WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 19

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, February 28.

The attention of the Secretary of Agriculture has been drawn by Mr Hanan, M.H.R. for Invercargill, to the necessity for an amendment in the Slaughtering Act and the Dairy Industry Act. The operation of the first-mentioned act should, Mr Hanan contended, Ibe made compulsory as regards the erection of abattoirs in large towns and the killing of meat therein, and that municipal authorities contiguous to the towns Avhere abattoirs are erected should 'have power to require that all meat sold within their boundaries shall be killed and inspected at the abattoirs. The question of inspecting dairies and milk supplies was one which Mr Hanan' considered of very great colonial importance. At present milk was brought into town from country.districts where there was absolutely no inspection, and the necessity for placing the inspection of dairies under the entire control of the department was urgent. Mr Ritchie made a note of the points of the interview for submission to the Minister.

In .an interview with the Minister of

Education, Messrs Gilfedder, M.H.R. for Wallace, and Hanan, M.H.R. for Invercargill, drew attention to the insufficient capitation allowance to boards of education, and urged that more liberal grants should be made. It was a subject which the Otago Board of Education had— taken up, and upon which it was seeking the cooperation of the boards throughout the colony. It was also pointed out that theie should be uniformity of pay to teachers. sSome boards which were not financially strong were unable to give adequate remuneration. The Minister replied that a bill was being prepared, to be introduced next session, which would provide for a uniform scale of salaries for State school teachers. The boards being thus relieved of the responsibility of fixing and paying salaries, they will be in a position to make more generous provision for school committees. The Minister has also promised to promote technical education.' Constable Cruickshank, who was for several years stationed in Dunedin, has bsen promoted to be a sergeant, and will be stationed in Wellington. He is a smart officer, and has done excellent work in the Hutt district on several occasions. The first meeting between Constable Cruickshank and the present inspector of police was a somewhat remarkable one. The constable, in a very old and dilapidated suit, was busy with a spade exhuming the body of the man murdered sometime" ago at the Silverstream. Amongst those present were a few press men and some local residents, and a stranger, who pressed to the front to get a closer view of the operations. The constable promptly rebuked this man, and ordered him in a peremptory manner to keep out of the way and not interfere with his work. This the gentleman did, with a good grace. "Do j^ou know who you were talking to just now?" asked a bystander of the constable. ' " No," replied the latter. " Well," answered his friend, " that's Mr Tunbridge, the new commissioner of police." The commissioner, who had gone out quietly to the scene of the murder to see for himself the methods of the New Zealand police, was, however, in no way offended, and apparently he discerned in the energetic constable a worthy servant of the colony. At any rate, the constable has now got his stripes.

The Wanganui Herald says : — The peach trees on the Wanganui River have recovered from the various blights that have affected them for years past. As many as 253 large peaches were counted on a tree only three years old at Ranana, and many of the older trees, particularly the late varieties, are similarly laden with splendid fruit. It is anticipated that in the near future peaches will be as plentiful up the river as they were some 18 or 20 years ago, when they could be bought from the Natives at about one half-penny per lb.

March 5. The Canadian hunter who .came out with the moose from the North-West Territory is returning by the outgoing steamer. He says the West Coast ranges will make an ideal breeding ground for the moose, and that tile animals, which were liberated near Hokitika, took to the native plants as if they had eaten them all their lives.

There are numerous offers of volunteers for the proposed Highland volunteer company in Wellington. The uniform will be the M'Kenzie tartan. Professor M'Kenzie has been elected first lieutenant.

A shipment of 500 ducks will shortly be made from Wellington. This will be the first of similar shipments to be made from New Zealand ports to London under the direction of the Agricultural department.

Persons passing along Tinakori road during the last few days have been amused at the manner in which the landlord of a hotel there has shown his anti-Boer leanings. He had marked the recent British successes in South Africa by the hoisting of a neatly mounted boai"'s head (draped with crape) to the top of his flagpole. On the same flagpole there has floated a somewhat historic piece of bunting in the shape of a house flag belonging to the old New Zealand Company. This flag had been hoisted in Wellington 60 years ago.

The Agricultural department anticipate that the butter export this season will be 40 per cent, greater than that of any other season.

Negotiations are being conducted by the Government for the purchase of a building in the neighbourhood of Christchurch for the establishment of a girls' reformatory for the colony. The Burnham Industrial School will shortly be used for boys only and the Caversham Industrial "School for girls, while an industrial school is to be established near Wellington.

Writing of Mr Thomas W. M'Kenzie, who will to-morrow celebrate his own birthday and also the anniversary of his landing on the shore of Wellington Harbour 60 years ago, the Post says that he and the late Mr E. Ticehurst were the first pioneer settlers "to sleep ashore in Port Nicholson, the date of the occurrence being the 6th March, 1840. Mr M'Kenzie was the first apprentice indentured in New Zealand. He is to-day tlie oldest New Zealand-made Oddfellow and the oldest made Freemason, and holds honourable rank in both institutions. He is the oldest living New Zealand journalist, having won a competency and retired. He was a member of the committee of the Constitutional Association, which co-operated with Sir George Grey in the matter of the framing of the New Zealand Constitution. Besides this Mr M'Kenzie in his time held onerous office in the government of the city itself and its charitable institutions. He started the old Mechanics.' Institute, which afterwards became the Athenaeum, and is now merged in the Public Library ; and many public movements that called for the support of leading citizens have had his countenance and assistance.

The Hon. Hall-Jones expressed surprise at the splendid agricultural land there is in the Hawea district. He was quite astonished to sec such fine crops and so fertile a country. »V The Wanganui South African contingent war cry is : " Kia kaha, hi, Kia ton hi, Purutia te maim ale Kuini ; Hi, hi, ha." The translation of which is: "Be strong, yes; be brave, yes ; uphold the honour ol the Queen,