WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 53

WELLINGTON NEWS NOTES.

(Fbgm Otjb- -Owkt- Gokeespondent'.)" . ' ;! " "WELLINGTON,^January 10. The. Cook Islanders have taken to drinking perfumery for the sake«of the spirit at contains, and .- regulations, "arej now" - gazetted" stipulating the conditions under: which, perfumery may-,be imported and -and" the. quantities that may be" soid^-'also the- fines for breaches of the-""^-Evidently Colonel Gudgeon is" still .."keeping "a .watchful - eye upon.>his dusky subjects in tropical . Rarotpnga and -■ the adjacent 'islands;' - "' ' - _-"- >-,--; AI dairyman.- from Canterbury, ~\tC~ con-" versa tion" "with ii JPdst -reporter, . expressed, surprise at some of -the -.conditions, he' had; -observed "in ihe" delivery* of milk here.-r He said "Ke coniidered < -thaj£- CSiristcHuxch '- was. far : "aHead _ of - WellinglJon ; int this- -respect, - > and^e could, not understand -whV'We milk- %- men jiere.diii not use cans with ,a tap Tat "the -bpttoiri.;. By - this- .arrangement, . he -aaidy 3here was, -.no.. necessity- "for, opening .the can, -.and consequently" less "dust was liable to .get into thji^ muk.'~ ~" -It was no' use of "dairymen "taking precautions at the' farm if the vendor in 'town did" not adopt' similar precautions.- ~~ Of course, the employees are gfeatly.'to blame, _ he" - said: -The employer might -be a. most conscientious and- cleanly -man, but "as "soon. as his back ."was turned, the employees- in- many 'cases . slummed their "worfc?- On the -farm, every, .employee -was .supposed to wash his -hands.-fliter milking.each cow, but this jrule yi&s often . ignored. ■ . " In fact," .he 'added, . ' " I-: ha.ve^.kncvwn-.men _gfet • straight out of ■'bed and -start milking without ."first- wash-' '_ing -themselves." . The inspectors, ,be"t con- - tinued, would .haye a' very heavy task'-jto keep an eye*on"all "the'-'evasiohs_that- took place." Indeed, he . had" known of cases ; where the. farmers "had "placed; the milk" -under- their beds for the'"-purpose of mak« ' ing ' tKe -cream "rise,- -it ■■befng- 1 considered that the" heat " generated by the sleeper iri; bed had, .this tendency. _---""- " >- "- Labour- is , continuing. ," to _ organise" -here. - - Three-.mbre "unions have "joined -the" Trades and .Labour- -Council duriiig" the last'few-.-days-vthe -" Stonemasons^ " .the Electricians,' and the -Range-makers' Unions". ' '- ; - - Mr .-Alexander -Robertson, a well-known" -resident," -died yesterday, aged^74. =He-was born 'in Scotland, where- Ke learned- his trade as a. dyer. In" 1861. he. emigrated to ./Victoria, jand two . years ■ later joined, in ,the rush to "the.'Dunstan," Otago. " Afterwards .he went" to- - and. finally settled l* here. "' '[ . " '- - - . _Twenty : 3ix-l'assjsted passengers are on board .t he. "Papinuii whioh is due, from. liondon - fn. about- a. . fortnight. ■ ".Amongst- . the "number."; are ." fiy.e^ "farmers and their .families and, five, doniestic -servants" (three . forrPort Chalmers and 4wo for Auckland). The Rippingham Grange' will bring 84 immigrants. ."-•_- ' --- _„ - : _ . January 11. - My David Findlay : has severed - his con-" neotion with the) firm ,of Findlay -arid Dalziel; -of which his -brother, the Attor-ney-general, is the head,) and has started business -own account.. A" syndicate has., aqquired the "steamer -Waitara,": arid' wiir use her as a- fish in 'the" Marlborough- Spunds with a , view to supplying J the Wellington market. Mr "Smith, formerly--of the Nora Niven, a Grimsby- man, will have charge .of the' trawler. The fish will - fee . -.conveyed .to .Wellington by" ."the - daily - passenger steamers.'. J, \' - .' ~ . '. "-. - A arood-stdfy Ecomes to the Post from the King -Country about the experience .of two detectives in that land of the sly" grogseller. .They were' after a^-inan who -sold a most exhilarating brand of cold- tea'at half a sovereign a bottle, • and the detectives" were sent up to 'do what they could to discourage him. ' Unfortunately for' them the- sly groff-seller knew their vocation;' and -when one pleaded tearfully for -some brandy" to "ease his great "* pain the, liquor was. supplied as a gift, and -every, tender of money -was refused."-. The "deteotive'e pain passed "off, and a chat on "dryness. followed. One detective finally -that- he bad .heard, thefev was. an excellent brand'of" cold tea to be bought from;their host- at half a sovereign a bottle. The host' admitted- he had such a -fluid, but its' price" was?, now £1 per bottle. The detective gladly, paid over his pound and -received in- return • a bottle containing, something that -looked like brandy." Then -he and his companionrode 63 miles to take', out a summons. To , make,", sure of their - case " they '- had - the bottle opened and tested before the mifljistrate of whom they were' seeking' the suramons. Its contents were exactly what they, had been represented to be by the seller — cold tea,— arid the summons is still unsigned. . . About five years ago Mr Hill, inspector of schools in Hawke's Bay, while- botanis- ' ing in- the • Opepe Bush, about" "10 miles from Tau}ior.found-a curious flower in the \ vegetable - mould at ~ th € base- of 'the -lappfe trees "of "the' bush. Thisjfldwer he sent vto Mr Cheeseman, ;of ' Auckland,' who- nronounced' it to be extremely .interesting, .as -it .was not "only new as.a "^enusand- specie» to' New Zealand/- but, also"; represented an "additional, natural order of "plants. Durinsrthe past 1 fortnight 3lr. Hili -and Mr Hamil- ; ton made a common search ~to find the

I plant again, but were unsuccessful. On il- , later day, however, Mr Hill . was " fortu^ -! nate enough to discover over ICO specimens in * full flower. - These were mime- " diately put " into~ formalin, and the bulk. ' of them - despatched to Mr Oheeseman four further study. The plant has no apparent-" leaves, and the flowers, which ate of " *^ scariet colour "and resemble small fuchsias;; '"• are not visible, until the surface mould and" foreign* leaves .?are. scratched- away; ~ hence^ arises the difficulty of finding the plant.' -"-' - ----- - - -"--^ ,-- - ( Jan wary- X~fc»-^1 The Right Hon.- Sit J. G. Ward is loufe in his: praises of the- beauty of the Mapl- : borough. Sounds, -through, which he .cruised;.-, in the -Tutanekaii 1 - - " _ -" - -"-- - The Prime -Minister gives an emphatic?^ denial to a- statement that he -used .the - Government steamer Tutanekai for pleasured purposes recently,, f o that repairs could "nbt_ be effected to the Cook Strait cables.. Speaking on the subject toll Post interviewer." this , morning, Sir Joseph Ward--stated that -when the Tutanekai left, Wei*-" lingfon all the cables were; working, ariif--this "i« > borne out by a report which fifi--" .has ' received - as" Postmaster-general. Thsf .steamer r "Was U6ed l&st month to take tha--Prime Minister to Onehunga on impqrtanfcr business with ■ the Governor and Admir'atl- " On - her return «he s went south,* "and ■ SisJoseph. jihd-"Lady Ward and" family were"?"; on. 3, board,- when ■ she- made a trip, found!., about Stewart Island. Sir -Joseph addedf'that, he "had always made it a .practice "t^ pay^for- everything which' he and" hie staffi_,, and his family have received on board _thir"Government "steamers.- afid- trains, and v hSN paid his own- travelling expanses "and; aladf those "of" his.;family .party' with him .during? "the "past fortnight. "Wheif he was "at r theis tßlufft Bluff .last Wednesday" word was receiveiir -thaj; - there . -was a;-faulfr- jri" one of the'CobfcJ Strait cables, and he a.t once gave order*' - that J the " Tutanekai" was to return nortKand efFeot the necessary repairs. En route to " Wellington she called at Elmsiie * Bay» " Marlborough- Sounds "to"; enable 'Sir' Joseph:". Ward .to; .inquire into a proposal to utjp - "a. cable; from there fo Stephen's Island andone 'or two other points. The .wprk, "ip carried "out, -will , involve an expenditure:: of several- thousands of "pounds, and thß^ Prime says that it was necessary*" he "should - view the locality before Cabinet-J - t 6bmei-.to -a.decision.rHe added that; the" Leader, of -.the I Opposition or- any otheiC poitioian could .-travel '"By the Tutanekai-off""-the-Hinemoa by-" payinpt." a3 he had tilwayg'l; done>- for.the meals -and acebmiuoda'Hnn on . board: "••- v- -.. -- 1 — .-"Mr? Mackay, - «the Government- Prniter,--stat«e -that ~ although ' 450 hands are employedl in " the; works more -arc . wanted, especially*-"girls.." -The want of, accommodai tion is- also causing* inconvenience. Worfc has^to ~be/done both- day and night to want of- space, .and this muet coritinu* until p'royision has-been made" for move floor : space; to', carry additional . machinery" and to"- house morib~"workt)eople k It 'UP prq.-* • .posed io- equip every machine with it* '- individual \ electrical motor. Several ,ar«:. alreadyjnstalled. "The output of the nrinting office is now -equal to tons of reading.;, matter. Over 100,000,000 postage stainps^ were printed last~-year. and neaily a^milljonC"". and -a-quarter-'nostal notes. The moet.im.--, portant work' now being done is the prinfejs* ing' of. the -consolvdated statutes.^ The" nnetw t statutes ,will"run into 300 pages-^ and ■ the -. .colleotion r will- be_ ready by. next session o£ \Parljament.-- Thelwork^is a ve.ry extensive one, .embracing the 'V ßye" 6tatute lawl<®- . the .Dominion. A"t -present the law is con-^--tained in 4-9 volumes; several of which - ara -- out o£- print. The new" volumes will con.-. tainall the public statutes now in force» r - *nd will probably be hound up in four o^ ''five volumes." .