WELLINGTON ITEMS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12427, 16 February 1901, Page 8

WELLINGTON ITEMS.

v [FkOII OcF. CoBBESrOKDENT.I WELLINGTON, Feb.. 15

It was a wild sct-nc at the wharf yesterday when the Karamea ran amok, big ship had just been brought in with, the easy shill with which new boats are handled, -and was being'made comfortable m her new berth when she suddenly steamed majestically ulieud, straight/ for the Eliniga.: mite, at about three or four knots The stern ropes of thoit vessel snapped uke pack threads, but in the act. tarew the Karamea’s great high iron qM-ot cutwater aside, and so saved the Llingamute.Had that cutwater held straight cm the.passenger boat. would have gone to the bottom, in a verv short time. As rb was, her quarters were bumped to the tune of £IOO by' the Kararaeas bow," and the runaway vessel was secured' at the wharf for nearly an hour. ' The snapping of ropes by the hawser and wire cables made things horribly lively on the wharf, and the various human capacities of pallor and degrees thereof. Were amusingly demonstrated. ' ' "■■ ■ The following from the " New Zealand Times”’is interesting, commenting on some perfervid patriotism we have lately seen. “The following are tiro names copied from, the orderly-room register cf the men ■ comprising the detachment of the Highland' Liehtlhfimtry-■on the troopship Britannic:. —Sergeant Jennings, Corporals Reynolds, Dickinson. Tacey, • Ward and Wheeler, Bugler Hargreaves, Privates Horton, Gavier, Francis, Entwhistle, Culstaw, Jones,Lynch, O’Brien. Neal, March, Packer, Reed, Shirley, Towers, Whittaker and Williams. Our representative was assured by the Staff Sergeant-Major that not one. of the men whs a Scotchman.” I wars much struck by hfr Dmthie's statement made to a reporter on his return from London, that he had proved his statement that the Stock Exchange, had refused a quotation, to the 3 per cent .conversion loan. Mr Dutlile had, I find, to, go to London to the Stock Exchange and to trust to the courtesy of the members to arrive at those proofs. All I can say is that without going to London I have referred to the'daily official list of the Exchange and have turned up the annual volume and found the 3 per cent loan quoted as large as life in very excellent Exchange. English. I did this without straining the courtesy of any member of the Exchange. The trade returns have come in very handy for the Bank of New Zealand. The Chairman told the shareholders to-day that the , business of the bank was most satisfactory, but that as the bank, gave no figures at the half-yearly meeting he would point to the trade returns.

These show a volume of trade of £23,888,718, being an increase 'on last year’s volume of about £-2,300,000, of which imports coiitrjhntedi £2,000,000 and exports £300,000. That shows at .good maintenance of the rate of expansion established by last year in face -of the great fall in the chief article of export. It is hinted! in Opposition circles that, the figures are misleading because wool has been over-valued, hut as the two December quarters (1899 and 1900), differ by £416,000,. and wool is the main cause of the difference, then what became of the over-valuation? Then in, the same quarter it is declared “that the two millions rise of expertsis due to a rise of prices, but as prices have not gone up in any line to bring up the general average 25 per cent, it is sounder to place the expansion to the credit of increasing confidence than of increasing prices.

Two firemen from the steamer Earamea. were Ic-day sentenced to tTireo months’ mprisonmenut 'for broaching two cases of brandy during the voyage from London. The troopers who returned yesterday by the Earamea were to-day entertained at dinner-. The Hon® W. Hall-Jones, W. C. Walker and H. C. Mills were present. At a meeting of old Canterbury residents to-night it was decided to form a Canterhnry Association, the Premier being patron, and the Hoh W. C. Walker president. The proceedings were of a very cordial nature.