WELLINGTON.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2121, 21 February 1908, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(Special to Times.) Wellington, Feb. 19. The cold southerly wind which sprang up yesterday continues, and has blown the smoke away from the citv and tlio surrounding hills, but in tho country to the north, especially on the West Coast, it has fanned the bush and grass fires into renewed activity, and alarming reports continue to come to hand. Following arc the candidates for the Rhodes scholarship, which will bo decided on Friday:' A. M. Finlayson, Otago University College: J; A. Burtrum, nominated by Bays’ High School, Christchurch, but from Otago University; H. Trovell, Canterbury College; G. V. Bogle, Victoria Collego, Wellington; A. N. S. -V Tinian, Auckland University College. the members of the selection committee are His Excellency the Governor, the Chief Justice and one other Juugo ol the Supreme Court, and the chairman of tho professorial boat’ll ol each Ulll- - College. Mr. Quimu'll is consulting his solicitor regarding alleged disparaging remarks in certain papers regarding his appointment as Instructor ot Dairy Inspectors. His present appointment is for six months The price of butter here lias gone up to Is -Id per lb, with every prospect of a further early rise. To-day fruit shipment from Australia numbered 2000 cases. There are 150 boxes of grapes for Wellington . . The new clam to be built at AA ainui-o-mata of reinforced concrete will have a storage capacity of 100 million gallons. „ . Captain Cushman, late of the Union Company’s service, is to assume command of the defence launch Lady Roberts, which is an service at Dunedin. Mr. C. Patterson, M.R.L.L.8., a member of the Scottish Bar, who has retired after 27 years’ service in the Indian education service, is at present in Wellington. lie scouts tho idea of another mutiny in India, and says the great omajority of enlightened men in tlio Madras Presidency are strongly averse to the present seditious agitation. However, tho few agitators who perhaps make themselves most heard, but their agitation apparently does not count for much. Autonomy for India would simply mean internecine war, and even the Babus of Bengal, who are making tho most noise just now, would, under a self-governing India, be quickly wiped out of existence by the more warlike Mahommedan Sikhs and Gurkhas. Mr Paterson has been cycling through the Dominion, and while he says that New Zealand might be God’s own country, it has tlio Devil’s own roads. A crude method of transporting meat, says the Post, was observable this morning on the Queen’s AAliarf, whero the Maori was loading. Carcases of pork, apparently intended for the South, had been dumped down on the wharf and were lying in very unappetising heaps, when the bell rang for tho lunch adjournment. tinmeat was left to swelter in the sun and catch the dust, and it did not occur to anybody to put a protectoi over the unlovely pile. . Tho case of a lad of 13 who rsceived only 12s Gd in wages has attracted some notice. The Benevolent Institution Trustees doubted the story, but it has been proved to be quite correct. The father stated that it was his wish to apprentice his son to a trade, but he found that the lad, according to the union award, could not be paid more than 7s Gd per week, and could not afford to make the sacrifice, even though it would be better for lus soil s future. Mr A. C. Pearce, a member of the Board of Trustees, remarked that the outlook for boys m -Ne w Zealand was becoming alarming, by reason of t-lie restrictions placed upon the number of apprentices, and tho obstacles placed in the way of deserving lads, who from a variety or reasons could not serve their time at trades, and yet were prevented from improving their positions by picking up some useful calling. The following were the sales on the Stock Exchange yesterday: National Bank £5 7s, Christchurch Meat Co. £lO 15s (cum div), Whitcombe and Tombs £4 7s 6d. _ WELLINGTON, Feb. 20.

To-day Stock Exchange sales were: National Bank £5 7s, Gear Aleat Co. £2 9s, Talisman Consolidated £2 14s; Taranaki petroleum shares were offered as low as ss, but were not accepted ; Leyland-O’Brien timber shares were offered at £2 4s 6d, without result, probably owing to the bush fires. Tho latest' addition to the cost of living here is to bo an increased charge for repairing hoofs and shoes. An Association of Alaster Repairers has been formed,_ and a committee appointed to revise the price of repairs. Tho Government lias decided to make alterations and additions to the Wellington Supreme Court, and the library accommodation will be doubled. A new room will be provided for the Registrar, and better accommodation for witnesses. . The alterations will take about six months to complete.