WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3909, 3 September 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[BtI Telegraph.]

(From our own Correspondent.) September 3. The Kaifangata Railway Line Bill has passed belli Houses.

In tho Legislative Council yesterday afternoon Dr Menzies moved for a select committee to consider the alleged breaches of the Discinalification Act, Mr Taylor made explanations exonerating himself.

t Mr Stout yesterday presented a petition signed by 1,900 residents in Dunedin in lavor of the Peninsula Railway. Mr Bradshaw on Wednesday will ask the House to affirm that medical practioners in active public practice should not hold the office of coroner.

Mr V. Pyke is a passenger by the Hawea. A return laid on the table shows that Sir J. Vogel has, since he left the Colony, and up to June 30, drawn L 6,000 for expenses, L 3,700 of which is not yet accounted for. The Government Insurance Department report shows that during the past financial year 1,978 policies were applied tor, representing L 662,608, and all but 528, representing L1G3,893 were granted. Tho total amount of new policies is L 15.484. Claims amounting to L 12,150 through death were, paid during the year. The Department at present is responsible fur 5,0G4 policies, assuring L 1,841,322. The receipts for the year from all sources were L 63,699, the excess over disbursement being L 41,410. The balance at the credit of the department at the end of June was 1.108,525. The expenses of management have Imen reduced from 37.41 per cent in 1871, to 19.24 in 1875. As yet the system is only six year's’ old. The average cost of management of 120 life Insurance Companies in Great Britain is 15.12 per cent, for 1874, after being in existence for thirty-nine years; and of those exceeding ten'years the average was 57.32. The Government found it impossible to get an actuary of high standing from England to conduct the quinquennial investigation, but Messrs W. P. Pattison and A, H. Bailey, two eminent London actuaries, will make an investigation there on detailed information supplied by properly qualified officers from the Audit office or Treasury, wholly independent of the Insurance Department. The Consolidation Act of last session and the Industrial Scheme are working remarkably well.

In further papers relating to immigration, Sir J. Yogel intimates to the Agent-General thet his instructions of the 30oh April are not to be withdrawn, except so far as relates to discontinuing the free immigration. The instructions of the Government must be implicitly obeyed. He will have to deduct from the number of those immigrants authorised by telegram those shipped since the end of April, and in distributing the balance the Agent-General should fix the complement for each port in accordance with the Government's instructieus. Since his engagements will lead to the completion of a large portion of the order by the end of July, he is to use his own discretion as to the division of the remainder. Sir .Julius Vogel advises his making a fresh charter party for the shipment of immigrants with th > N. Z. Company and Messrs Slaw, Savillc, and Co. The result of negotiations was that the Shipping Company agreed to give Messrs Shaw, Savillc, and Co. part of the business. Part of the London-Otago business has been left free for Messrs Shaw, Saville, and Co., and part of the London-Otago business has been left free for possible arrangement with Mr Galbraith (Albion line), as well as the Glasgow business. The agreement is to pay Lid per adult, or 30a in excess of the present rate. Sir J. Vogel’s opinion is that the company has only moderately estimated the additional cost of the requirements under the new charter. The additional 30s per adult does not correspondingly increase the cost to the Colony, because since the Government ordered in October, 1874. an increased dietary scale the average cost to the Colony has been LIG Is 5Ad per adult. The advantages of the new system are continuance, increased dietary scale, increased space for immigrants, extra space of five feet for luggage, and improved dietary scale for infants, which, as infants are not charged for, has to be averaged over the total number of adults. Besides these there is a saving of 2s Gd per ton in freight on all cargo, larger power of enforcing penalties, more substantial payment for demurrage, and larger powers to prevent objectionable cargo. The rate for immigrants to Hawkes Bay and the Bluff is now to be the same as to the ordinary ports, therefore there is an actual saving to Hawkes Bay and the Bluff of L2 jjer head. The duration of the charter party will be till the end of April, 1876. First-class passengers will be allowed to travel in emigrant ships. These arrangements met with the AgentGeneral’s approval, whose cordial co-opera-tion Sir Julius Yogel acknowledges. Sir George Grsy’s speeches appear to become more revolutionary. Last night he demanded full compensation to Auckland for the removal of the seat of Government, for the deprivation of her land fund, and for the maladministration of her affairs, adding that, this obtained, he would use every means to give to the Province the right to determine what her future should be. He claimed this right for all the Provinces, and expressed his determination to prevent the Bill from passing into law. Sir .0. M‘Lean’B reply was unusually vigorous. He charged Sir George Grey with harboring thoughts of the dismemberment of the Empire and wishing to see New Zealand thorouglily independent and under a republican form of government. The House rang again and again with cheers when Sir Donald asked why there was this great outcry against Orders in Council, when Sir George Grey, as Governor, was so fond of them, and then, never thought of the liberties of the people, but passed orders beside which these now made by the Government were quite light. The cheering was redoubled when he declared that he was determined, at all risks, to carry out the expressed; desire of the House to pass the measure into law this sission. Mr Montgomery made a good speech, attacking the budget and asserting that there was an actual deficit of L 172,115 after absorbing the land fund. He called upon the Government to make a clean breast of it, and admit that the necessities pf the_ Colony imperatively demanded a change. His assertion that the Opposition regarded Mr Ormond’s declaration on Thursday, re a property tax, as semiofficial, brought to his feet Sir D. M'Lean with a denial that that member ever communicated with the. Government on the subject. It will probably be four or five days before the Bill gets into Committee. If factious opposition shows itself early, the Government will make the sittings almost continuous. Last night’s Ministerial statements were rather confusing, and the Bills then promised are anxiously looked for. The ‘ Times ’ says the Education Bills may run on all-fours with the Abolition measure, but at the first blush it looks as though it was intended that the latter will undergo radical changes iu Committee. It thinks the Government made an unnecessary and unwise concession. The sense of the country is clearly in favor of a general scheme of education, embracing the whole Colony and placing every part of it on an equal footing as to educational appliances and funds, and any proposal which falls short of this must create widespread dissatisfaction. It asks what necessity is there for creating Boards of Works if the local Government Bill is to he proceeded with. It is at all times a difficult movement to change front during a general engagement, and it should never be attempted unless under the pressure of imminent danger and with the moat disciplined of forces in hand. The Government carried the second reading by an overwhelming majority; they have encountered as yet no formidable opposition and the country is unmistakeubly in favor of the abolition of the Provinces. The necessity for the promised Bills is not, therefore, pressing! y apparent. Legislation in the direction indicated may be needed, but it did not appear to be necessary from anything which has fallen from Ministers hitherto during the debate. Humors of a split in the Opposition camp are current. . The Wellington Football Club this day received a letter from Mr Henderson, captain of

the Auckland team, to the effect tin 1 , they leave in the next Southern trip oi the ILiw.-a. I'f time serves they will play ihe maleh hei. about the 18th inst. ; if nut, lin y will i'n-o-x;.; to Christchurch and Dunedin, returning by iff. Hawea, and then playing Wellington ahou the ffofch. The Rugby Dniou Club ruins will be adopted, and to avoid the chance of a draw, game it is proposed by Auckland tin’, i should be decided by tin* number of p.'-im-made by either side, goal counting u and . touchdown 2, the team signing the nm-t pomp to bo the winner. Tim names of tlm .Auckland players arc: - Messrs Dinmictt, L. Caere. Gudgeon,' Burgess, Nolan, Blaydens. Waittaker, (’after, Womi, Ellis-;, J’us-ell. Henderson. Sharlaml, Pcacocke. Adraum. (T.-sius. Philsou, Cox, Wood, Billing, amt C. Ducre. The team will sail in the Hawea fimnthe.Manukau on the I.lth pros., arriving at Taraii.da a--8 a.rn, ; will play the team tlmre from 11 to i Leave Taranaki at 1 p.rn and arrive in Nelson on the 10th at 8 a.nu. play the team there, if there is one, from 2to 4 p.m. Leave there on the 17th proximo at 10 a.in. for I’ief.ou, wlmre they will arrive at 0 p.m . leaving two hor.r> afterwards, and arriving at Wellington at 10 p.m. Play there from 1 to 3 p.m. on the 18 hj leaving at 5 p.m. Arrive at Lyttelton on tlu 10th at 10 am. and depart at 3 p.m. Arrive at Dunedin at 10 a.m. on the 20th, and play on the 21st from Bto 5 p.m. Leave there the following day at 2 p.m. on the ie'nrn trip of the Hawea, and will arrive at Lyttelton on tin 23rd at Sa.m. and play from 3 to 5 p m., Joining then l again on the following day at noon.