ia the Ministerial camp. The obvious way out is to eliminate the political clement from the constitution of the board. It should never have been permitted to enter into it.

COLONEL FOX'S LETTER,

The coxmission empowering Mr O'Hara Bmjth to inquire into the mystery of the disclosure of the commandant's correspondence has been issued, and I understand that both Mr Gillon (the editor) and Mr Hoben (of the staff of tbe Po3t) will be summoned to depose as to their knowledge of that singular revelation. Whether they will obey the summons is another matter. The penalty for non-compliance as filed by s.tatnte is a fine of £20, recoverable in the usual way, provided the Attorney-general so directs. This is a fortuitous concurrence of circumstances that appears to furnish amusement to some of the friends of the colonel.

TARANAKt I BON.

Sir Walter Bailer has banded the Premier a report upon a bar of iron smelted at Onehunga from Taranaki titanic iron sand. It i» discouraging reading, and will tax even the copions talking powet of Mr E. M. Smith from his place in Piriiament to controvert. The iron was tested at .Lloyd's, and is thus reported upon:— "Sample of cast iron received from Mr De Costa (from the New Zealand Court, Imperial lustitate) : Thiß piece of cast iron, which was about 10m long and lin square, has been tested as follows .•—Placed on supports 9'.n apart, with the planed bide in compression,'it broke with'a load of 28cwfc saspended at the centre. The two broken pieces were prepared for tensile tests by being turned down co 6-27 in diameter for a parallel length of 2in. One piece broke with a loid of 3-1 tons, the other with a load of 2 65 tons, giving a strength of 10 tons per square inch respectively. These results show the strength to be pretty equal to the average of cast iron. The broken pieces were afterwards submitted to analysis by two independent technical chemists, who report that the amount of phosphorus is so large as to reader the.iron altogether unsuitable for the manufacture oi steel by either the acid Bessemer or the acid Siemens process, while it is not sufficient to enable it to be treated by the Thomas Gilchrist process (Bessemer basic). The only process which could be applied is the open hearth basic, which would probably have to be combined with another process for the elimination of the sulphur. The large amount of silicon, however, wodW probably be destrnotive of the basio lining of the furnace, rendering frequent repairs and consequent expense necessary,"