WELLINGTON NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5851, 23 April 1897, Page 3

WELLINGTON NEWS.

TPer Press Association.l "WELLINGTON, April 23. The City Council rates this year are assessed at slightly under 3s 3d in the £, a decrease of not quite three-farthings. The revenue is estimated at .£38,500, and the expenditure at ,£23,100, leaving .£15,400 for street works. Increases in the salaries of five subordinate officers were voted. There aie only six cases set down for the Appeal Court on Monday, but the list is expected to be added to. In a report submitted to the Harbour Board, Mr Ferguson, the engineer, reported against the idea of making a dock bigger than any in the colonies. He showed that the tendency was to reduce the length of steamers rather than increase them, and that it would be absurd to have to pump out a huge dock every time that a moderate-sized steamer wanted to use it. Mr Ferguson considers that the circumstances of the colony do not warrant the construction of a third large dock at all, though a small dock is desirable here. If a large dock is to be constructed, he suggested that ft should not be larger than 550 ft by SOffc, with a depth of 2Sffc ; also, that particulars should be obtained of floating docks, a large number of which are now in use. The Board instructed him to prepare plans for a dock as above, but providing for an additional hundred feet in length at a future time ; also, to obtain details as to floating docks suitable for 3000-ton steamers. Robert Levett has been committed for trial on the charge of stealing .£94 worth of jewellery from Messrs Wilkin and Field. He was intoxicated at the time, and took the goods back next morning.