WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3937, 7 October 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Telegraph.] (From our ow > Correspondent,) Wellington, October 6. In speaking to the San Francisco contract resolution, Mr Beynolds said “Tne deviation of the contract from the resolution was very trifling—instead of the terminal voyage alternating between Sydney and Port Chalmers the boats from San Francisco are to run through to Sydney, and the boats from Port Chalmers are to run through to San Francisco. Transhipments of cargo, passengers, and mails in each case are to be made at Kandavau. This, I think is a far more satisfac orv arrangement than tho fork service prop >sed by the resolution. The next deviation is that the annual payment under the contract is L 3,000 above that authorised by the resolution, and the service is extended from six to eight years. Experience lias shown that to ensure i n efficient s rvice no le*s sum would suffice. Assuming that the Colony tikes advantage of this service for the conveyance of its mails the receipts may be thus calculated :—For postage, collected in the Colony, 116,000 ; London pay ments for postage. 1.12,000; passages from non-contributing Colonies, L 2.500, total L 29.500, which will show the actual cost or loss to the Co’ony to be ! .15,500 ; while upon a similar calula'iou the cost er loss to the Colons- under the Suez service would be LIO,OOO or L 5.500 less than by tho an Francisco. It must, here be remembered that in this calculation I have not taken into consideration, in wither case, the cost of the distribution of mails throughout the Colony or the general expenses of the Post Office Department, fn eomparing the respective services via San Francisco and Suez, the advantages as regards time are largely in favor of tbe former. By the contract service via San Fra cisco letters will be delivered between London and Auckland in 44 days, between London and Wellington in 48 days, between London and Christchurch in 49 days, and 'retween London -nil ! Mm.'.ln in 60 days ; ■while under the T; z sm i<; ■ they would be deliver© 1, according to the . me-table, vid Southampton in tu.ck’nnd in 63 days, in Wellington in 62 days, in ’ hiislc l nrch in 61 days, in Gunedin in 59 day* ; vffl Brindisi inofldavs 55 days, 54 days, ana 52 days—thus showing in favor of San Francisco over Suez an earlier delivery than by Southampton or Hrindmrespectively to Auckland o 19 and 12 days, to Wellington of 14 and 7 days, to Christchurch of 12 .and 3 d--ya, to Dunedin of 9ai d 2 days. The rates of postage b-tween the Colony and London by the "an Franc soo and Southampton routes arc identical, but by way of Brindisi there is an extra ohar-e v( 3d per half oz. on letters, and fiom 21 to 41 each on newspapers, Most of the commercial correspondence by the Suez service is sent via BriinlUi, so that the writing public have to pay h\ this route 50 per cent adduiomtl ; and that, too. for a slower service. This difference of 5.1 per cent, will, I reckon, more than make up the extra cost, (L 5 500) of the Son Fraud c-.i as against the Suez service. According to the ‘ Tribune,’ the 20th inat. is fixed for the prorogation. The same pa: er, referring +o the Ohinemuri reports, says ;Tr.is scandal is the most recent, and seems quite a fitting sequel to much that has gone before it in connection *ith the Auckland diggings. ft is the story of a couple of unset ui-nlous men outmanoeuvring a lot of their fellows, some *of whom would probably have done tho same if 'hev g.t a chance. It was diamond cut diamond ; but the Government had nothing ■on earth to do with i‘, any more than they have to do with the doz-'u other disreputable things that take place in Auckland.

♦ Letters are stolen here and despatches hidden there, and members of committee who do not know the sort of people they are dealing with can only look on in wonder. This latter sentence hides a great deal about which more will be heard anon.”

The 4 Post ’ is very severe on Brissenden, calling things by their proper names, and it advises him to return to America, where his talents are more likely to find congenial employment. In the discussion on the Debtors and Creditors Act in its various stages in Committee members generally look very little interest. Titose who carefully vv tched t’-e measure, and -.endeavored to make it as workable as possible, were Messrs Von Dei- Heyde, Hunter, Pyke, M‘Lean, and Sheehan, and in most cases they succeeded in giving effect to their practical suggestions. On clause 7*3 Mr Fyke and Mr Von Der Heyde fought very hard to moie effectually protect the Interests of consignors, and they divided the House but without buc--cesa, through members who had taken no previous part in tho discussion rushing in, and, without understan *ing tire purport of the division, blindly following tfie lead of the Government, All the clauses referring to after acquiiod property w-re struck out, and on the committal of the Bill clauses 72 ami 73 wdi bo struck out at the suggestion of Mr Swanson as lending in the same direction. In Committee on the Stump Act, Mr Von Der Heyde was prominently to the fore, and keenly watched each clans* possibly tending towards an increase of the duty—in fact, he and the _ Minister of Ju-o C e bed the matter pi incipally to - h-rnsulves. Several loudlyworded clauses i-oc so ult •ed as to make their meaning irniis, .uta'.-10, more (specially those referring to bids of lading, chartei-pai-tira, and maiine policies. Upon the mortgage clauses members unanimously insisted not only upon having moitgag-.-s under i .000 free r”f duty, hut upon thro ving out the clauses altogedi-r. the (lover moot living way Regarding m.itim.- policies -Hr V->n tier Hey.i« succeeded in ge .ting re-assm smcis exempted from duty, as aUo p-dic cs exicutc-i out of tinColony. In going through ihe schedule Mr Von der Heyde in.d'ted upon and succeeded in c inying the retention of the present chargt s. more < specially in matte; 3 of notorial acts and chaiter-parties. A't.er Mr heehan’s mof.-ou waa disposed of, the House went into ( ’ommitteu of Sui-ply on tlio item, ‘’.'iiitia and Volunteers for the BUnth Island ’ .'di George Grey moved that it be reduced by J,2,5b0. w-iich was negatived on Hie vo;cvs. On tne m-m, “Militia and for ilie r c-ul,b [aland,” Mr Inglis suggested the reduction, if not the striking out, of the item, ns volui.iteiing was, he bad been assured no goo-1 whatever in Canterbuiy, Kel*on, or Marlbu-- u.,h. Sir F, D. Bell took a similar vh w, urging that there was no hope of economy if tin- committee would not commence by striking off unnecessary votes like this. < apt-ain K-ai y, Mr Stafford, and Mr Hoilo'-'ton defended the vote, which, after further discussion, was agreed to. Sir I’, D. Bell’s motion te reuuce the i « ra by 1.2,000, wai negatived, ihe I of-nee Minister undertaking to make reductions during the year where he found it practicable.

■'Upon the motion of Mr Pvke the Dunedin Corporation Borrowing Powers Extension and Debentures Bill was read a second time. There are more amendments on the Representation BCI. Mr Shepherd proposed to altei tho boundaries of tho Dunstan, A aaaia, and Mr O’Neill to give three members to the Thames. Mr Bradshaw will move a string of amend • ments to Mr Reid’s Factory Bill, as f o’lows : Tne periods during which a child or girl shall be employed shall be only between 6 a.m. and S p.m. Tho following regulations shall be observed in factories No woman or child shall be employed continuously for more than fur and a-hulf hours without at least one interval o' half-an-Lour for a meal. Between flam, and 6 p.-_ , daily, except Saturday, two hours for meals, md of such lime one hour shall bo before 3 pm. They shall not on Saturdays if nos less than one hour is allowed for mo ds on that, day be employed in any way whatever after 1.30 p .m., and if less than one hour is allowed for meala on that day be employed in any mi.nner whatsoever after one in tho afternoon. In any factory to whioh the said Act applies children may be employed either in the morning or afternoon, sets, or for the whole day, on alternate days, and the following regulations shall be observed When children are employed in morning and afternoon sets, a child who on any day except Saturday is employed before noon shall not on the same day be employed after one in the afternoon, or if the hour of dinner be before one o’clock after such hour of dinner, and a child shall not bo employed on Saturday in two successive weeks, nor on Saturday in any week if < c any other day in the same week he has been employed for more than five hours. When children are employed on alternate days a child may bo employed during the same bouts and with the same hours for meals as young persons and women; and a child shall not be employed in any manner on two successive days. In any factory to which the Act applies all chddren and young persons and women shall have time allowed them for meals at the same time of day unless some alteration for a special cause be allowed in writing by the Resident Magistrate. In any factory to which the Act applies a child, young person, or woman shall not during any part of the time allowed for meals be employed in the factory or allowed to remain in any room in which any employment within the meaning of the Act is being carried on, and any ch Id, young person, or woman so employed or allowed so to remain shall be deemed to be omnlot ed in contravention of the Act, Every person who shall employ any child, young penon, or woman, in contravention of the prov sions of the Act shall be deemed to have committed a breach of the Act, and shall be liable to the penalty of tbe Act. Provided every parent who shall permit or suffer any child or young person to be employed in contravention of the terms of the Act shall be deemed to have committed a breach of the Act, and shall Pe liable to a pen dry not exceeding 1.60. It shall be the duty of constables and police officers, and inspectors under the Act throughout the Colony to see the provisions of the Act properly carried out, and to ’eport to-the Resident Magistrate of the distact all cases of breach or infraction of the pro visions of tbe Act. The Act prevents children under ton being employed. Boys and girls between ten and fourteen are treated a halftimers. A strong effort will be nvv’c to 1 brlithe hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., -..ith two hours for meals. n the Council to-day the Hon. M. Holmes asked whether the Government is in possession of any communication from Mess s Julyan and - ; arge>nt, complaining of the conduct of Sir Julius Vogel, or declining to hold any poison-.I intercourse with him on busmens affecting the Coiouy. In reply, Dr Pollen said he saw no ’Cason for placing such a motion on the orderpaper. There had been no correspondence except what was already laid on the tabic.