WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10404, 31 March 1897, Page 5

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

[by telegraph.— owh oorbkspondent.] Wellington, Tuesday, THE FLAX BONUS.

Mr, Adolphus Beihiin, of Auckland, hue come to Wellington to submit his process for treating flax, as ho affirms, cheaply and profitably, so as to become in time a permanent industrial staple of the colony. Ho has sent to the Department of Agriculture specimens of dressed fibre, and claim l ) to share tho bonus offered by the Government on the recommendation of Mr. J. G. Wilson's committee, which took expert evidence on this subjocb during the session of 1891-5. The amount recommended was £2000. Of this, £1750 was to provide for an. effective machine to convert tho green flux into a marketable commodity, and £2jO to provide a meana for utilising the tow and waste product. The time will be up tomorrow, but in deference to the wishes of a numbor of upplicants, who say they have machines in course of preparation, the Government has decided to extend the time until the end of the year. THE LEMON BLIGHT. Some time since Mr, T. VV, Kirk, of tho Department of Agriculture, placed a numbor of vidalii (ladybirds), gathered in the Hutt, upon the lemon trees in JlcNab's garden. It is found that this natural enemy hae reduced the scale which caused the blight. Ho haa liberated another species, which ho hopes will reduce the "mealy bug " and other peats.

THE WELLINGTON SUBURBS ELECTION.

Tho arbitrators aelected to decido which of the two Government supporters (Messrs. R. C. Kirk and C. Wilson) should stand for this sont, liavHjj favoured tho l.utut , , th» campaign Uop ;ning briskly. Mr. Kirk ia credited wiih devotion and loyalty to tho Government ticket because of his standing aside. There is nothing as yet known of an Opposition candidate. Tlie name of Mr. Hislop or Mr. Atkinson ia again mentioned. Id i? thought thab Mr. Dutbie may be induced to come forward, as he ia n resident <'t the district, but he shows no sign at presen;.