WELLINGTON NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13009, 10 January 1908, Page 8

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(SPICIAL TO "THB PRESS.")

WELLINGTON, Jonuary 0. 3[r N. McLean, one of the contractors for tlio Arthur's Paes tunnel, who left for tho south yesterday, will start uiqn opening up ihe Otna approach to tho tunnel, pending the a nival of drilling machinery and othor plant " frqni Europe. Mr J. McLean, who is in London, in a letter to the firm here, states that he has investigated all th«r N best-known drilling machinery, and hae * ordered an Ingereoll air plant, whichV s will be driven by electricity, the motivtt\,' r power for which will bo obtained from '•' tho stream iv the vicinity or the tun- "* { nel. ",i Mr C. J. Fulton, the.fibre expert, iv *" a letter to the Minister for Agriculture, states that tho flax sued brought - by him to St. Helena had not becu» - greet success. It was treated accord-" ing to his instructions by_ tho Govern: .- ment Forester, but aftor gettiny a lair start tho young plants wero severely \ attacked by grubs. Otlier experiments-lj were boing tried. Mr Fulton had cupied mosit of bus time on tho iel|nd; - in preparing a mill site and creating* plant. Milling was to liav© begun id , December. Transplanting was going -- on to somo extent, but tMr Fulton .pr*-'----flicted that it would be four years bfr--, I*for©1 *- for© the industry could be remuner-, ative. Speaking of the condition of the pt»pl«» of Jamestownj he "Two-thirds of tliem are in a diplor- ' able state, and ibegging for alms i» l noticed on all sides . After the Boer war the garrison was withdrawn fnSn ", the island, and consequently there ■*■*»,. no assured market far the product* of ;'• the island. Upon tihe fibre industry , '*!!'-, " eyes are now earnestly fixed, but' to y work a mill at high pressure maaTd ,\ v exhaust the present supply of leef-ta-;; twelve monitos." "I have never «6en>anything like it before/ cays Mr Pnl-*"_ ton in a, ooncroding reference to tin ._: poverty of the people. , . +•-$, Mr G. M. Fraser, who bufft tiie bridge over the Waiketo river *t C*m-'°y Dridge (the only ono of the kind in. j?< tralaaria) has come to the _- oonlor with tbe Pwblid Works Depart; *( raont regarding the omubraofc h» h«S| secured for .the erection of the Midkndrfj railway viaduct over Skwen creek: j% thirteen miles from Springfield. Tke ,f £* bridge. wJiich will be of etoel, wil V»^ v " 600 ft long. The preriminary tione havo been started, and \be> «toN -;j----work is shortly expected from Hoot. ''?' The contract price w £21,400. ' *^tjr Mr Hemxy Bracy, daredtor of^ffc* 1 ??* Williamson Opera Compeny, cuiuhlfletl p u hi? birthday yesterday and prosonta-tions from the company ,»nd memlwrs of the staff. ; , r ij A "retreet" for lady adh«mto' the Roman CathoKc Ohtrrch -wid 0M»-.>| menoe at *he> Convent of the the Sacred Heart at Island Bay''<*>'i Saturday. Tho retreat will extend one week,' and the whole of the will be spent m spiritual Amoncst those who wall participate some Jadiee from tbe South Island. *- ; A,; Dr. Bell, director of the gedogie»nv, survey, hae left for the Karamea *•-'#:. triofc. Later on he wHI visit OiAorwtM} for the purpose of preparinc a on .the oil-bearing fields saia to there. The preliminary work carried out by Mr J.H. Ademi. ant geologMt. . IJ&SMr Alfred H2l hae neturned to lington, and will form an orcnestr».yy here with a view to giving public V#rtfi formances. . .'^ Mr J. H. B. Coatee, general wtth £. ager of "tjho National Bank of Nj'O'i Zea-rand, has returned from a visit to Auckland. Mr Stot^, iufipectof,%. for the same bank, will now take pjs holiday at Eotorua. '