WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8386, 14 October 1890, Page 5

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

(BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] Wellington, Monday. MOVEMENTS OF MINISTERS. The Hon. G. F, Richardson, Minister of Lands, returned to Wellington per Arawa from the South yesterday.

POLITICAL RUMOURS. Sir Robert Stout was a passenger by the Arawa, also the Hon. E. Richardson, who was Minister of Public Work* in Sir Robert Stout's Government. The rumour is again started that Sir Robert Stout will re-enter politics, and to that end will seek the suffrages of an Otago constituency. Rumours similar to those connected with the supposed candidature of Sir Robert Stout for a seat are in circulation as to the probability of the Hon. Mr. Richardson being elected for Kaiapoi. THE SEAMEN'S VOTE. One curious effect of the strike will bo to disfranchise a large number of seamen. The following is tho definition of a " seaman":"ln the Act of last session 'seamen ' means and includes every person who has been engaged nt sea for not less than two years, and who for the most part of tho six months immediately preceding the date of making his claim for an doctor's right has been employed or engaged in any capacity on board any vessel or vessols of any tonnage used in navigation not propelled by oars registered in or owned in New Zealand." The above applies to most of the men who went on strike and are now scattered throughout the colony.

MR. LAWKV AND Sill M. OBOKKE, The Post this evening says in a leader that Mr. La wry, member for Franklyn [North, has established a claim to public gratitude by declining to oppose Sir Maurice O'Rorke, and pays the following high compliment: —" Mr. Lawry was quick in recognising what a loss to the Legislature Sir Maurice O'Korke would bo, and how valuable to tho colony his services are, with self-denial as rare as it is commendable. Mr. Lawry accordingly determined not to stand for Onehunga, but to leave the Speaker a clear field there so far as he was concerned. It is to be booed that the Onehunga electors will show their appreciation for Mr. Lawry's self-sacrifice, and the reasons for it by returning Sir Maurice O'Korke without opposition. It wild be exceedingly difficult to find any suitable man to replace Sir Maurice in the chair of the House, lie cannot talk to them through Hansard, and any mention of local wants must be given through the medium of some other member. Above all, he is precluded from joining in the scramble for public money for local purposes, success in which counts for so much with the majority of electors. Sir Maurice O'Korke is a model Speaker." rat; AG l' T• l» >" KA L AND new ZEALAND HEM 1". Sir Dillon Bell has forwarded to the Government a report made specially by a representative of the London Times upon the process of fibre dressing at the largest of the London fibre factories, which is situated in Lambeth. The various processes core prise the rapid welting and utigumrr,in_ of fibrous plates, automatic breaking, scutching, combing, and hackling into simple or mixed yarns ; cottonising and woo'.lenising fibre* to imitate fine cotton or wool; bleaching and dyeing the same, and the rapid drying of fibres by means of cold air. The chief feature of the operating room i« a new method of dealing more particularly with leaf plants, such as ■phormium tcnax. The Times reprseentutive slates that he saw some New Zealand flax put through the machine with great success, and with rapidity and simplicity. While on this subject, I may state that Mr. Gardner, who was formerly in business in Wellington. has been making experiments to test the tensile resistance of different fibres. He enumerates tho results of his experiments as follows:—"No. 1, pure Manila; No. 2, New Zealand flax scraped; No. 3, New Zealand flax machine dressed, as well as it is possible to dress it with our present appliances. No. 1 is just double the value of No. 3 in the market to-day. With regard to No. 2, the material is the same as No. 3, but the quality, as far as I can judge, is equal to No. 1. The difference is made by the mode of dressing. The rough and se>ere grinding machinery cut the fibres of No. 3, so that the breaking strain is only a little more than half that of ruanila. Could" we get our fibre scraped like Nos. 1 and 2, you can tell what the value of phormium tenax would be to New Zealand."