LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1364, 15 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho iiui-ler linkers met their employees in conference ;il the 'J'owii Hall yesterday t;> discuss tin: term* <>f a prone-oil award. Mr. W. .A. Kellow, chairman of the NewZealand Mn.-ter Halter*' A-.-oeiation, provided, and reprosiMitativos of both men and employers attended from the four chill' centres, Auckland, Wellington, Uii-iftcliurcli. and Duuedin. Thy wages ;it: pre.-out paid uro .£1 Us., Xi His., and Xi Bs., in the respective grade- of employment, and the lmiirs now worked are 51 per week. The men iisked for a 11-liuur week, ami for a minimum wage of ,t:l per week, and J;:! ss. in the higher gride. Xi> agreement was come tn liy the conference, mid, the dispute lias already Hr.'ii before the Coiu-iiuition Council, it will now probably go to the. Arbitral ion Court"

\ novel strike occurred at a picture sliiiw at Woiithiiggi (Victoria) h<l week. Dining the week tho management of the show discharged the pianist, and a Minn engaged in his place was said to have accepted the position at a reduction of Ills, per week in salary. While the first picture was being , shown the pianist: was pelted with potatoes, tomatoes, and fruit, and had to seek shelter. The show was stepped, anil an explanation made by the management, but this was not accepted bv the crowd, and at the cry of "Unionists le-ive the'hall!" the audience rose and left the building, only a few women and children remaining. Jlail it not been for the police, serious trouble would have occurred. It subsequently transpired that neither of the pianists was a member ol tho union.

The Telegraph Office advises that deferred rate telegrams may be accepted bv either route lor Belgium and the I'reiich colonies oi Madagascar and Senegal at once, and for Egypt and Sudan as iron) February 15.

The Ke.imiu Catholic community of Wellington r-oiitk intend to hold a big bazaar at K-aster. The Very Kev. Archdeacon Devny pre-ided at a meeting held on Monday evening, when a strung committee was set Hi) to make preliminary arrangements. Tue bazaar, which is. beiii" lield to raise funds lo help to pay oil"the debt on the Catholic Hall, now m cour-s of erection at Newtowu, will extend over a week.

The appointment of law lecturers at the University of (Jtago was a question which has. (says the "Otago Times rior some time occupied the attention oi tho Council of the Law .Society. After a conference between the members oi Ine council and a committee representing the University Council, it whs agreed that the nutter !:e rcfom-d to a sii.-comnm-tce, cunsistin? of -Mr. J. Allen (Chancell-ji-of the University), the Hon. J. KSinclair, and Mr. J). Stewart, reprcsentino the fniver.-ity, -Mfs>rs. liarr• and Grepii, on behalf of the Accountants Society, and Messrs. J. C. Stephens and .1. B Callan, jun., on "wlialf ot (he Council of till- 1 -iw .Society. U was then necided to invite umilicatioiis for three lecture; .hips-one for accountancy subjects ;uu. two for hnv. T;w K.lnry of each ol the Ippturcrs was to lie .I*loo a year and ices, Ihe Council'of. tho Law Society agreeing to pay .£IOO .-. year. \ lieiv drive has been sUrteil, in connection with the hydro-electncii scheme at Lake Coleridge, at the slinit end to end down to the level ol the present shaft, in order to gel the material out »!'.that end of tho tunnel. Telegraph linesmen are a: work at present erectin" a line from the survey camp to the shaft and tunnel, so that these portions of the worl;> can be in touch with hcud(,imrter<. Operations are being delayed at present, owing (o the Hiarcily ot men. Several men have leit the works being dissatisfied with their earnings under the co-opeKitive system. They anticipated that they would be able to earn Us. per thv instead of which they only earned Ss.'ild. per day. A severe snowstorm was experienced last week on the Ir.gh country, and was followed by several frosty nights.

\ raHior singular position has arisen in regard to the election of the Temuka Licensing. Committee, which places Constable Booth, who is in charge of the disrrict, in a quandary. Amongst his multifarious ollices, he occupies the position of relurning ollicer to the Jemuka ] icensinq Committee, and the election 'o.i-on Inn now arrived. He has received notice iron) official quarters that he must perform this duty, and supply the local authority with an estimate of the cost of the election. The local authority on this occasion is the' Gcrnldinc County Council, and that aiiffiist body has gone on strike. There is only one public-houso in the district, and the committee has struck against being liable for the expenses ot the election. This places Constable Booth in a very awkward fix. Tf he proceeds with the election, he will bo liable for the expenses, and as the license fees go to the lucal bodies, he has no funds on which to draw. The position will become intricate if he goes on with the election, and he is sued for the expenses. First, ho is clerk of the court, and must take out a summons against himself. The magistrate cannot refuse to ipvc judgment, and then, as he. is bailiff of the court, he must execute Hie judgment against himself. Truly, Constable Booth is to bo pitied, for at present (says a contemporary) he is considerably mixed up amongst his numerous duties.

At least a dozen perso.is will lie in the evangelist, party from America (writes the l?ev. A. Stewart, M.A., in the "Southern Cross"). The travelling expenses of so many oversea moan a large outlay before the mission starts. Though Dr. Chapman and Mr. Alexander themselves accept no salary, some of the other workers are dependent on their salaries, and thi'so have to be found for them while tlu-y are travelling, as well as their fares. All this outlay was guaranteed in the former mission by the late Mr. .John Converse, a railway magnate of Philadelphia, and a leading member of the Pre.«bvterinn Church of the United States. The council felt that Australasia was wealthy enough and willing to hear all necessary'financial burdens for itself. The committee in Sydney had previously mentioned the sum of .t2(ino as required for oversea expenses and salaries. It w.rs egrccil to rai.-e this amount by subscription, making a levy on each constituent organisation represented in the council in proportion to the population and wraith of its Stale. Practically the whole, of it has come in, and has been sent on to the evangelists. God has put liberal things into the hearts nf (he friends of the cause. Australasia has the velf-rcspectinp satisfaction that in Ihe present work it is handsomely payill S ils own way. Two kangaroos arrived in Wellington by the Maiingaiiui yesterdav. They lmve come from Sydney, and are intended for thn Wclli'isrloii Zoo. A meeting of the Wellington Committee of the Shipowner;,' .Federation was held yesterday, when Mr. Deck, shipping manager lor YV. and U. Timibiill and Co., was appointed chairman, and Mr. I'ryor. sPcretury. Matters of interest to local shipowners were discussed and do.-ill with. The local butchers held their annual picnic yesterday at Maidstom- Park, Upper Hull. The weather was not good and there was not such a large gathering as was expected. However, while it was tine sports were hold, and under the circumstances the picnic was a success, and was enjoyed by those present. The attractiveness of Hangitolo Island as a holiday .resort has (says the Auckland "Herald") been enhanced by (he discovery of three largo caves. Mr. W. Wilson, of Auckland, a student of botany, who spends much time on tho island, discovered a largo cavolast week, and afterwards accompanied by Mr. Clayton, foreman of works of Devonpart bo'rnugli, found two more caves, one nf which is described us IHug very bcaulifiil. The caves are situated on the eastern side of I lie inland, and are well up (ho mountain.

Ki'pnrlins <° ,ll<! <"'liaiilnble .Aid Comnvtlct Willi vct'ereiicci lo tho children in imlinti-ial seliook Mr. .A. 11. Tnioljt-idqe. L'liariiablo .Aiil Supcrinti'mlent. sl'nles that the nuniljiM- 01 , children under coniiiiillul «.( Duci'inlier 111, ]Hll. wa« lM(i. Tlirw oiiililri'ii only were committal diiriin tin? fiimi'lci'. ;iH'.uf liii'i'i l->y con.=i>iil of the liu'ii-il uliiii> lon were di-u-lianrixl from U,,'. hunks. Tin' M-t Id llid liaiirtl f.n- Ih<. miiirlir viis, iifiiM , allowing Uir L-MiH -M. •Hμ- r,,,,v<.n,< !■„,. ,|i(. iiuavlor w,mv ,t:li:l d<. i«\.. pnymk'iiU lii'iii'i ci'i'iliii'd mi Lrliiilf iif 111 rliil.livii. a« !IV (he previous (iuirl<T. Tin' .-ivciiiiro .'iiiioinil rccivcri'd ~.,. h 7il. per cliild, which irivo an •n',.,-,.'.'. .if •-'-. I''. l"i' .-vi'iy child chiiiw- ;,!,!,. "and 1.-<v<« Ihf iiv.-i-iisi- ncl nwt In 11,,, |~,i m| f i- ovf-r.v child <-.i»iiiiiUpf) .Is. Id ivr «cpl;. Of Uu iir. chihliPii. im ,„•» r'rliiriiprl ,i« ill Ml? li:inds of Hip ,-oKoine, (intl *7 in vftfious in.".Ulutious.

Twelve Swiss wore included ;unong Urn |iii-M!H!jer.s win) nri-ivcil by Ihu from Svdnev veslcrd-i.v. One of the number has l;< n> in New Zealand before. The ]i:irfv intend Inkin;,' up fanning land near J la won.

At next Tiiesdiiy's meeling of the linglon Hospital iiml Charitable AW Board Mr. 11. Jliildwin will iniive: "Tliat ])r. Vaiiiiliiie's |ir.)|iiisiil tn reduce the representation on the Ijoard to twelve members be agreed to."

Capital appears to liave been made of an innocent remark passed by a member of the Mastcrlon A. and 1 , . Association mi .Saturday re?imliii«,' llii> removal of the poll-tax on (.'liinumeii. The president ot the association (writes our. AUisU-'rton correspondent) states that Mr. 0. C Cooper (lid jml surest I lie removal of (he p;>l - tax and the' lluodiii" of the country with Chinamen. What Mr. Cooper slid was that lie had himself heard the sujrsesliim made. Nobody at the mooting took the matter serimisly.

Kodak Australasia, Ltd., liavr; now made their award-s in Hhe Austral Slandard Plate connielition. Three jNi-w Zealauder.s have secured prices—Miss Alary Hilleiis, of I'almerston Xorth, in Class A; .Mr. T. 11. Wotton, of Morninglon, Duncdin, in Class li; and Mr. Archibald HilUiis, of l'almer'-ton North, in Class 1). A liirije proportion of the jrictnres submitted this year were of a highly artistic ord?r, and show that camera people are beginning to better understand the pictorial possibilities of their hobby.