WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12995, 9 June 1904, Page 7

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

(Fkoh Oor. Ow.v OoiiiiEsro.VDEXT.) WELLINGTON, Juno 8. Tlio secretary of the Licensed Vicluallcrs' Association has been complaining o£ tho apathy displayed by " the trade " regarding its own intoreets. Ho lias supplied to iho Post some iutereetiiiij figures regarding the amount of money invested in hot-el property. It appears that from June, 1901, to June, 3903, tlio iiuiountg spent in hotel' building? and furniture in Wellington, Canterbury, and Auckland v.'oro £66,000 aud £22,000, 570,000 and £30,000, aud £53,000 and £19,000 respectively.' During tlie past 12 months tho .amount expended in Wellington in rcbuilding and furnishing was between £50,030 anil £60,000, making a total* for the past three •yeKre for Wellington of between £130,000 and £140,000. 'i'hero aro 18 brick hotels in the city otifc of 43-. The trade feels soro at the violence of the language employed by No-liceiuo leaders. "To my mind," said Mr Williams, " it is deplorable that the virulence of prominent members of iho Prohibition parly leads them tb niako such wild statements as they do. ' Tampering with billot boxes and ballot papers,' 'ItoH-st-idfing,' 'Trade returning officers,' "l'lio dominating of tho Government by brewers,' and 'Thb triumph of trickery' aro a few of tho sins placed to the credit of tho trade. Tho constant repetition of these remarks becomes nausetius. I do not- claim any superlativo honesty for tho trade in such matters; but I do contend that. if there is any desire to adopt such practices there is ah utter absencb of physical ability to givo effect to it." .Air Hogg, Jt.li.lt., who has returned from a trip to Australia, thinks tho Commonwealth is passing at present through in ordeal very similar in several respects to that which was experienced by New Zealand 14- or 15 years ago. There is over-competi-tion in business, fc goad deal of suffering among workers and their familie-s, and an abnormal amount of poverty. Apparently the most prosperous of tho community just now are the producers. They have had hard time:, and not- a fflw have gbho to the wiill; but last year in Victoria and New South Wales they had an exceptionally good harvest* and this season the crops promise to bo equally good. To-night's! Post says:--"Letters ror.cli us showing' that the lighlliottso supplies and. reliefs are not receiving the attention they ought to. At some of the station?, we aro told, there has been iio proper renewal of pores for over, six nionths, and the men liavc had to-subsist on tinned- meat, flour, and such odd things as thoy have been able to obfaiin from sett-lei's—from whom they are sometimes cut off altogether through stress of weather—after ' a toilsome overland journey of many miles. The matter requires tho serious attention of ihe Acting-Minister of Marine." Mr Thoutso'.i. (ho New Zealand Rhodes scholar, states that ho is as yet uncertain regardlhg his movements. In accordance with inStructioiist: from the Rhodes Scholarship Trustees, ho submits a list of colleges which lie desires to enter, ih order of prefereiice. Ho hopes to join St. John's, but, failing that, New or Ivob!c\ Ho Svill continue his study of geology and chemistry. Tho etndent-s of Victoria Collego put- into tho field on Saturday two football and five teams (two of them ladies'), in addition to which several members played for other olubs. The Attorney-general'(the Hon.-Mr Pitt) will leave for tlia south to-night for the purpose of impeding the Waitati Inobriates' Home and other State institutions under his control.