Wellington Items

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 691, 10 December 1902, Page 3

Wellington Items

(Special Correspondent to Napier Herald. ) Wellington, Friday, Owing principally to the export to Australia there is a scarcity of potatoes here. Old potatoes are worth £lO per ton, but there is great difficulty in getting a sufficient supply. A local merchant says he is getting from JCI7 to £l r J a ton for new potatoes from Auckland and the South. It is understood that the Government has decided to reserve.a portion of Crown land at Trentham as a site for tho Chiel Veterinarian’s laboratory. The buildings are to he equipped in an up-to-date manner.

The representative of a Western Australian mining syndicate is now in the colony for the purpose of inspecting mining properties on the West Coast, and reporting to his directors as to the advisableness of extending their sphere of operations to New Zealand. It is reported thut the syndicate is prepured to spend over £200,000 on the West Coast should the prospects be sufficiently encouraging.

Tbe kit of a Wallaroo seaman who was killed in Sydney through falling from a window while walking in his sleep, was sold on board the warship yesterday, and realised X'Jb. Some articles worth only two or three shillings fetched as much as dOs. After all the things had been sold several of them were handed back, to be sold over again, and thus an extra amount was realised. The money will be sent to the deceased's relatives.

At the complimentary dinner tendered to Mr W. I'. Wood, M.H.R., at Palmerston North, the Hon. J. Carroll was in his element, and after having pleased the gathering with a recitation, he made an oxcelent speech, congratulating Mr Wood upon his election as a supporter of that party which had been attending to the affairs of the colony upon broad and Liberal lines. It had formerly, he said, been the habit to refer to their predecessors as “ the continuous Ministry,” and it might in time come to ho the custom to refer to them as a continuous party. But the conditions wore vastly different. Their opponents wero olected on a narrow franchise, thi present Liberal party were olected upoi manhood suffrage, and it seemed that a; the minds of tho people grew and broad ened their support of tho Govcrnmoni grow more confirmed. It was difficult foi tho people of tho Old Country to under stand this because they wore tied to their prejudices, but ho was glad to say that they were rapidly taking a more rational viow of New Zealand’s policy, and one event which had bolped greatly towards this end was tho war in youth Africa, a country of great possibibilities, and it was possible for New Zealand to oxerciso a beneficial influence upon tho settlement of tho problems there and in older parts of the world. After referring to the motives which had actuated the Liberal party, and especially their aims towards the Maori race, Mr Carroll concluded by eulogising Mr Wood, whom ho said ho felt sure would prove loyal and faithful to the cause which ho had espoused. On rosuming his seat Mr Carroll was greeted with three hearty rounds of applause.