POLITICAL GOSSIP IN WELLINGTON.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8208, 6 July 1888, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP IN WELLINGTON.

[TELEGRAPHED BY OUR OOXBESPOHDEKT? THE AGENT-GENERA.L. Friday, July 6. —The message from Sir F. Dillon Bell, accepting the offer to continue as Asent-Gnneral, was received by Mr H. D. Bell, his son, some days ago. ■ Sir F. D. Bell wanted t"> be appointed for life, but the Government would not hear of it. CHINESE PROCLAMATION. The Post, last night, had an amusing skit on the anti-Chinese agitation, purporting to be a translation of a proclamation issued by the Emperor of (Jhina. The proclamation goeß on to say that the Chinese Imperial army numbers 13,000,000 soldiers, who, however, at present are not armed with such effective or modern weapons, nor are they so well drilled as are the armies of the western nations; and the Chinese navy, although much larger than it was some few years a?o, is not sufficiently large as to warrant the Emoire in taking the aggressive at present. The Government,however,intends immediately tobuild arsenals, and, in fact, large ordnance and small arms factories, and at foui of the most suitable seaports war steamers of the most modern and efficient type are to be constructed as rapidly as possible. This work of re arming an I thoroughly drilling the army and building warships sufficiently powerful to enable the Chinese Empire to oope with the soldiers and nary of Great Britain will, the despatch states, take three years. Then oomes the edict of the Emperor of China. He commands all his subjects in the colonies to wind up their respective businesses and affairs within the next tbree yenrs, and to return to China by tho expiration of that period. POOR MAN'S WAGES TO BE REDUCED. It is said that the Government are ready to wake a reduction of one shilling a head on the wages of tha laborers employed in the Railway Department, nnd thus savo £46,000 a year, if tbe motion is carried to further reduce the Estimates.