TELEGRAMS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 926, 16 March 1881, Page 4

TELEGRAMS.

Wellington, March 12. The Gazette to-night contains a notification of the appointment of Mr Walter Woods Johnston, as a member of the Executive Council and Postmaster-General; also that Major Atkinson has resigned the portfolio of Commissioner of Customs, and that it has been transferred to the Premier. The payment for property tax at Wellington to-day included one of about £I6OO voluntarily made by the Hon. A. G. Tollemache, now resident in England, through his representative Mr Valentine Smith. This is for the tax upon money lent on mortgage, nearly the whole of the interest on which is payable in London and does not pass through any agent in the Colony. It had been held that as the money was not under the control of any agent in New Zealand, Mr Tollemache was not legally liable to pay the property tax upon it. The Gazette contains a proclamation that Her Majesty has ceased to have any interest in a portion of certain native lands known as the Patetere. The Registrar having ordered the sale of Mr Mills’ mortgaged properties under foreclosure on the day before that on which the first meeting of creditors under the insolvency is to be held, a private meeting of creditors was held this evening, when it was resolved to protest against such a hurried sale as being likely to prove injurious to the interest of the creditors generally. Dunedin, March 12 There is to be no outward mails this month to connect with the P. and O. Co.’s steamer at Melbourne. If the Tararua had left to-day, as announced she would have reached Melbourne in time to connect with the P.O. boat leaving there on the 16th inst., but the Union Co.—over which the Postal Department has now no control, their contract having ceased—having postponed the Tararua’s departure till tomorrow, it is impossible that she can catch the Brindisi mail On the postal authorities here telegraphing

for instructions they were advised to make up the Brindisi mail by the Arawata, which will leave on the 17 th inst., for conveyance by the Orient Company’s Cotopaxi, which leaves Melbourne on the 29th inst. In mercantile circles there has been considerable grumbling at the lateness of the notification of the postponement of the mail. Hokitika, March 14 Mr John Bevan, of this town, who was lately appointed on the authority of the Prince of Wales, to succeed the late John Lazar as District Grand Master of Freemasons in Westland, was installed to-day, A very large assemblage of members of the craft from all parts of the coast took part in the proceedings. A banquet in celebration of the event was then being held, at which there were about 120 persons present.