WELLINGTON NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 27

WELLINGTON NOTES.

WELLINGTON, January 18. Lord Kitchener is to be given a civic reception en his arrival here, and afterwards ho will be banqueted by the Government. The Morse signalling system now in use in connection with shipping in Wellington Harbour is a decided success. The signalmen at the Beacon Hill station and the signal tower on the Queen's wharf have become proficient in the system in three months' time without outside tuition. At a meeting of the Teachers' Superannuation Board to-day allowances were granted to 15 contributory aggregating £1555. Allowances were also granted to the widows of three deceased contributors at £l3 a year. One widow was. at her own election, granted a refund of the contributions of her husband instead of a pension of £lO a year. In the case of another widow, Her child was granted an allowance of 5.5 per week until it reaches the age of 14 years. The city tramways continue to bring in an increasing revenue. Saturday's cash receipts amounted to £514, and on Sunday £277 waa taken. The service is a popular one with would-be employees. At the present moment there are no fewer than 4000 names of applicants for employment on the books. The City Corporation is giving demonstrations of cooking by electri"'ty. Joints are cooked, chops grilled, and bread toasted in the most approved manner. There are electric shaving-water heaters, electric gUuepots, electric curling-tongs, and other articles to be seen in use worked by ordinary currents. January <&UThough Wellington has not yet altogether recovered from its land boom of a few years ago, finance generally is much easier than it was about a year ago, and money for investments is becoming more plentiful. The building societies and lending companies have decided that the rate of interest on fixed deposits shall be reduced from to 4 per cent. Owing to the improvement in the price of wool, there is a slight advance in the price of sheep in wool. The heavy rain that fell this forenoon will greatly benefit the Wellington district. The weather continues very warm and misty, and further heavy rain is probable. The Rev. H. C. Pollock, Canon Residential of Gloucester Cathedral, who has arrived from England, is a precursor of the Anglican General Mission, which is to visit New Zealand in August. He will have associated with him the Rev. A. H. Kennedy, who is due to arrive on Tuesday. The two reverend gentlemen (says the Post) have come to stir ; up interest in the mission, and generally to make preparations, and their arrival has been timed so as to enable them to meet the members of the Anglican Synod which opened here to-day. Canon Pollock will spend siv: weeks in the North Island and six weeks in the South Island. and the general body of missionaries will spend three months in New Zealand. January 23. There was glorious weather for the anniversary holiday on Saturday, and thp city was nractically deserted. Thousands of people vrent to the races. This is the anniversary of the settlement of Wellington. Of 'all. the adventurous who arrived in the Aurora. nr>t one is now living, but there pre two immigrants bv the second shin ' still alive. The land for the settlement ' was purchased by Colonel Wakefield from the Maoris, and it extended from the thirty-eighth to the forty-third degrees' of latitude on the western coast, and from the forty-first to the forty-third on the eastern. For this, amon;? other trifles, the Maori owners wore Eriven 130 muskets, 21 kegs of jnmrjowder. a cask of bill cartridges, a varied assortment of nightcaps and tobacco pines, 12 dozen "Jews' harps." a., thousand odd fishing books, and a dozen sticks of scalingwax!