TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1928, 2 November 1888, Page 18

TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

Mr Georgtf Holdship, the managing director in New Zealand of the Kauri Timber Company, left Auckland by the Te Anaa on the 27th, for Melbourne, on business of the company. Mr Holdship has now got the vast business of the company into proper working order. The various departments have been organised, and arrangements made for the carrying on of the industry on a gigantic scale. The export trade has been very brisk at all the timber centres, and through having to fill a number of large orders from the South and from Melbourne the immense stocks afc Aratapu, Tairua, and elsewhere are being rapidly diminished. This means at a very early date that operations will have to be resumed at the various mills, and workmen temporarily discharged will be re-engaged at the milling centres. The steamer Glaucus, now loading at Kaipara, is to take a million feet of timber for Melbourne, and another steamer was to leave the latter place for the Kaipara for a eimilar load yesterday. Since the company took over the business numbers of sailing vessels have been chartered for the conveyance of the timber from the colony, and altogether with these and the steamers the export trade has been very brisk. When operations are resumed at the mills and the discharged hands taken on again a great improvement should be manifested throughout the Auckland district. The company have paid over lately about half a million sterling to the late proprietors of the sawmills. A daughter (two years old) of Mr P. Sadd, surveyor, of Nelson, was missed from a picnic at Takaka on Saturday, and on a search being instituted she was found drowned on a snag a quarter of » mile down the river. Sir Geo. Grey is steadily continuing his gifts of rare and valuable works to the Auckland Free Library. Among his recent gifts are a copy of the Bible (Queen Elizabeth), " History of the Keformation of tho Church of England " from the Hamilton Palace collection (1G79), Cicero s Orations, &c. It is understood that the position of consulting engineer in London for the New Zealand Government has been offered to Mr John Blackefct, the Engineer-in-chief, and has been accepted by that gentleman, who will probably leave New Zealand about March next to take up his abode in London. The salary is lower than that attaching 1 to his present position, but as he is understood to be desirous of settling for a time in England, this probably formed no impediment to his acceptance of the post. He is entitled at any time to retire on a handsome pension, but evidently he intends to do s good deal more work before he claims it.