WELLINGTON ITEMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4927, 17 April 1894, Page 2

WELLINGTON ITEMS.

• -c [from our own correspondent.] WELLINGTON, April 16. CABINET MEETINGS. Ministers were in Cabinet this forenoon and .'again in the afternoon up till halfpast five o'clock, dealing principally with, departmental matters that have been awaiting consideration. No large or policy questions were considered. Cabinet meetings will be held every day this week. THE AUCKLAND ISLANDB. As soon as the Hinemoa'a arrival at Eussell was made known yesterday, the Minister of Marine wired to Captain Fairchild, instructing him to report himself at Wellington en Thursday next in order to proceed the same day to the Auckland Islands. The Hinemoa will ship here stores and the necessary material for the new depdfc that is to be established at the Islands. She will remain at the Auckland? as long as it may be necessary to Bee the Norwegian vessel Antarctic "off the premises," even if that duty Bhould involve a stay of three weeks cr a month. In the meantime the Terranors, under the command of Captain Kennedy, late of the Union Steamship Company's service, will take up the Hinemoa's lighthouse work, and, whea that is completed, will proceed to survey a route for the proposed interisland cable. The Terranora is to go on the slip on Wednesday for the purpose of being cleaned. THE CANADIAN CONFERENCE. Mr Lee Smith, the New Zealand commercial delegate to the Intercolonial Reciprocity Conference at Ottawa, left Dunedin to-day for Wellington to receive his instructions from the Government. He will leave for Canada by the May mail steamer. I LEGAL MATTERS. I understand that the list of Justices of the Peace has been revised by Ministers, and that a fair number of additions have been made to it. Government will probably take steps shortly in the direction of extending the jurisdiction of Resident Magistrates, both as to area and amount, in accordance with the authority contained in the amending Act of last session. Representations from time to time have been made to the Government that the public convenience would be served by extending the hour for closing Supreme Conrt offices from three till four o'clock. Inquiries are to be made aB to the expediency of effeoting this change. Government ha 3 under consideration the advisableness, in the interests of economy, of appointing salaried legal officers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, to whom Government officers requiring legal advice may resort, instead of seeking this advice, as at present, from whomsoever they please. The feea for legal advice amount to a goodly figure. HEDICAL OFFICER. The office of chief medical officer to the Government Insurance Department, left Vacant by the death of Dr Henry last week, is likely to be filled at to-morrow's Cabinet meeting. A FLYING TRIP. Miss Mary Krout, who is making a flying trip through New Zealand writing descriptive ai tides for several Chicago papers, arrived in Wellington on Saturday night, and left yesterday for Christohtirch in company with Mr Joyce, member for Lyttelton. She interviewed Sir R. Stout and the Hoa W. P. Reevea at Kotorua, and went on thence to Nap : er in eompsny with Mr Blow, Under-Secie'.ary for Public Works. At Napier XJr Joyce joined the party. During her stay in Wellington Miss Kront had interviews with the Premier, Colonial Treasurer and Minister of Lands, and also visited various departments in the Government offices. Her progress through the south must necessarily be rapid, and her stay in Sydney and Melbourne will be brief, for she intends leaving Sydney for San Francisco three week? hence. The lady has been engaged in journalistic work at Chiccgo for the past nine years, and waa sent to Honolulu some months ago, at the time American annexation appeared probable, in order to " write up " the Sandwich Inlands. After finishing her work there, she was commissioned for a trip to New Zealand and Australia, using the utmost expedition. She hopes, on her return, to obtain leave to make a more leisurely tour of these oolonieo, in order to " do" them thoroughly. CHEVIOT. The whole or the undisposed portion of the Cheviot Estate, with the exception of reserves, is to foe offered at puolic auction at Cbristchurch on May 14 and 15 as follows :— On May 14, 10 grazing farms, containing in all 13,251 acres, to be leased for 21 yeare j 9 village homestead sections in the village of Caverhill, containing jn all 522£ acrea, ftp.d ranging jn, a,rga from 85 to inn reß ea( £ ; 12 SBct iona in Homeview village, ranging from 12 to 59 acres eacb, and containing in all 360 acres; 5 sections at Port Eobinson, rasging from 6 to 23 acres <acV and containing in all Gl£ acres. All theße village sections are to be disposed of on lea=e in perpetuity. On May 15 two pastoral leases, containing about 3000 acres, of p Inch 1250 acre 3 are to be leased for one year and 1839 acres for 21 years ; 92 quaiter-acre township sections, 63 of them being in the township of M'Kenzie j 24 sections in the township of Port Robinson ; 32 suburban sections, ranging from 4 to 25 acres, at M'Keuzie ; six suburban sections, ranging from 3 to 4 acres, at Port Bobinaon }, 8 suburban sections j at Gore Bay, containing 4 acres each ; and 8 single acre sections near Port Eobinson village. All these township and suburban sections are to be aold for cash. In addition there are 8 sections in Blocks 7, 9 and 11, Cheviot, to be leased in perpetuity in areas ranging from 6 to 242 acres. In connection with all these lands, the Survey Department is now preparing for republication tb.3 descriptive and illustrated pamphlet of the estate, which will be furnished with six extra maps, one of them, which is on the ecale of eighty chains to the inch, showing the whole of the lands already taken up and also the lands enumerated above. fPER Press Association^ j In the Divorca Court to-day Mi- Justice Eichmond granted a decree absolute in the case of Jessie Berg v. Samuel Berg. Mr S. Carroll, acting secretary of tho Incorporated Institute of. Accountants of New Zealand, has received the memorandum and Articles of Association of the proposed institute. They have been signed by the first members of the council of the institute resident in Wellington, Napier, Dcmedin and Christchurch, and only await the signatures of the Auckland representative^ to enable tlio Association to bo registered.