WELLINGTON NOTES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11501, 6 February 1903, Page 7

WELLINGTON NOTES.

PROBABLE BUPREME COURT CHANGES.

A RETURNED TROOPER'S COMPLAINT.

(■pacuii to "rax rasss.") WELLINGTON, February 5. The names of Dr. FindUy (Wellington), Mr Hosting (Dunedin), and Mr Stringer (Christcborch) are mentioned in connection with the filling of the vacancy on the Supreme Court Bench when Mr Justio* Conolly retires. The "Post" aUtes that if the Premier seriously contemplates separating the Arbitration Court from the Supreme Court, he may -take advantage of the likely changes among our puitne judges and the probable retirement of Mr Justice Cooper from the presidency of the fanner court to make the change. Mr Justice Cooper would no doubt be asked to continue to act as president until the Legislature had sanctioned a change in the constitution of the court. The Wellington City Returning Officer has received returns of expenses from all the candidates who contested the Wellington seats at the general election, the last to hand being that of Mr George Fisher, who places his expenses at £7 19s. This puts his outlay as the smallest of all, the others being as follows:—D. McLaren i>3o 11s 6d, A. R. Atkinson £47 19s 3d, J. G. W. Aitken £71 10s 3d, John Duthie £87 9s Bd, P. J. O'Regan £90 16s, E. Q. Jeilicoe £100, J. Godbsr £128 0s 9d, J. G. Findlay £165 11s sd.

A conference of representatives of fire and marine insurance companies is being held in Wellington at the present time, to consider matters affecting the Underwriters' Association.

It has been the practice of the Government Tourist Department to loan photographic slides of some of the best scenery of the colony to lecturers travelling abroad, for the purposeiof advertising New Zealand abroad. The idea has proved very successful. Altogether some 30 or 40 eets are in the hands of as many different lecturers. :,..

' The sea in Cook Strait was not smooth enough to-day to enable the Tutanekai to complete the work of repairing the broken cable, and the steamer lias returned.

For the purpose of testing the percentages of water, the Department of Agriculture has so far collected samples of butter at the grading stores. The results, of the tests of the samples taken from the Wellington district nave been satisfactory. Mr J. H. M. Butt, son of Mr J. M. Butt, formerly auditor of the Bank of New Zealand, has received an appointment in Electrical Depot of the Eastern Extension Cable Company at Singapore. After leaving the Wakapuaka training etation Mr Butt was attached to the company's operating staff at Port Darwin, in Northern Australia, and he has recently relinquished that position to enter the Singapore depot. The ms. Maori, which sailed to-night for London,, carried about 40,000 cases of butter. About one-third of the' shipment came from Taranaki. Fifteen hundred more cases of butter, which, came various parts of the colony, could have been sent aboard the vessel if she had had sufficient cool storage.

The suggestion made that a match should be played in. Wellington between the Victoria team which won the Bowling Championship and the Pahncroton North team which carried off the Champion Fount Tournament held under the aiwpioea of the North Island Bowling Association, has been adopted, and a match of three game* is to be played on the 25th met. The membew of the winning team will be recognised as the champions of the colony for the year, and will each receive a gold medal, presented by Mr D. J. Nathan, president of the North Island Bowling Association. The Wellington Board of College Goveraora finds itself unable to adopt the proposal* of the Education Department in regard to free secondary education. The Governors have represented lo the Minister that while they are in entire sympathy with the desire of the Minister to increase the facilities for extending the benefit of secondary education, they regret that the want, of building accommodation and the financial position of the College and High School precludes them from adopting UM scheme.

The Hon. Dr. Grace was raiUier betWr lost night, and the improvement has been maintained during to-day. In a letter to the "Post" to-night, a disgusted returned trooper says:—"lβ it not reasonable to suppose 'that if some troopers are overpaid others have been, underpaid, and that there hae been some gross mismanagement in the pay department? Pereonally, I have arrears of pay owing to me, and though I have made repeated applications to the Department, for settlement, I can get no satisfaction. I could name at least twenty returned men in this town alone who are in the same position as myself, and "Who have for some time given up all hope of ever getting an honourable settlement. I refer more particularly to tb* earlier Contingeate, up to and including the Seventh-"