WELLINGTON NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13741, 24 May 1910, Page 8

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(srEC__L to "the tress.*')

WELLINGTON, May 23.

The price of leather has been steadily advancing, and owing to an unsettled condition of the Home market some exporters have, cabled out withdrawing current quotations. Mr Hannah, who is a large manufacturer here, says the manufacturers of boots and •-hoes arc not now making money in New Zealand. Thongh there have been two increases in footwear within recent years, there will, he -*-iys. soon have to be another increase. Tho recent increase in tho price of hides is largely due to the fact that America has taken -the duty off raw material, and green hides are literally pouring into that country. New Zealand grows sufficient to supply her own needs, but the impulse to export is strong, ond can only bo checked by an ex'-ort duty—a very unlikely contingency. At a "meeting of tho State Guaranteed Advances Board last week, loans to iocal bodies aggregating £110,000 were authorised, subject to tho requisite conditions being complied with in regard to pecurity and valuation.

Anglers generally, says the Wellington Acclimatisation Society's report, state that tho size of the fish token is -.'ocrcfu-rug. When everything is taken into consideration this is not to be wondered at. The fully-stocked and heavily -fished streams of to-day cannot lie expected to produce such largo fish as the sparsol*,*-stockcd virgin waters of years ago. which teemed with natural food. It- has been suggested that steps should be taken to augment the food supply in our rivers by the introduction ot English minnow, etc., but it behoves the Society to be careful that in introducing other species of fish into the rivers it does not supply additional mouths to devour the natural food on which the trout have hitherto done so well.

A large parrel of gelignite, a box of detonators and some lengths of fuse were found early last week in the grounds of tho. Catholic Apostolic Church. Webb street. Two church officials who were walking round the side of the church to the vestry, says the "Post," saw a square bag lying in tho shrubs near the footpath. On looking into tho bag it was found that there wero some sixty plugs of gelignite— enough to have dcmolisjied the church and a considerable portion of Webb street, had tho explosive been fired. The bag with the gelignite was concoaled in the bushes -until after the service, and then the police wore communicated with. The utmost caro was exercised by the police in the removal of the dangerous material, and enquiries as to whence it came, how it got there, and the motive of its being "pkinted" in tho church grounds wero at once set ou foot. Next morning, before early service, a tin canister was found by one of tho church officials in another part of tho grounds. On being opened it was found to contain detonators for firing gelignite, also several lengths of fuse. The canister was accidentally dropped on the footpath Lefore its contents wero at-certain-ed, but fortunately tho concussion was very slight, otherwise a serious explosion might have followed. The church authorities can give no reason whatever for the presence of tho exnlosives on the church property. Any likolihood of mischief being intended against the church or the congregation is held to ho highly improbable, but it is thought that someone had stolen tho explosives and, not knowing what to do with them! had hidden them.in the shrubbery surrounding tlio church.