WELLINGTON,

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 28

WELLINGTON,

The hermit 'of Island Bay is still an inmate of the Wellington Hospital. When he leaves the institution the trustees of the Benevolent Institution -will grant him a passage to his friends' in Queensland. His old haunt'at Island Bay is to be blocked up. The Benevolent Trustees find themselves in want of funds j and very much pushed, not only to make both ends meet, but to provide for the future. The United District Charitable Aid Board will be asked to advance £400 to tide over the present difficulties. The demands upon charity during the past winter have been very heavy. The mayor is to be petitioned to call a public meeting of citizens with the' view of advocating the obtaining from the Government Mount Cook gaol and its site for the Middle District University purEoses. One of tug gneakflra afc the. jare-

liminary meeting of citizens said he was sure there was a strong feeling in the city that the Government should grant the gaol site as an endowment for the university and a public park, and if the citizens went the right way about working up the movement, Mr Seddon would be found" altogether agreeable to granting the site asked for. Mr Skey, colonial analyst, is making an analysis of a sample of water taken from a river between Mokihinui and Little Wanganui. The stream is a beautifully clear one, but the water has the effect of making every person who drinks it profoundly drowsy, and in some cases weakness of the limbs has also been felt. The dispute in the baking trade will probably go to the Arbitration Court for settlement, as the parties interested have failed to come, to an agreement upon the terms s\iggested in the Conciliation Board's award. Private letters received here from Mr Francis Arenas, formerly of Christchurch, states that a wealthy syndicate has been formed in England with the object of saving and protecting frozen meat. The capital subscribed is £150,000. The syndicate have adopted Mr Arenas's patent freezing recorder. The Premier, replying to a deputation from the Wellington Philanthropic Society, asking for a grant of land or subsidy for the purpose of erecting a building for a Girls' Institute, said no legislation existed giving the Government power to grant land for the object indicated, and the only method of obtaining a subsidy would be under the Technical Education Bill, which he hoped woxild be passed this session. The fact tha* a Bible class was held in conjunction with the institute would probably be a bar to it benefiting under the measure if it became law. He pointed out that help from the State was not philanthropy, but promised to give his assistance to pass a bill giving the local authority power to grant land for a site for a Girls' Institute.