INTERPROVINCIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8413, 12 January 1899, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL.

[Per Press Association] WELLINGTON. To-day. The Waikare has forty Sounds excursionists on board, and sixty or seventy join her here. The total will be some 20u. The insurance companies have paid Mr C. Smith, draper, £5000 insurance on his clothing department, making £6250 in all. The wet weather and wind in various , parts of the province are interfering with the grain yield, which in some districts promised to be phenomenal. Reports of the various Customs officers who were directed to ascertain how many seamen were willing to join the proposed colonial naval reserve, show that nearly all the men approached declined to join «nles3 a guarantee were given that during their six months' training on board a tnan-o'-war they would be paid as much as they would receive if they were employed in the mercantile marine. There is reason to believe that if the Admiralty will offer fairly reasonable wages no difficulty will be found in obtaining the services of a majority of seamen trading out of New Zealand ports. There are 693 applications for pensions on hand, and the Magistrate intends to make a start with them on the 16th inst., aud to endeavor to get through fifty per aJ ' AUCKLAND, To-day. The Moanatairi *iine crushed 200 tons of ore for bullion valued at £300, a "payable return. The reef which was lost at the break has been picked up again. About 500 claims for old ape pensions have been received, besides fifty which should have been sent to other sub-dis-tricts. At Ngaruawahia, Joseph White was .mulcted in £9 2s, fines and costs, for driving three hprses with sore shoulders. A protest was made at a meeting of the Exhibition Executive Committee against the desecration of the Sabbath by the visiting teams in the military tournament bein^ taken a trip round the harbor on Sunday last. At a meeting «f the Harbor Board a letter was received from Mr Brigham, the secretary of the Board, giving an account * of bis negotiations with the Admiralty respecting a subsidy for Calliope dock. The officials refused to accept the estimates he took with him, and made it a condition absolute that the use of the dock and machinery must be placed at their disposal whenever required for the use of warships. He had framed new proposals to meet these views, and was assured that everything was now settled. He had also secured a promise from the New Zealand Government to remit duty on machinery, which would save at least £2500. The new estimate was £59,350, or £26,740 over the Auckland estimate. If the Admiralty would undertake to pay a Bubsidy of 4 per cent on this sum, the Board will be able to provide all that is ' required. The letter was referred to the ' Finance Committee. A fire broke out yesterday in the auxiliary schooner Medora, lying at Queen Btreet wharf, and did damage to the after part of the hull and deck to the extent of £100, besides injuring a considerable quantity of cargo. Slander and Bvadley's timber mill at Nihotapu was completely destroyed by fire last night. Tho damage is £3000. There was no insurance. The origin of the fire is unknown.