New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 120, 19 September 1885, Page 4

New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

LETTEKShave^een received from the King of Samoa and Governor of Tahiti vrith reference to the opening of the Janet Nicoll

postal service. Malietoa Writes t*- MI- rejoice heartily, and desire .to-.oxprbss my thanks for the 'eß&tilishment 'pi t jsteam communication to Samba. f ; Far jfrom me is any suspicion of that arrangement any political significance' affeotingmy Government j yet, on the'other hand; we are well assured that all the, arrangements which' you carry out have as their tendency Borne advantage to us. Our hope ; still continues in accordance with the request presented to Her Majesty the" Queen of England, that if it be possible that should take place." Monsieur Moran, Comniißsioner of Marine and Governor of the French settlements of Oceania, writes:— "lam much pleased at the new relations which will thus be established between New Zealand and the headquarters settlement in Oceania. : There cannot but spring from them facilities and advantages to Tahiti both in the way of c immeroe and food supplies. I shall therefore be personally glad if the Council General of the colony, who cannot help equally appreciating these advantages, find from their financial resources the means of encouraging the postal service in question. The Executive will not fail to represent the advantages to them, and to invite their most earnest attention to the subject." The Agent General, in a despatch dated, Ist July, quoteß an artiole from the 11 Economist Francais," stating that steps have been taken by the Societe Galedonien for the effectual occupation of the New Hebrides, and quotes the terms on which the land is offered by that Company as an incentive to immigrants. Sir F. D. Bell adds:— "lt is evident therefore that the French mean to push their way to the New Hebrides, always with the political object in view of ultimate annexation." Further correspondence regarding annexatiou and confederation was laid on the table of the House of Representative? yesterday. The Agent-General, in a letter on May 7th, wrote : " There is not the slightest chance of either House (of Lords or ; Commons) consenting to remove Fiji from its status as a Crown colony," On August 6th Mr Pritchard, Secretary of the Committee, wrote, thanking Mr Stout for the action already taken by the New Zealand Parliament.

miscellaneous. Sir G. M. O'Rorke, who has been ill for two dayß, and absent from the House, has resumed the Speaker's chair. The Hon. Captain Morris, whose health has been far from good during the session, ia confined to bed. The report of the New Zealand Institute, laid on the table yesterday, shows the membership of the Institute to be 1,275 ; Auckland, 304 ; Wellington, 250 ; Otago, 161 ; being the largest memberships of local Institutes. The Minister of Justice has promised a deputation of goldtields members to consider the changing of the gold fields warden?, Messrs Kenrick and Gile3, immediately after the recess. Mr Taiaroa has written to the Premier emphatically denying the allegations made against him in the petition of Te Maiharoa and other Waitaki natives. Regarding the petition of old soldiers, etc., making claims for land for military service, the Waste Lands Committee report that, as there is not sufficient time at this period of the session to consider each petition on its merits, the consideration of the petitions from old soldiers and volunteers be postponed till next session. Mr Ormond is opposed to the action taken by the Opposition regarding the Public Works Estimates, and states that had the Government made it a party question, he,, with Mr Montgomery and others, would have worked hard to upset the Opposition design. Mr Downie Stewart, in speaking to the amendment by the Legislative Council on the Property Law Consolidation Bill, made rathei a good point. One of the clauses in the bill, as passed by the House, enforced the accurate statement of occupation, of the signature to deeds, etc , but this the Council struck out. Mr Stewart mentioned a recent expression of opinion by a Supreme' Court Judge on the matter, and said that i the designation " settler" was no deecrip- ! tion at all, as all residents in young coun- 1 tries were settlers, while " gentleman " was j also an equivocal designation. j The constitution of the County of Ohine* muri will be gazetted to-morrow with four ridings, viz , Waitekauri, Karangahake, Paeroa, and Waitohe. Mr Frances, of Arch Hill, has applied for a patent for an automatic incubator. ' Mr Cadman presented a petition from Mrs Ann Gillon, proprietress of the Scotia Hotel, with reference to the action of the Licensing Committee in closing her hotel. ' The Petitions Committee report they have ! no recommendation to make with reference j to the petition of W. 0. Garrard and the unemployed. j The amendment of the conditions for payment of rewards for the discovery of goldn'eids provides that the maximum rewaid shall not oxceed £500, and no reward shall be payable till at least 20,000 ounces have been extracted within two years of date of the registration of the discovery.