WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2413, 7 June 1900, Page 17

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

(From Otjb. Own Coruhspondent.) WELLINGTON, May 31

Mr George Hutchison, M.H.R., who' recently returned from a visit to South Africa, h'tends to make another trip to that part of the world. He will probably leave.-soon after the opening of Parliament.

On the Commissioner of Crown Lands, at this morning's sitting of the Land Board, sulmitting a schedule of applications' to mortgage, Mr A. W. Hogg asked, in an eager tone, " What is the number from the Advances to Settlers office?" "Fourteen," replied Mr Marchant. " Ah," said the member for Masterton gleefully, recollecting an animated discussion which had taken place at last month's meeting of .the board, " You see what the l'emarks of Mr Stevens and myself on the subject have done. Last month the office had only two mortgages from our Crown tenants. Now we have a big jump up to 14. We have opened their bowels of compassion, and cured a lending board that was getting hidebound. " The remark was greeted with general laughter, and, after this had subsided, satisfaction was expressed that the Crown tenants were thus being assisted.

The man who ha? been seeing rats on the Wellington wharf has evidently got something -wrong with his vision. It will be remembered that he said he saw a rat in a case of carnage fittings brought from Melbourne. The matter was reported to various authorities, and the local sanitary commissioner wanted the rat for examination. Great precautions were taken, and artful tactics adopted. The case was boarded up, removed to a shed, fenced off, and cunningly baited. Traps lay in wait for the wily rodent day and night. The traps were examined, but apparently this was a very brainy rat, and the baits remained untested. As the traps remained empty the besiegers called to their aid the Government fumigator-in-chief, and a new phase of the siege was entered upon. Still the enemy refused to surrender. At last, growing desperate, the authorities broke open the case, and waited in breathless expectancy. But there waa no rat, dead or live, in that case, and the language in regard to the lumper who had had the vision must, for obvious reasons, be left unrecorded.

The Minister of Mines returned to Wellington, via Nelson, this morning after an absence of seven weeks. He was much impressed with the operations he witnessed, and is of opinion that the gold mining industry in many parts of the South Island has a great future before it. As a result of his visit lie is convinced of the necessity of framing new gold mining regulations, and it is his intention to take steps in thai direction at an early date. , May 30. A female kiwi was killed by a dog in Hill street yesterday. The presence of such a bird in the city precincts is so rare that the incident was reported to the museum authorities, and the taxidermist secured the bird and will mount it as a specimen. No doubt the bird had escaped from captivity. On the last trip of the Hinemoa to the Southern Islands, the museum authorities sent Mr A. Yuill, taxidermist, to collect specimens. The Auckland, Macquarie, Campbell, Antipodes, and Bounty Islands were visited, and at each place Mr Yuill secured something out of the common. On the Aucldands lie got a fine type of the " great " penguin, a monster crab, and rabbits as big as New Zealand hares ; on the Antipodes, bright - plumaged paroqtiets ; on the Macquaries, "rock-hopper" anl royal penguins. The other islands yielded young albatrosses, the rarely-caught flightless clugfc^ «wjd a beautiful jeair of paradise

clucks. Sir James Hector is preparing a paper on the new specimens. The paper will bo read, and the specimens shown at an early meeting of the Philosophical Institute. While .a case containing carriage ware was being discharged from the steanur Zealandia for transhipment to Napier, one of the lumpers spied a rat through an opening in the wood work. The case was put aside, and Dr Fyfi'e (the local Sanitary Commissioner) was informed. Dv Fyft'e is anxious that the rat should be caught for examination in view of the fact that the goods came from Melbourne"^ where the plague exists. The case lifts accordingly been moved into C shed, and a temporary structure improvised aiound it to prevent the animal from escaping. Two traps have been baited with a vieAV to catching the rat.

June 4.

Efforts will be made by the Ministerial party to make the coming session a short one. Mr Seddon's ill-health will also be a. factor in doing away with late hours. The Opposition being in such a minority will no doubt iall in with the proposal for a short session. It is understood they are not likely to appoint whips, and that members of the party will be permitted to act. as free lances. A large amount of the Ministerial work is likely to fall on the Hon. Mr Ward.

A West Coast paper states that a gentleman in the North Island, well known in engineering circles, is perfecting an improved dredge, which i& expected to rai&e double the quantity oi wash at less than the present expense. If the improvement is successful it should mean a revolution in dredging.

The Wellington Corporation has imported a new contrivance for mending streets. It consists of the attachment oi three steel teeth, lesenibling pick heads, to the forepart of a steam roller, and these when manipulated plough up the surface of the road to the required depth. The implement, when the Avorking of it is thoroughlj' understood, will probably ba able to do in a few hours work which formerly took a gang of men days to accomplish.

Mr J. G. Wilson, ex-M.H.R., of Rangitikei, lias written to the Mmister'of Railways drawing his attention to the extremely low prices of grain, ancl asking for a temporary reduction of freight thereon to port of shipment. The cost oi putting wheat on board ship with freight, wharfage, etc., Mr Wilson states, is just about 3d per bushel, while threshing costs another 3d, rio that -with wheat at 2s 2d or 2s Id a very small amount comes to the farmer. Mr* Wilson writes as chairman of several meetings of farmers held in the district. " If," he concludes. " you could see your way for this season's grain shipment to charge half -rates for shipment, I am .sure you would be giving a well-de-served concession, and I place ib before you in the hope that you will give us a favourable, answer."