LATEST WELLINGTON NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2791, 3 June 1890, Page 2

LATEST WELLINGTON NEWS.

(UY TEr.EGK.U'H.— I'UESS ASSOCIATION). Wellington, Last Night. The Custom duties for May amounted tu £127,K>5. The principal ports contribute as follows :—Drmcdin, £32,400; Auckland, £24,802; Wellington, £21,077 ; Lyttelton and Christchureb, £22,177. During the month ended the principal contributions of beer duty were, Dunedin £1,051) 17s 7d ; Auckland, £057 Ss Id; Cluiochurcb £SIS sslOd ; and Wellington, £50 Ss Oil. The returns from Timaru and Westport have not been received, but they would amount to about £1.10. The weather since Saturday morning has been very rough and wet. During the gale the steam yaeht Garnet was smashed again.-t tho wharf, and some hundred pounds worth of damage was done. The proprietors of the Tramway have been losing money for thirteen years. Dr. Grace told the Trades Council delegates that they would sell the whole concern at a low price, and be glad to get rid of it, as they were always putting their hands into their pocket without any return. The Supreme Court opened this morning, before His Honor Justice Prendergiist. In his address to the Grand Jury His Honour remarked on the lengthy calendar, which, however, did not contain any cases of unusual character, excepting, perhaps, one which arose out of a recent enactment, by which a person charged with a criminal offence might give evidence iu his own favour. In this case a person who was charged with permitting gambling in his premises was said to have given false evidence on his own behalf. A true bill was found against Geo. Smith for burglary. The second Commission in the Imperial Army recently competed for by New Zealand officers has been gained by Mr Sisby Davidson, son of Major-General Davidson, of Canterbury. Mr Davidson, who formerly held a lieutenant's commission in the Nelson College Cadets, has been gazetted to the Somersetshire Regiment, late 13th Sir Robert Sales' Jellahibad Regiment now stationed at Jellahibad. In effecting repairs to a house on Thorndon (Juay, a suit of convict clothes beaiiug the New' Plymouth gaol mark was found stuffed in "the studs of a bow-window. The clothes were mouldy and had evidently been there for years. The Education Department are circulating the scheme of forming school libraries, which is in voguo in some of the Christchurch public schools. The principle of the plan is voluntary lending of books by children for use amongst their schoolmates. This involves no monetary expense and is described as extremely successful,