FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 66, 11 December 1907, Page 5

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Mr. C. Macleod, a well-known' Sydney mercantile broker, who has spent several weeks sight-seeing in this Dominion, is at present in Dunedm. Speaking to a representative of tbo "Star, 1 ho expressed- himselt in enthusiastic terms in regard to what he had seen. "Your country is a fine one, and your administrators aro doing a wise thing in taking up what I might call an. independent position. Anyone can see that ' """ 0 country is in a prosperous stato, and in my opinion you are only on tho fringe of that prosperity, because tho possibilities of the country aro so great. lam quite satisfied, too, that the system adopted here of gotbng the people on to tho land will eventually prove a great factor in'building up INew Zealand. Speaking for my own Business, I may say that I have been so impressed with tho solidity of New Zealand that l liavo decided to open up agencies in the four centres." Mr. Macleod . visited i\ow Zealand purely in search of health, but, .he states, "the. openings for business were so marked that I have, to a certain extent, combined business with pleasure." The lures set for an alleged wife deserter,' who appeared in the Cliristchurch Court on Saturday morning, word exposed by the wrathful husband, and certainly, if true, they were not such as to inspire confidence between the couple or effect a reconciliation. J.IIO husband said, according to a local paper, that he had come to Cliristchurch from Dunedin bringing his wife, and had obtained work He had sent her back for a fortnight s holiday, but at tho end of a week Ho received a telegram in the signature of his brother-in-law, stating: "Wife met with serious accident. Baby dead." On tho heels ot this alarmist communication had come another telegram, "Come at once, .urgent, Mother. Accordingly lie got leave from work, and proceeded to Duticdin, where his wife met him on tho platform with tho announcement .that there was nothing the matter. Thereupon lie returned to work, and was quite willing to pay his wife.'s faro up to Uiristchurch as soon as lie had earned it. llie' case was adjourned for a week.

In view of tho present discussion in connection with, the management of To Oranga lionio, it is interesting, savs the Christchurch .J. ress, to note that Mrs Albert Kaye, wily is one of the official visitors to the institution, whilst m Australia a month or so ag > attending the conference of l'onng Women's Uhnstian- Association delegates, took advantage of the,opportunity to visit several similar institutions 111 two or throe of the States. Mrs. Ivaye was given every facility by the departmental officers connected with these Homes, but of necessity she' was not able, with tho limited time at her disposal, to go very, minutely into the details of the manag l3 -' ment of the various homes. In many cases Mrs. Kaye found that there was no common ground on which the institutions in Australia and those in this Dominion could Do compared, but some details in management she noted, which, however, are of interest practically only to those actually engaged in the conduct of these institutions. 0 olie noted that 111 comparatively few instances ivero the institutions housed in buildings especially built for that, purpose, old buildings having been adapted for accommodating tho charges of the State. Another feature noted was that in some of the homes tho boys or girls were not detained for such' periods as'is the case in this countrv, Init'nianv of those connected with the homes expressed the opinion that the New Zealand practice had much to commend it.

• T 9 P a £° ® Tinies' 1 states that considcrable friction and dissatisfaction exists at the Corporation Gasworks at.the present time in regard both to gas-stokers and en-gine-drivers. The gas-stokers have recently, .been. called upon to perform' work which Jliey. claim is not in accordance with their, agreement. They have, they assort, been called upon to manage 56 retorts .instead of 40, and liavo received no additional pay therefor. Although, to keep paco with the additional amount of labour entailed, in tho working of an additional number of. retorts, tho engine-drivers at .tho works have been called in to assist; even that, it is stated, has been of no material advantago to the stokers, for tho reason that tho method of working tho retorts has also been altered^—that is, from tho machine scoop to tho hand scoop, tho latter of -which requires a larger number of men to handle it Then, as r( Jgards tho engine-drivers, in being called in to assist they have been classed as stokers, which is regarded as an attempt to evade tho rates of - pay provided for in the cngine-drn ers award. T'ho stokers state that the new arrangement has made hard work intolerable. . The "Daily Times" states that the whole matter is to bo investigated by . the Labour Department. _ No, dear," was the softly-voiced denial given by an elderly.damn to the-magistrate at the Central Charge Court, Sydney, in reply to a question. Tho Bench- appeared to think that tho acoustic properties of the Court might - possibly have been responsible for a strange vocal effect, but the scandalised expressions 011 the faces of sundry policemen argued otherwise. Suspense reigned awhile, and then Senior-Sergeant Davis proved himself equal to the occasion. "And so volt say you were not begging alms?" ho said. Ics, dear, was the amiable rejoinder, and an audible titter broke out among somo persons at the back of the dock. "Silence!" ordered the officer in charge of tho sheets. Ihe defendant, totally unconscious of the break 111 the orderly conduct of tho Court, explained how utterly impossible it was for per, a mother of fourteen, to stoop to begging alms. She was only asking a gentleman the an officious -policeman-came along. Twenty-four hours was the verdict. From tho evidenco heard at tho Supremo Lourt during the hoaring of a compensation caso at Christehurch there would appear to be some strong men in the railway service One witness incidentally mentioned that ho could, with 'ease, push three -empty trucks, dhe modus operandi, reports the '"Press " nas to pull out the pin and then bump one waggon into the other, which then bumped into the next one. Thus tho whole X threo were set going. Another railway employee s <t j- i . wo,l 'd be an almost impossible effort for one man to start three trucks V subsequent witness rather taxed the credulity of the Court when lie remarked that not only could lie push three empty waggons, but he could oven push them loaded. "He must be a Sandow man," was the comment of Mr. Stringer.

Possession is nine points of tho law, it has boon said. .So it appears to bo »• M? on , Hill records the Duncdin Star. A rcsidont has, it is said encroached on road line, and is preparing to build thereon. Tho neighbour opposite complains. He bought his scctiou, and, on the strength of tho knowlcdgo tnat tins road-line was marked 011 his titlo deed as a permanent part of the highway, lie erccted .1 dwelling. The disputed grounJ is a corner urea, and the man in possession recently applied to. the Council for n building permit. They considered the application, came to tho conclusion that there was doubt as to their legal jurisdiction over tho roadline, and decided to take 110 action. Thcv neither granted nor refused the permit The applicant proceeded to put his plans into olfect. The neighbour opposite protested against the action .of the man across tho road. He informed the Council that lie had legal advice to the effect- that justico was not being done to his rights. Again did the Council consider tho matter, and again did tlicy come to the' conclusion that they couldn't take action. They appointed tho town clerk to interview the man m possession and learu his attitude.; s'