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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5137, 10 September 1877, Page 2

It is quite 'definitely decided by those who settle politics in advance that the Ministry are to be turned out. The new Ministry will be composed of Messrs. Rolleston .(Premier), Gisborne, Curtis, Reader Wood, Bunny, and Travers. None of these gentlemen are responsible for the fact that their names are mentioned in connection with the new Ministry, unless indeed they have signified their acquiescence; but of this we are not aware. Of course the difficulty still remains that the new Ministry cannot go in until the old one goes out. When that is got over, everything will be plain sailing. • We understand , that the Hon. H. Russell has given his unqualified assent to the production of the now celebrated letters handed by Mr. Locke to Mr. Cox, and referred to by Mr. Ormond in the House during the recent debate on Hawke’s Bay land transactions. Renata Kawepo and Te Hapufca, two of the leading chiefs of Hawke’s Bay, have invited a number of members of the Assembly and Citizens of Wellington to meet them and other native chiefs at lunch to-day at half-past 12, at the Polytechnic Hall, Leathers ton-street. The gathering is to celebrate the withdrawal of the Native Lands Bill and the verdict for the plaintiff in the Waka Maori case. Mr. Peter Laing is the caterer, and the affair will be got up in the best style. There was a rumor current in town yesterterday that a man living in upper Wills-street had attempted to cut his wife’s throat, Subsequently this dwindled down to a statement that a common assault only had been committed. On making inquiries last evening it was ascertained that the latter was the correct one, and that the affair was not a very serious one. It is probable that the facts of the case will be elicited in evidence at the Police Court. On Saturday and yesterday, the weather being very fine, a number of people paid a visit to the waterworks, which are now rapidly approaching completion, and in the progress of which the residents in the city naturally take a good deal of interest. The want of a road from the southern end of the town and along Polhill Gully to the Karori-road by way of the waterworks has often been spoken of, and it is to be hoped will ere long be supplied. It would be a great public convenience, and it is really surprising that this road was not made long ago. In the Legislative Council the other day, Col. Whitmore moved “ That the Arms Act be further amended this session, so as to give greater facilities to Europeans who may require to obtain ammunition or to repair arms for legitimate purposes.’’ Now what has this motion got in common with the rabbit nuisance? Yet in the intricacies of debate the hon. gentleman managed to introduce the latter topic, which being once fairly started was freely discussed, and elicited very interesting information, not only as to the amount ot devastation these little animals are capable of committing, but also as to their immense and ever increasing numbers, and the expense to which runholders are put if they go about attempting to destroy them with the agency of powder and shot. One hon. member remarked that every time he fired a shot it cost him on the average Bd., and therefore, even allowing him to kill his rabbit every time ho fired at one, it could hardly be said to pay. Another member said that since he was in that Chamber last session he had destroyed 300,000 rabbits, and in fact they were becoming such a nuisance in his part of the colony that, as the leases fell in, it would be matter for grave consideration whether or not it would be advisable for the present holders to renew them. A third legislator quite agreed with Col. Whitmore as to the necessity for altering the present Arms Act. He had a gun. He had on one occasion taken it to get repaired, and it was found necessary to takeoff the breech; to effect this he must'first pay Is. for a license, tiffs he did’nt mind, the money was cheerfully paid. The requisite repairs having been completed it was deemed necessary to put the breech on again,, but this couldn’t be done without again getting a license and paying another Is.; this he did” object to, but as objecting would not put the breech on the gun, this shilling had to be paid also. Under these circumstances keeping a gun would become rather a “ luxurious” necessary. Mr. Allan, Registrar of the Suprems’Court, has been appointed Commissioner in Lunacy.

The tonnage of the several vessels -that arrived in the port of Wellington during the past week was 6809 ; of those that-sailed 7950. - The number of passengers who arrived in the port of Wellington during the past week was 280. Of these 160 came from Southern, 90 from Northern, and 30 from Australian ports. ' v At about half-past 12 o’clock on Saturday night the fireballs rang out an alarm, and the was ascertained to be a fire in a small cottage in Sydney-street, Thorndon, which was soon extinguished. We have been requested to remind our readers that Mr. Button’s lecture on “ Oxygen” will be delivered at the Congregational Church, Woodward-street, this evening. It will be illustrated by experiments. At the quarterly meeting of the Wellington Typographical Society, held on Saturday evening, Mr. Mackintosh was elected vice-presi-dent. The report and balance-sheet were adopted, the latter showing the financial affairs of, the society to be in a highly satisfactory state. At the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening there was a very good attendance, the pit and stalls being well filled, while the dress-circle was more largely attended than- usual on Saturday nights. The programme consisted of the “ Octoroon ” and the performances of the Vaudeville Variety Troupe. St. George’s Hall was crowded on Saturday evening by a most appreciative audience. The entertainment in connection with the Fine Arts Exhibition, under Mr. R. W. Cary’s management, is always pleasing. To-night Miss Lizzie Morgan, who is deservedly a great favorite here, will make her first appearance at this popular place of amusement. The Art Union is progressing most satisfactorily, nearly 3000 tickets having been sold. The “Bantam Minstrels” gave their first entertainment at the Odd Fellows’ Hall, Lower Hutt, last Saturday evening. The proceeds were devoted to the building fund of the local English Church. The performance consisted of choruses, solos, &c., concluding with a laughable farce. The concert on the whole reflected great credit on the exertions of the young men comprising the Bantam Minstrel Troupe, who will be in a position to hand over to the church authorities some £5 or £6. The dinner to-night at half-past 7 o’clock to be given by the licensed victuallers to the delegates from Dunedin, Christchurch, Timaru, &0., will take place at the Theatre Royal Hotel, aud we understand that arrangements have been made to ensure a large and influential attendance. In addition to “ the trade,” several of the leading mercantile firms intend to be represented, and a considerable number of members of the House of Representatives have been specially invited to favor the meeting with their company. One of the chief, if not the real obstacle in the way of superseding the use of timber for building purposes .in this city has been and is the high price of brick; stone, except for ornamental purposes, being out of the question. It is no blame to the Wellington manufacturers that their prices have been seemingly excessive. They have had to pay very high prices for an indispensable staple—fuel for burning the raw material—and hence the, fact previously stated. There is however, and we say it with every consideration for the enterprising men who have, against long odds, established a local industry, every probability that ere long an entire revolution in established custom will take place. And in this wise : The natural and geological features of the country at Mungaroa—four miles beyond the Upper Hutt—offer facilities beyond anything about this city. These have been taken advantage of by an enterprising speculator, Mr. Cole, who, having secured the lease of a sufficient area, has invested capital in the purchase of plant of Clayton’s patent, by means of which he can turn out 12,000 marketable bricks per day. The quality of earth, or rather clay, as it is customarily termed, is in every way adapted for machine purposes, while the abundance and lew price of firewood will more than enable Mr. Cole to deliver bricks of best quality in Wellington at say £2 10s. per 1000. At this price—new that it has been determined that brick buildings, with the proper use of iron bands, are equally well fitted with, wood to stand th e slight shocks of earthquake that occasionally occur in Wellington—there can be no doubt that few will be foolish enough to invest in perishable, and above all inflammable timber buildings. . It has been found very expensive to attempt the -extermination of rabbits by shot and powder ; but there are other means more efficacious and less expensive. A recent improvement is now spoken of as having superseded the old stock methods of noosing, netting, and ferreting, which is very ingenious, and by which a man may rid himself of the rabbit nuisance, i.e., to place a piece of rag steeped in kerosene suspended from a stick in front of the burrows infested by rabbits. It is asserted that they will never return to the holes which have been thus treated. ; Not only has this plan the advantage of novelty, but it would also, if adopted in this colony, be good for trade, greatly increasing the demand for kerosene. To-morrow Mr. Duncan will sell by public auction, at his salerooms, Panama-street, 70 acres of land at Carterton. The property is divided into paddocks substantially fenced, and there is a six-roomed house erected on one of the allotments, also a smaller house of two rooms on another section. Lithographed plans may be had from the auctioneer’s office. This truly valuable property, situated in a well-populated and constantly-increasing district, will doubtless be eagerly competed for.