CANTERBURY NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 621, 25 September 1909, Page 13

CANTERBURY NEWS.

BURIAL OF DESTITUTE PEnSONS. . • .t.Uj :T«t«crtiDh.--Rl>w-.\arOorTMDonrtcui'i . 1 '.'■'. ■'.': . '• Chrlttchu'reh, September 23. The' cost of tho burial of destitute persons iii ; .Cliristchurch, according to the c'outracts of the Charitable ■ Aid. Boa.-il, is sometbing less thaii.^2.. 'ihe paint cropped,.up,.at,;the iiiei:t : ing'of' the board ycfleruiiy, .wiien two claims ■ were irom iheYl-uiico. licpartmeiit lor tne b.inal 61' two destitute; persons., liie first y'ei'sony.Jrho had died oii the train'oh his way to the Christcliurch" iiospiiali hau Leon burieii at a cott ot ii) los. Jie uju Leon, an''old. aye 'pciisio'ni;r,.'anii his only eSiicts were a icw'-iow,s aim a'bag .blYpotatcus.- Jn ■ tne,. Second case' an, i'manc. jad' iiie'd v Its. iatiier^as'in prison, and tlie'.uo'l.iur was"destitute, 'llie ,police bad beeji" notified., that. tfieY. board' had-, not been i co'nVJlted: Lieiore tho'.'burial"-was' undertaken, and had beou', ijis'truct'cd".'.that the'--accounts should be. sent, to- the.board..''l'revious.y. they liad'been sent to-the Charitable Aid'-Depart-ment,' Wellington, but;theYDepart.neut. had. now decided that, all'Siieli accounts should he paid •by the board ,ItYwas,decided-to tender thfc ainount the.board 'would have paid under its contract. •■ ".' -~' ■... ■■_-. >..- / '\ ■ :.y ; ,i i";-;. HOSPITAL',FEES.-', .;.'..'•. ■ The''.chairman" of. the. Hospital Board stated at;3 ; esteri.a,v..S''mbeting that there, was. between JiojiJO '-and '-iwiUii .owing-! to' theYin'stitiitioii by those,;, who. had .been patients during .the v past teii months; |aiid. expressed' the• opinion that something 'should be .done ; to ascertain' ithether those''.owing, the inioncjvcouJd ..or .■ could not ahord, to pay, A debt-collcctiug firm was'allowed "121 pei' .cent.. commission c ' amounts •collected," but'Ywero not. p'blo;.,tti. -co..?',' • .many accounts. .It was suggested that tii'e board should "employ-its, own collector.,.'lt''Vas de-cided't6:-'haye''n .return' prepared, 'sliowiug the amount uncollected duriug tiic past<..e years.

'~:'.: , ;.-;: ; .;■!.•/.;A PnESENTATIOM. ' The Oxford branch, of the 'New Zealand, Fanuers"-Union j.utuised' the,; occasion .of. its n'rsl' social gatiicfing on,;: Wfid'nesjay '.evening toYdoY honour tooiicoi'its earnest and'must promiiicut members, Air; John U'Halioran, wab: has .been iutiinately' connected ,with the farmers',Unioii'-uioyenu'ut in Caiiteru'iiry since its..inc('ption,.-and has..been actiie, in everything connected' with' the advancement, of /the -district; -The iiast'and WcstYEyreton,'- Rangiora, -ai'itl Jiylrlou bi'anclM'i"of tneY union' a'isb pari :>:! jiiilc-J. m the Ypi-ONC-utatioh,. .whicY. was iiuusKilifnt.y-- uinde. to tho giiest cf the cveiiiiig, in tue'course of. tiieY proceedings, Mr'. ,'Witly; 'Sl.'P., -said" the - Farmers' Union would do' good work so long as ;it '.stuck to that which 'pertained • to: • tho". - fairini njr'■ ■ i iid;istry, and kept out of party -politics. - All-. -R> Evans, president of the North. Canterbury. Executive; said that for elosp on" forty- years- Mr.. O'Halioran had been'Striv;ing;to •' make two.'- blades 'of', grass grow where, one 1 grow'-before; When: he -first camo-tOithS' district" bis .wool: clip averaged 111b.' per ..fleece;"-.now it averaged, between 71b. and Blb.' :Mr..O'Jlalloran, was one of tho most persistent ••men '-the-'-spcaier' had:.ever met .in his. life, l : 'anii.;'ih : that- Jny';tlie secret of. his success,' lit,,had ..been,'sni'l. ,tlint..the Fanners' Union had! no- 1 politics.. They .-had .politics as well. as,.opini.ons of. their -own, ,ahd,if they,.did ■not: make them, felt .that ;wu3. their'own. fault. .Tho. fanners' produced' SO per cent, 'of the-ex-ports-, from:. ;-Kew,i Zealand, i and', they were en-titled-.to. a, 'voice .'.in' the legislation of'the ■countf,y... : ;At this stage "an illuminated address, together .withva:; silver salver, .silver, tea-and' hot-water■ "kettle, cream' 3ug;"'and sugar:. basins were; presented to- Mr,; O'fTalloran. In his reply,' Mr.'.^O'llja.lloran'.FoldY-.that his appearance in.'bublioYaffaifs was part^of'the'gospel of' \tork ; ;which in, his^.youth ; he' set. himself out'to! follow. YHe 'certainly ,had helped local, institutions, 'iml.h.e hbped.t.o- do,still more on thoir' i 'rH>half."i:Byery|'boy.,c6uld,.do-as, much or more,' but .ho; mrtst.pivc np-liis. cigarettes for a whrlov until'he:'.had..'cstablished himself; •

V-FARMeRS'aND LEGIS-' : . : -7:: : :"':;:;;;'lation^ ; ?;-"'';:.;-. ,■'.-. i'.C'dinraenting-.ou tHa>j 6ulcry '\by l . farmers agaillst" the 'decisjori of '>tho: itlirejjiing .mill ownors.'-iio't; :"to" -thresh''."fio'm Mile 'stook, 1 the ■'•'l'r«Ss',v.'reiiiarks:—lyiiiio on the 1 merits "of the. caso. every-'iiil'p'artfal' observer jiiiujt"sympathise with ''in: the .unfair: position in which -they 1 are.placed'.inving to■the threshing iilD i chWb,'fiward > / i -itv-niUst 1 -: r be;",.; I .adinil i ted-' i .'that tKoynave- themselves.to blauie'in a very" large measure' for finding 1 themselves :,iu "that position." •.-'Farmers;'as a -class, fake', vory little interest'in'public affairs unless they see that their own pockets.are likely, to be\,directly affected" -They do. not ;16ok ahead.",' . They "thresh from the stock" in. politics, as well as in harvesting'grain. A large number of them at the' lost, arid previous elections supported a Government; which, they.knew to-be-pledged to Socialistic legislation and to punitive taxation of laud. 1 long as ,-■ the Labonr legislation stopped; short at' the farm,. and the punitive taxation was confined .to: large estates, tho average farmer remained perfectly indifferent and'unmoved: If was„'not till.tho farm labourers, sought", to gctan award that the farmers saw the-niariifest. imperfections in the Arbitration . Act,- While.- the/threshing-machine award-was being framed, they do;not seem to havo' -taken .the ■ trouble 'to inquire how they wcrejikely to be 1 affected by it.- Theyare now. begifitmig.to realise'dimly that an' industrial award.may affect persons who are not cited before; the Court. Thaßo our mind is the chief defect the Act. The. consumer' who has to bear;the. burden. of. the incren«d : cost 1 of prognotinn. is 1 .-treated as ".if .he 1 were non-existent So also am other grades, and industries, which maybe prejudicially affected, 'as hvthe present .lnßtanco.vThe'obvioiiS'mh.ral is that farmers rind others who are .opposed to Sccialistic le«i«. latum-should not. assist 1 -to', keep a'.'Socialistic Government in-.power. M. ".. >