WELLINGTON.

Colonist, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5793, 3 May 1890, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

May 2. To-day Mr Mitohelson, Postmaster-General for the Colony, received a cable from the Agent-General in London containing th« official announcement of Mr Baikes' proposals for the reduction of the Colonial postal rates. Too message was a short one, merely stating that the proposal was to reduce the out word rate of from sixpence to twopence, and that if the majority of the Colonies vreie agreeable to auoh redaction, it was probable that Bteps woald shortly be taken to give effect to Mr Raikea* suggestions. The AgentGeneral impressed upon the Government the necessity of coming to a decision in the I matter without any delay, and added that replies from the various Colonies were being anxiously awaited. The storemen engaged in this city are about to form a Union.

The report and balance sheet Qf the Colonial Insurance Company shows the receipts to be £70,395 lla lid, and the expenditure £62,282 11b 2d, leaving a balance of £8113 03 9d to the credit of the profit and loes account. The directors recommend that a sum of £5000 be appropriated for 'payment of a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent for the past year on the paid up capital of the Company, the balance of £3113 Os 9d to be carried forward to next year's account.

The amount collected towards tho Fre» Fublio Library fund has reached £2631.

At a meeting of the City Council last night, a letter was read irom the Secretary of the Single Tax Society, asking the Mayor and City Councillors to join in giving Mr Henry George a publio reception in the event of his paying a visit to Wellington. It wasstated that there was a possibility of Mr Henry ; George returning to New Zealand. Ths Council decided to defer the consideration of the matter antil hie future movements were definitely known. - CHRISTCHURGH, May 2. To-day James Holmes was committed for trial on three charges of forgery of cheques. A valediotory address Bigned by most of the clergy in the diocese was presented. to Bishop Harper to-day. The address,-* was read by the Dean of Ohristohu ' ' expresses the veneration of the subscribers lor the Bilhop'B okaracter and their appred. _, Ation oi bis wort daring his long epiisoo.

'^tfi^Bisliop^H^ muofi •fleeted, briefly replied, thanking the clergy for the support they, had always given him; and asking that jt' might' be extended to his ■accessor, / >

May 2.

jyi ljhepubKa,reception of Bishop Juliua took y> ;pl»ce urthe.Palaoa Rink to~nightv> Sir John ' 4 p»U presided, and addresses of welcome were presented by the clergy and laity of the Diooeee, the YoangJlen's Ohristian Association, and the Trades and Labor Counoil. The attendance numbered over 20,000, and Bishop Julius was loudly cheered on bis entrance He thanked them very heartily for their addresses, and delivered a long speeoh. He denied that he had ever set class against; . class, but denounced the sweating system. He was in favor . of religious instruction in lichools, and expressed his intention of fighting the secular;, system. INVERCARGILL, - , „-• ,-r.;,; -.r • May 2. ' A cutter anived from Stewart's Island from the gold field at Preservation Inlet reports that a watchmaker named Clark from Dunedin vas drowned while attempting to land at Coal Island. The boat capsized, but the four other occupants were rescued. . a Seventy men are on the field at Preservation Inlet, but the weather is bad interfering With the prospeoting on the mainland. The ship Janet Court has sailed from the Bluff with; a full cargo of produce. BLENHEIM, ..'■■" May 2. Thomas Hastwick (aged 21), a fine athletic youth, was drowned in the Opawa river last evening. He was put with a companion duck she otiig, and hia companion missed him and iftmson to town. The police and friends instituted a searob, and to day at one o'clock his body was found in the river dose to the chore. Great sympathy is felt with his father, a ohemist, and a respected citizen. WESTPORT, , .. ■ v : ' " May 2. At tha District Court, the aotion Matthews Y. Hodgson, Deputy Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, for detinue of goods, resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff. 'The Court is now closed, having been sitting since Monday. The examination of T. Laurie, a bankrupt, has been postponed till next s tting. GREYMOTJTH, May 2. James Barkley, of the well known clothing and drapery firm of Smith and Barkley, was found dead in his bed this morning. He had not been ailing in any way. AUCKLAND, May 2. By a clerical error in the valuation roll four years ago, and only now discovered, tbe valuation of, the Auckland Gas Company's property has been fixed at £1500, instead of £3500, and a sum of £800 has thus been lost to the city. A special meeting of the City Council is to be held to consider the matter. The City Council have decided to make reductions amounting to £500 in the expenditure upon the Free Library. The amount thus/saved will be Bpent in the purchase of feooks.

At a meeting of fruit growers held to-day, under the auspices of the Local Industries Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, it was resolved that immediate steps be taken to secure that the Auckland City market, now principally used by general dealers, should be made available for the eale of country prod nee as an open market, To-day, six old men, perfectly harmless, and suffering only from senile decay, were discharged . from the Lunatic Asylum and brought into the Charitable Aid Board offices. This is the latest development of the discussion which has been proceeding between the Asylum -authorities and the Board, ihe former asserting that there are forty patients in the Asylum who should not have been there, and who should be at the Old Men's Hefuge, and that aa the Board have now a Dew Befuge at Epsom they should take charge of tbes9 people. The Board authorities were taken by 'surprise, and as no preparations had been made to receive the six patients tbe old men had perforce to go to the Police Station. A speoial meeting of the Board is to be held to-morrow to consider the subject. Mr A. Wright, a fruit expert, has gone to Whangarei to investigate the alleged exist ence of phylloxera there on behalf of tbe Government.