A telegram from Wellington to-day an nounces that Messrs Trenwith, Foster, and Jones, representatives of the Auckland Master Bootmakers' Association, have withdrawn from the proceedings ab the Bootmakers' Conference now being held in Wellington, in consequence of the As sociation declining to pledge itself to carry out the recommendations of the Confer ence. As far as we can ascertain by in quiry the position of affairs is as follows : — Hitherto Dunedin, Christchurch, Welling ton, and Auckland have each had their own local wages statement (and the same system still applies to all the boob manu facturing townsin England). Auckland has, particularly during tho past few years, been endeavouring to foster the boob in dustry by supplying good articles ab reasonable prices, especially from local tanned leathers, and the result is that Auckland produces more boots than any other town in the colony. The membership of the Bootmakers' Union is aboub 350, and counting machinists, boys, and others dependent upon the trade, we are informed thab bhe manufacture of boots gives employment direcbly to between 700 and 800 people. The industry has thus reached a position of very great import ance, and both manufacturers and work men should move with very great caution in disturbing conditions which have, on the whole, yielded satis factory results—more satisfactory, it may be remarked, to the workmen than to the shareholders in boot making companies, with whom dividends have been the exception, and a deprecia tion of chare stock to the extent of about) 50 per cent, a mosb disagreeable reality. The Auckland Manufacturers' Associa tion, in withdrawing their delegates from the Conference, have been influenced by the belief thab the supremacy of Auckland in bhe bootmaking trade of New Zealand has been built up by favourable local con ditions in the leather market, the cheaper cost of living, and the class of goods manu factured ; and they fear thab their delegates will be oub-vobed ab the Conference, and compelled to submit to conditions which are unsuited to the class of work thab has become a specialby in this part of the colony, and thai one - half of the export trade ab least will be de stroyed. 