WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2705, 17 January 1906, Page 14

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

(FfiOM; OUB OWS COSRESEONDENT.) WELLINGTON, January 4. The price of potatoes remains high, and fci ere appears to be little prospect of the tubers being sold at a reasonable figure for some considerable time. Messrs Laery and Co., who handle a large quantity of potatoes, state that owing to short supplies coming to hand between Christmas and •New Year the market, which stood before Christmas afc from £8 to £10, advanced immediately after the New Year to from £10 to £16 10s. Supplies are expected daily, when the market should again decline. The blight appears to be spreading through the North Island, and should it again appear in the south it is probable that the price of potatoes will be high throngh-onir the season. The -bulk of tne .potatoes coming to hand at present are from the Hutt, Manawatu. and Hawke's 'Bay, and now that the market has advanced further shipments may be expected to come forward from- Auckland. Inquiries tnado amongst city merchants to-day show a big drop in the price of onions during the past three months. A few months ago the market price was £18 per ton, but after that figure had been reached a gradual falling in prices com-, menced, until prices are now ruling at from £6 to £7 per ton, which i s well within the j reach of the consumer. Advice has been received by the Department of Agriculture that the spread of the j potato disease has received a check in many districts by the spell of hot and dry iweather. Last year the Government intimated its .willingness to guarantee a return of Id per 'lb net on all apples shipped from New Zealand to London. The offer was made irather late in the summer, and none of the .-^Fruitgrowers' Associations were able to obtain sufficient supplies of apples to justify thejn in making a shipment to England. .The Cabinet has now renewed its offer, and it is believed that it will be taken advantage of by several of tho associations. The only condition which tho Government 3ias imposed is that the fruit must be passed as first class by its experts. The ibiologieal division of the Agricultural Department, which will give shippers every facility to send the apples Home, is now in communication with the various associations with the object of ascertaining what quantities are likely to be sent away. The retail butchers doing business in the city and suburbs have decided to reduce the- retail price of meat as from the beginning of the present year. The joints which will carry the reduced prices are legs of Diutton, loins of mutton, forequartery and sides of mutton, also all parts, of lamb and several items- of beef. It is estimated that the reduction will work out at about £d a lb on the items mentioned above. The fall in prices 13 accounted for by the fact that tfiere has been a reduction in the price of stock. A Wellington colonist of nearly 40 years' residence passed away yesterday afternoon in the person of Mrs Sarah Keals. Deceased was born in Yorkshire about 65 years ago, and came to Wellington in the mid sixties. She was twice manned, her first husband being Mr Adams, and the

second the late Mr BL Phillips Keals, who was for many years connected with the Queen's Bond and the Wellington Harbour Board. Miss Gertie Campion, who was for some time associated with the Pollard Opera Company, has had another serious relapse 1 since her return to Melbourne from South Africa. Lasb night Mr Bert Royle, who took a prominent part in raising funds to assist Miss Campion, received a cable from her stating that the doctor had ordered rer removal from Melbourne as the only hope for her, and asking whether it could be arranged for her to go to the Cambridge , sanatorium for consumptives. Mr Royle ! immediately communicated with Sir Joseph Ward regarding Miss Campion's admission to the sanatorium, and with the manager of the Union S.S. Company as to her passage to New Zealand. He has every hope that his efforts to bring Miss Campion to New Zealand will be successful. The Chief Justice is spending a portion of the long vacation in the Manawatu district. The Department of Agriculture has Lreen advised that two valuable draught mares havo been badly gored on the State farm j in the Waikato by the imported bull Red Lerd. Wounds fully Sin deep were flictedJanuary 5. The departure of the Union Company's steamer Warrimoo, from Wellington yesterday afternoon was delayed for an hour through the sudden and quite unexpected death of Lady M'Clune, a through passenger from Sydney, who was journeying south to catch rhe Waikare, which leaves Dunedin to-morrow, on her annual summer excursion to the Sounds. Her ladyship, who was travelling for pleasure with her two cousins, Miss Easton and Miss Gamble, arrived in Australia in October last, and after spending a very pleasant time in different States left Sydney by the Warrimoo on Saturday last. She was in excellent health and capital spirits throughout the voyage across the Tasman Sea, and also since the vessel arrived in Wellington. With Miss Easton she went to Island Bay yesterday morning, both ladies returning to" the ship rather hurriedly at 4 p.m., the advertised hour of sailing. Arriving on board a little flustered by the hurry she seated herself on a deck form, and two or three minutes later fell forward ort to the deck in a dead faint. She was picked up unconscious by the chief engineer, Mr R. Patterson, and carried into the social hall. Almost immediately afterwards she expired. Dr Gault was" called, but he could merely pronounce life to be extinct. An ambulance was summoned, and the body was removed to the establishment of Mr J. Flyger, Cuba street. The necessary communications were also made to the police and coroner. The cau^e of death was syncope, and no inquest is considered necessary. Lady M'Clure was the second daughter of Mr Robert A. Ma-jFie, of Dreghorn, Colinton, Midlothian, and was married in 1877 to Sir Thomas M'Clurp, M.P. (first and only baronet), who died in 1893. Her residence was Redford House, Colinton, Midlothian. She was 62 years of age. Naturally Lady M'Clure's travelling companions, Misses Gamble and Easton, are terribly shocked at the tragic | happening, and much sympathy will be

I felt for them in their great distress. The news was cabled to relatives in the Old Country last evening, and a reply has been received directing that the interment should take place in Wellington. Captain Pulley, of the Royal Navy, has j been doing the northern fishing grounds, I and has been rewarded with fair sport, notwithstanding the drawback of much boisterous weather. Without claiming to bp an authority on rainbow trcui. Captain Pulley knows something about them, he i having fishod in four or five rivers and at . half a dozen lakes in the native habitat of the rainbow. British Columbia At Wai-iti. Rotoiti. Okere, and some other places in the north he found the rainbows unhealthy, as the result of which they showed no sport whatever. Sometimas they would permit themselves to be poked with the rod, and then not trouble to move. Even til? few fish in condition wert* lacking in sport. An opinion prevails among northern observers that >he trouble is caused ly di'-eased livers, j.robably caused by overeating in some localities. This evil gives prospect of effecting its own cure, for it is reported that the crayfish and other food is showing great diminution, and remedy oa the lines pursued by the girl physician in " Little Mary" may be compulsonly achieved. The captain had some excellent sport on the Waikato Riv«r. where he found the fish very good, indeed, equal in sport either with fly or minnow to any he had had experience of in British Columbia or Vancouver. The rainbow trout in New Zealand are larger than those which came j under his observation in British Columbia. Generally speaking. Captain PPuller3 r is satisfied with his experiences in New Zealand. His next fishing will be done in the vicinity of Pahiatua, and it is likely that later on he will go on to Canterbury to fish several sti earns in that province. The secretary of the Wellington Boxing Association (Mr Wm. Coffev) has rcceivod a private letter from New York intimating the probability of two of America's best- j krown hovers, a light-weight and a welter- | weight, visiting New Zealand in the hope of opportunity being given them to match their strength against any boxers of their weight the association of this oniony may be inclined to put forward. Mr Coffey states that in conversation with a gentle- I man recently from the Old Country, and a well-known boxing man there, he learnpd that it was not at all unlikely that < lie British Amateur Boxing Association will consider the advisability of sending a team of boxers to Australia and New Zealand at no distant date. The advertisement provided by New Zealand Rugby and Australian cricket successes at Home has no doubt inspired the hope that similar success might be won with boxing tours. The beautiful brazen panel which Mr ■ Alf. Drury, R.A . of London. ha.s supplied for the adornment of the pedo^tai of tho Queen's =tatue in Wellington will be placed in pc«ition aa soon as tho civil engineer return? from Australia. The panels, which were shown at the Royal Academy's exhibition last year, represent "The Signing of the Treaty of Wjitangi," " Fine Arts and Literature "' and " Inventions of Queen Victoria's Rcigu." Tanuary 7. Mr W. C Kensington. TTnder-Secretary for linruigraliyu., left for Auckland jestcc-

day to meet Mr Henry Lambert, permanent secretary of the Immigration Department of ' the Colonial Office, who will arrive in Auckland from Sydney to-day, with the object of inspecting a number of settlements in New Zealand. Mr Lambert came out to Australia at the invitation of the , Federal Government for the purpose of obtaining information regarding the charact ter of the Crown lands still available for ' settlement by people from the Old Country. Mr Kensington, by instructions from the Premier, will accompany Mr Lambert throughout his New Zealand tour. The Marine Department has rpceived advice that Mr Ayson, Chief Inspector of New Zealand Fisheries, was unable to leave San Francisco for Auckland on Wednesday last with the salmon and white fish ova for this colony. He will, however, be able to start on his return journey on the 25th inst. January 8. Mr Ritchie. Secretary for Agriculture, who returned from the south yesterday, states that the crops in Canterbury are very backward, and the harvest this year will be unusually late. Both wheat and oats are light, but in Southland the oat crop is ! heavier. In all parts of the country there is an abundance of grass. ' There are now 33 prisoners at the camp , I at Dumgree, near Blenheim, and four more will be sent from Wellington at an early date. The Inspector of Prisons (Lieu-tenant-colonel Hume) visited the camp last week, and states that he is thoroughly satisfied with the amount of tree-planting which the prisoners have done. The health of the men is good, and they are reported to be conducting thent&elves satisfactorily. , The executive of the Wellington T.M.C.A. ' has received news that the Montreal Association has decided to send its secretary, | Mr D. A. Budge, to Wellington almost } immediately to assist the local association in carrying out its building policy. It will be remembered that Mr Budge visited Wellington in September, 1904-, and was largely instrumental in getting the Wellington ' y.M.C.A. to move in the direction of erect- i ing its own premises. A site was granted by Mrs Williams, and the association j requires about £10,000 for the building. The executive is formulating its scheme, and everything will be ready for the financial campaign by the tim-e Mr Budge arrives. The Montreal V.M.C.A. is sending its secretary to Wellington at its own expense. Mr H. F. Allen, secretary of the Wellington Industrial Association, who has just returned from a fortnight's trip in (the south, is impressed with the capabilities of Hagley Park, Chiistchurch, as the exhibition site, and with the manner in which art is assisting Nature to improve those capabilities. About a quarter of the framework of the exhibition building is erected. On the adjacent banks of the Avon flax and i native ferns (which 30 years ago were dragged out), are being coaxed to pn>vr - again for the edification of visitors to the j exhibition. The Art Gallery building has I also been commenced. Mr Allen took particular note of the narrow gauge railway line to Riccarton. along which timber is being conveyed right to the exhibition site and over which most of the exhibits will jn the not distant future find transit. Mr Alleu spent most of his time in Dunedic^

but found leisure to enjoy the sights round about Queenstown. On Saturday evening a meeting was held! In Wellington preliminary to the formation, of a New Zealand Irish Association, and it was decided to hold a general meeting about the end of this month. Membership will bo confined to supporters of Homa Rule in Ireland. The Rev. W. Loekhart Morton, of Adelaide, who is touring New Zealand in theinterests of the two Missionary Training Homes which he has organised, gave addresses at the V.M.C.A. rooms on Saturday night and yesterday afternoon, and pieached in St. Andrew's Church yesterday morning and in St. John's last night. Mr Morton was known in South Australia a-> " The Drunkard's Friend," through long-continued efforts made to reclaim; drunkards. Of late years he has devoted I himself to training men and women for missionary work at Home and abroad. For this purpose young men are trained in Hope Lodge, Belair (seven miles from Adelaide), which cost £8000 to build, and young women are trained at Angas College, North Adelaide, a building which cost I £13,000 to build. These homes, which are inter-denominational in their scheme of? operations, are run upon purely voluntary lines, and their cost and up-keep have been defrayed by contributions. Erom these homes 50 missionaries have been sent to 1 China, 17 to India, 13 to South America-, 13 to Africa, 2 to Burmah, 1 to the Philippines, and a large numbeT are \rorking aa home missionaries throughout the Commonwealth. At present there are some 12 students from New Zealand in. the training homes. This is Mr Morton's first visife to Ne v w Zealand, and he has been greatly 6truck by the rich pastures of the Southv Island and by the large numbers of youngi men in Wellington. During the few days he has been in Wellington he has received applications from four young men and two women to become studentd at the Adelaide homes, and five or six young men in Dunedin made similar applications. After visit* ing Gisborne, Napier, and Wanganui, Mb Morton will probably return home, and make another visit to New Zealand later! on. The President of the- "Wellington Unitarian Church, Mr John Gammell, announced to the congregation last nighfe that the Rev. Tudor Jones, Ph.D., o£ Swansea, had written accepting the offers made to him to take charge of the Wel-i lington church for three years. Dr Jones', who has been in charge of the Unitarian. Church at Swansea for some seven years, was strongly recommended by the Rev. Mr? Hararrave, who organised the Unitaries o£ Wellington, and also by the British andf Foreign Unitarian Society of London. Dr t and Mrs Jones are to leave England fog Wellington shortly. January 11. The council of the New Zealand Instz-* twtre of Sarvoycrn ructivtlj suggested to thff Public Works Department that payment to surveyors for railway land plan work should be made in accordance with the scale of progress-payment adopted by the Surveys Department. The council has received a reply from the Minister foe Public Works, pointing out that the work of a surveyor, unlike most other work, is gf ii£tle Qi no xalue until it is finished, i.c,,

"until the plans have been passed by the Chief Surveyor, in accordance with the Public Works Act. Under all the circumStarices, however, the Minister is not disjposed to make a hard and fast rule in the inafcter, and has authorised a progress payiment to be made on receipt of plan (before certificate by the Chief Surveyor), and all explanatory data in connection therewith, and. that course will be adopted in future, «nless there are special reasons for vary-ing-it. Preparation of maps and pamphlets in connection with two new settlements in the ' Canterbury district has almost been Completed by the Land and Survey Department. The Mills* Settlement, named efter the Minister for Customs, is situated iiear Waimate, and consists of 882 acres, tlivyied into 22 dairy farms, with areas Ranging from 15 acres to 124 acres, all of which will be thrown open for selection jon the 26th February. The.Kinloch Settletaerifc is situated on Banks Peninsula, and 'consists of 12,000 acres, which hr<s been 'divided into^O farms, five of which are for 'dairying purposes. The smallest area is 52 acres, and the largest 640 acres. The fclate of selection will be the 19th February. (Both settlements will be opened under the ieasterin-perpetuity system. According to present ' "a-rfangements the feele'ction of this year's" Rhodes' scholar from New Zealand will ' be ' mad© by the selection committee upon ifs meeting at Croyernment House on 'the Bth February. IThe committee consists of his Excellency 'the.. Governor (in his private capacity), the Chief Justice (as Chancellor of the New Zealand University), one of the puisne •judges, and a representative from each of the four affiliated colleges. The Auckland and Otago candidates have already fceen selected. The Victoria College can"didate has not yet been chosen, but a choice will be made in the next few days, as nominations close on the 16th ins.t. During the past year the council of the (New Zealand Institute of Surveyors has Received a number of complaints from various parts of the colony that unlicensed men have been encroaching on the legitimate ground of surveyors, and one of the tranches has decided to bring the matter before the general meeting of the institute next week. The council in its annual jreport says : — " It is ahyays a difficult matter ito sheet such a charge definitely home, but Sn urging the department to limit the issue of protractor sheets to officials and licensed surveyors only it has taken a step, which, in its opinion, will tend to minimise the evil. JThe department has given instructions to fchafc effect."