WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 40

WELLINGTON.

Mr Rolleston has just paid a short visit to the Waimate Plains, which" were -settled under his direction nearly 20 years ago, and expressed great pleasure at the wonderful advance. He addressed a meeting here on the 10th on political affairs, and received a vote of thanks. He made special allusion to the Hutcheson affair, as illustrating the bad effect of political leaders extracting personalvpledges of support. He strongly advocated the principle of land resumption, but advocated better parliamentary control and a more judicial proceeding.

At a meeting. of the Insurance Institute en the 11th the following resolution was carried : — "That in connection with the registration of deaths from cancer the Registrargeneral be requ-ested by this institute to tabulate and publish in "the annual volume ,of statistics the particular part of the body primarily affected by the malignant growth, and the age at death in each case."

Mr John Arthur succeeds Mr Hanner as manager of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Mr Arthur has been for some time accountant in the Dunedin branch.

An applicant to the Benevolent Trustees for relief said, amongst other things, that his wife had thrashed him. His explanation was that she was a member of the Women's Political League, and devoted much of her time to the preparation of a paper on "The Home in its Relation to the State " ; and while the lady and her daughter were writing this up the husband went without his meals. This caused friction, and ultimately led to the Police Court and the gaol.

At the Police Court on the 12th Captain M'Kinnon, of Port Chalmers, was fined £5 and costs for piloting a vessel between Dunedin and Wellington without a license. There is some prospect of a fire and marine insurance company on the mutual principle being formed at Wellington. The Wellington Meat Export Company's balance sheet shows that the total profit was. £10,670, of which £2354 is placed to reserve and £1300 to insurance reserve, while £3031 is carried forward, and the rest is devoted to the payment of an 8 per cent. dividend.

David Ross was fined the maximum penalty of £20 for laying " tote " odds. He had been fined before, and the stipendiary magistrate intimated that a further conviction would entail imprisonment. His Excellency the Governor has commissioned Mr T. E. Donne, railway traffic manager, and Mr Carter, of the Customs department, to proceed to Stephen's Island lighthouse to hold an inquiry into some trouble which has occurred there between the keepers. Mr John Robinson, late of Waikato Militia, has been granted the New Zealand war medal.

Mr H. D. Bell will leave for London next month for the purpose of appearing before the Privy Council on behalf of the Crown in connection with the appeal by the receiver for the debenture-holders in the Midland railway seizure case, and also the appeal by Ntihara Tamaki against the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the case brought by that Native against the Crown Lands department.

A crowded meeting at Petone on Monday, which was addressed by a number of parliamentary members representing Wellington and district, passed resolutions strongly urging the Government to straighten ond duplicate the line to Petone and reconstruct the ordinary traffic road, which is in a most unsatisfactory state.