Wellington Items.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5573, 22 March 1886, Page 3

Wellington Items.

THE MINISTERIAL POLICY. EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY. AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT. [Bt Telegraph.] (JFEOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, Marc& 81. During the past week Ministers have been very busily engaged in Cabinet discussion. Their future policy will be made known in the fulness of time, but no one outside of Ministers themselves knows anything about it at present. Certain Opposition correspondents, professing to " know you know," have been very industrious in discovering a policy for the Government, and in finding out, or, rather, professing to find out all that has been done in Cabinet j but they really know, and can know, nothing. During an interview with Sir J. Togel yesterday afternoon, he remarked that he was really surprised to find in some of the j Southern papers reports of what had occurred in a Cabinet meeting, for the information contained therein was entirely new to him. " The fact is this," continued the Treasurer ; " there have been frequent meetings of the Cabinet, and Ministers have been discussing their policy. What that policy is likely to be will be disclosed when Parliament meets, and not before. I wish you would state this fact, and caution people against accepting statements which are being so freely circulated in certain quarters respecting the doings of the Government. Those statements are utterly without foundation, but they are apt to lead people astray." Respecting the East and West Coast Railway, interest in which has been revived since the publication of a> Christchurch telegram to the effect that iv powerful syndicate in London is in treaty with the Committee and the Government for the construction of the line, Sir Julius said the Government had no information which, they can give at present, but there possibly might be some in the course of a week or so. The Government are still in communication with the Australian Governments respecting the cable subsidy. The Cabinet have decided to refuse the terms proposed by Mr Pender for New Zealand- joining in a subsidy to reduce the cable charges on the European lines. They consider the reduction proposed as extremely paltry, and the extension of the time which ie asked for most mischievous. It is the opinion of Ministers that the Colonies should- make a determined effort to reduce the ratee between Australia and Eo gland to about 2s or 2s 6d a word. The New Zealand Cross is to b»:bestowed upon Lieutenant -Colonel: M'Donnell and Captain Gilbert Mair, Native Interpreter to the House of Representatives. This distinction has been fairly woa by both gentlemen by their services in the field. Nothing further has been done in regard to Admiral Tryon'B proposals, rt the defence of the Colonies,, and I should not wonder, from what I can gather, if they ended in & fiasco. The Hon J. Ballanco has gone to Wanganui to confer with tie Natives there on certain Native land measures to be submitted to Parliament next session. The Premier left Wellington to-day for the South, but on what particular business I cannot cay. His absence will be of short duration. The Post Btrongjy deprecates the proposal of the New Zealand University Senate to establish degrees in pedagogy, \ which, it says, will be purely fancy degrees, i not likely to be recognised outside the ' Colony, and the- creation of which will tend ! to lessen the value of tbe University's other degrees. On Thursday evening a gentleman from the Wairarapa district informed the Post that while caceaing the Siniutaka he observed several fissures in the hills, from which steam, and vapour *ere issuing, and that there was a strong sulphurous smell arising fuoai the vapour. On Friday last I made a special trip acroes the ranges, but, after a careful inspection, failed to notice anythiag unusual. I met Dr Hector on the road. He had also visited the locality, but with no better success than myself.