OUR NORTHERN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 23

OUR NORTHERN LETTER.

(From Oue Ow» Cobbesfondent.) WELLINGTON, April 2. GENERAX BOOTH: At 7 o'clock. onUhe evening of" Wednesday last, Manners street, in front of the Opera House, was a packed throng of puffing, perep.iring, pushing, and. squealing, men, women, and children, all trying to; wedge through tfie half-opened dooxs to heaT General Booth, and 20. minutes, later no seat or even standing room could be had for doulile the' entrance fee,, so. filled was the building. Whilst the vast audience in the body of . the tHeaire -did ihis great philanthropist honour, the Premier held the chair,, and the elite of. Wellington, the exalted places upon the stage at his back. The appearance of General. 'Booth roused the ■wildest tumult of appfause. and as' the greyHaired veteran began to speak an almost solemn stillness fell upon all. He told that rapt audience all about his great life's work and that of the Army soldiers, who would not only be found battling the- wide world over, hut he believed they would be found at the very gates of Hell "undertaking" the DeviL Jiimself. He gloried in the Army; and he gloried' in their worlt, the war cry of which ■was " Charity." As an instance., when Lon-don's-poor required. £125,000, the Army gave ! £120,000 of. it,, leaving the Government- and the country to find the- othei £5000. They took in. all creeds, and peoples, and nations,, arid tongues, giving them the Bible, and only asking in return the earnest work of their lives tor- their own and- the salvation of otherp. At the,oloae of hk addressr General' Booth was greeted with" tremendous cheering. INDIISTBIES OF WELLINGTON. Between Manners and Victoria streets, upon an acre and a>half'of land, stands the largeßt iron foundry and engineering works of the Oily of Wellington, owned and managed by Messrs Luke and* Bbns, and as I enter_ the hum of gigantic machinery and the activity of some 130 Hands fill the spacious shops and different, departments covering this vast. ' area. In the moulding room some score are at work" uponi many curious patterns, and in the? large or centre shop I find the- main -body of workers busy upon steel and iron works, the up-to-date machinery being driven v by a 30-horse"*. power horizontal steam engine, j the-firm's'-own'makev Messrs Luke- and- dons have built some powerful hydraulic cranes -dmr the* Wellington Harbour Board; the 300vfcgn. steamer. Matai^ and many other vessels varyin'g,' f eohl 50- to' 100 tons; and' the great ' steam 1 cranes for the Genpral Government also owe. their manufacture here. The specialties of the- firm are marine engineering and hydraulic^ and dairying utensils. A patent •of ' theirs consists of a cooking range,, now used -in the homes' of- many colonists. Messrs Luke and' Sons are one- of the largest importers of- iron, steel, and copper, and their respected name- is brass-lettered upon many of the colony's engines and boilers. THE WELLINGTON WOODWARE FACTORY. In Willis' street I found Mr Holroyd, his men, and a- six-hdree power Tangye^s engine hard at work upon- wood turning, carving, | and band saw' fretwork, and' in tho manufacture of. all descriptions- of unique frames — kauri, red pine, and' totara woods- being chiefly used., .A specialty- here inside this busy factory' is the manufacture- pf billiard "balls andi fittings. The factory has> been in existence over nine years,, and is receiving a large and increasing, share of trade. >AN f OLT> WEST COASTER. In Mr H. Denhard I found an old Brunnertouite fancy bread and biscuit baker, now of U"ner Willis street, where he has been established for some years, and is securing an increasing, and valuable business. R*EAD AND'FENWICK. In Qnin street I discovered one of. the most interesting manufactories I have ever had tho good luck to find. It ie.that of. the New Zealand Glass Bevelling and Silvering Works. When I entered Mr Read was giving finishing touches to mirrors, and then he showed me-all about the premises, explaining matters as we .went. Hero is the finishing room, where glass is made to look like diamonds and brilliants by aid of some mysterious agency. In- the next room strange looking discs are made by the wilL pf an eight-horse power engine, to revolve' rapidly and do" the bevelled, work- upon plate glass required. All sorts of beautiful' designs are here manufactured by the aid of delicate processes. Mr •Bead presented me with a pair of bevelled emboused glass panels of marvellous beauty and chaste design,, the subjects being 1' Rosalind " and " Orlando." Silvered glasses exhibited here were also very fine, and the workmanship turned- out from this factory is attracting much attention. At- the last Wellington Exhibition the highest, awards, were gained! by Messnpßeadand Fenwick for- their fine* art work upon glass, and word has just, come> to hand ' of the firm's- success at the Auckland 1 Exhibition, they having again won a gold inedaland obtained a first-class certificate in the order of' merit there. In conclusion, I may add. that, a visit- to' the New Zealand Glass Bevelling and Silvering Works is one of the rare treats afforded cultured people of the city. At 205 Upper Willis street Mr J. Andrews, timber merchant, has his establishment, and a peep inside whilst his men are at work is • quite interesting enough, for we see how the 1 Venetians and wire blinds are made, how the children's toys are carved, the revolving shutters are built, the sashes and doors joined panel by panel, the butter boxes clasped, and the staves of mysterious cooperage set up and brought together. There are the slotting instruments, the boring ditto, and the planing, the turning, and the band sawing to be seen. Then we are phown Mr Andrewe's specialty., the wood tea boxes, which are inlarge demand by the thrifty housewife, 2000 a month, being the present turnout, with increasing^ demands. In Dixon" street is the celebrated veterinary shoeing smith, Mr A. V. Knapp, whope firstprize exhibits of horse shoes at the Wellington Agricultural and Pastoral Shows of 1892 and 1895 made hirname, and still glitter like burnished silver in show cases. The subject of this sketch has laboured here for over seven years, during which, he has, by his capital workmanship and energy, won upon the confidence of an appreciative public. Other features of his shop are its whitewashed interior walls, clean, well-sanded floor, smokeless forges (his own idea), and an up-to-date hand shears (the invention of his brother, Mr E. A. Knapp, of Motueka, Nelson). THREE OLD PENSIONERS OUT ON A SPREE. They were being well oared for at the Ohiro Home, contented and happy, until their old age pensions came. The moment the money -was put into the hands of the old fellows they became new men. Independence and ,9a ardent desire to soend something not

earned' took' hold' upon- them; and' so withtheir State-lined silvern and. golden packets . they .sallied forth to see the world anew about 11- o'clock, in the forenoon. Result, 10 o'clock p..m. : Pensioners all tight as bottles; pensions' all vanished'; world 'all seen | until the next pension day comes around.