NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 816, 13 May 1910, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By TelecraDh.-Presa Arsoolatloal * . STRIKE OF MEAT WORKS.SLAUGHTERMEN'S ASSISTANTS. Oamaru, May li. A strike occurred at the ChristchnrcK Mtat Company's works, at Eveline ye* terday. On Tuesday about fifteen of the. slaughtermen's assistants, who in Oamam are not working undor any award and are paid on an average lid. per hour, refused to continue working unless given Is. an hour. They had previously asked for waiting' time, and this had been granted. The manager refused to give Is. straight away, .telling the men that if the request was laid before the company in proper form it would probably be granted. It is stated that the majority were willing to agree, but one or two demnred, and the rest came ont.

Work was delayed yesterday owing to the (slaughtermen- having no assistants, but the places were quickly filled at the. rate asked for by the strikers—ls. an hour. In the centres where an award is in operation the rate for slaughtermen's assistants is Is. Id,

ON STREET OBSTRUCTION. THE CASE OF A BOOKMAKER Auckland, May 12. Edward. Jones was charged at ft« Police .Court to-day with obstructing. btreet Defendant, who is a bookmaker, pleaded not guilty, and Mr. l£cket£ who appeared for him, contendfidSata person, could stand with absodate' impunity m the street, provided no actual act ot obstruction could bo proved against him. Counsel further stated that there was now great activity on the part of the law m prosecuting bookmakers, and that many others would doubtless be summoned before the police relapsed into inactivity once more. Mr.. Cutten, S.M., heid that Oβ ** fendant's evidence showed that he used the streets for the transaction of his hiisinessV-and this fact, when taken witft others, disclosed by the evidence, waa quite sufficient to support the charcea. Defendant would be fined wEo.i and costa on the first charge, and Is., and the second.

DISSATISFACTrON AT NE4.SO**, OVEE HAIJBOBB MATTEES. Nelson; May E. Absolute congestion prevails at the Railway Wharf, owing to the utterly inadequate facilities for handling cargo, and especially in shed accommodation, when direct shipments are being dis.-. tributed. The Opawa's transhipped cargo by the Jloura took three days to dis-- > charge, vorking from 8 ajn. to midnight; while it should have been distributed in a single day. The Pateena has been, taking, backwards and forwards, from , ' Wellington, a good portion of the Opawa's JSekon cargo owing to inability to land it.'. No extra facilities for hand-, ling cargo have been provided by the , Railway Department for twenty yearst though the Department long been'' urged to complete the wharfage ex- 1 tension and to provide sufficient storage in time for the-increased traffic necessij tated by direct shipments, and an improved harbour. But long delays ensued, and, though the wharfage extension has now started work, it is incomplete.

HIS EXCELLENCY'S HEALTH. , Palmerston North, May 13. The Governor has sufficienty recovered from his recent indisposition to be able to leave the private hospital to-day. He went to Wellington by the Main Trunk express at one o'clock.

PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS. Auckland, May 12. At the Magistrate's Court to-day,, Messrs.. Hardley and Hardley, wholesale tinsmiths, were def endamis in an. in» formation charging them with having em* ployed an non-unionist named Parker, ia contravention of the Auckland tinsmiths' ' award, which provides for preference to unionists. Defendant's explanation way; that they, had advertised for a man, .and Parker was the only man who answered the advertisement, and he said he was a, m«mber of the Wellington Union. Aftet hearing the evidence, Mr. Kettle, - S.MI, said he was satisfied that defendants had acted "honestly in the matter, but- they, should have asked the man to produce hia union ticket. A fine of 10s., with costs, . ! was imposed..

SCHOONER FLOATS OFF. I . Gisborne, Sfay' 12. : Tlie schooner Oreti; which, was recently/ stranded at Tokomaru Bay, was refloated: yesterday afternoon, and -will probably bfr brought "to Gisborne for repairing.