WELLINGTON NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 123, 26 May 1893, Page 3

WELLINGTON NOTES.

TENDERS FOR PUBLIC WORKS,

THE BIRTHDAY BALL,

THE BOYS' INSTITUTE.

CO-OPERATIVE RAILWAY WORKS,

(by telegraph.—own correspondent.)

Wellington, this day. Tenders will be invited shortly for seventylive thousand sleepers for the Whangarei extension and Te ArGha railways, also for the Otago Central in Otago district.

Instead of adding 10 the Court-house at Stratford or building a small one, it has been now docided to let the work remain in abeyance, and put a sum on the estimates for a large and commodious edifice. Mr Ashcroft, tho new Official Assignee, arrived hero to-day, and will commense duty on Monday next. His Excellency's levee on the Queen's Birthday was numerously attended, Tbe birthday ball, notwithstanding the weather, which waa simply execrable, was the most brilliant affair of the kind ever hold in this city. Some 800 invitations had been issued.

One of the mo3t useful and creditable institutions in Wellington ia the Boys' Institute, where recreation and instruction aro provided for youths who otherwise would be in the street. The Chief Justice yesterday opened the industrial exhibition in connection with the Institute, and this evening the boys may be seen at work at their various trades—shoemaking, tailoring, turning, moulding, etc. Some very good drawings were exhibited. Traffic on the railway lines was bad on Wednesday owing to the weather. Tho Westport-Ngakawau railway will be opened by tho Premier on Monday, bo that he will not arrive hero till the following Thursday, and next morning he goes to Auckland. The railway mentioned connects tho Mokihinui coal mines with Westport. In 1890 it was decided to ask Parliament to authoriso construction of the railway out of the Westport-Haihoi fund, and this was done. Work began in January, 1891, tho whole of the formation^ culverts, etc., being let in email coutracta. Four of these contracts were let on the cooperative principle, employing 200 men. The length of the line is seven miles and a quarter, tho total cost being about £34,000, or something less than £5,000 per mile ; which, for the nature of tho country, is reasonable. It was in the construction of thia line that the co-operative system waa first tried, and the result has led to its adoption on various railways and other works. Over £11,000 has been paid to cooperate labourers for formation, and parties of co-operative workmen supplied sleeper? costing about £2,000,

THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Notwithstanding reports to the contrary, there is no intention whatever to appoint a Government printer at present. Mr Cadman, in whose department the office ia, is engaged in To-organising the GStablismeni, and intend to have the employees classified as in the postal and otbor departments. By the system proposed to be adopted, employees will be placed in better and surer positions, while afc the same time, by economies which will affect no individual harshly, a saving of some £5,000 a year will be made. The machinery in the printing office requires in some cases to be modernised ; and improvements will be effected in this direction also. When the establishment is placed thus in a satisfactory working order the head of it will be nominated.