NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1714, 3 April 1913, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By 'l'olosrapli.—l'roßs Association.) < — ' "■DEFENCE ACT. A WORD TO TAXI-DRIVERS. ■ Auckland, April 2. Another batch of Defence Act default* c-rs were in Court to-day, flues being imposed in many of the cases. "I know tho position tplcen up by you taxi-drivers ia that you are not able to comply with the ; requirements of the Act," said the magistrate to one defendant. "The Act requires you to attoiid drill and yoil say it is a' Serious injury to your business. It is a question of which is the lesser of two evils, and I am going to take a firm stand." His Worship then fined the del'ei|dunt, who had been previously fined, JIS and costs and intimated that if he did not attend drill in future or get exemption lio would be fined again. Another taxi-driver who said that an engagement in the- country had prevented him from going into camp, was fined £1 and costs. FELLMONGERS' DISPUTE. ! . AGREEMENT ARRIVED AT. ; Invcrcarpill, April 2. Tlio leumongers' dispute was heard to-' day, before Mr. Triggs (Conciliation Commissioner), and an agreement arrived at on' tlio following terms:—A preference clauso requires a worker to become • a member of the union within fourteen dayß of engagement, otherwise the employer shall dismiss liiin if requested by the union, provided there is a member 'of tho union equally qualified to perform the work. The hour.; of work ora to bo 48 per week, overtime to be at the rato of time and a quarter for the first two hours, and time and a half for tlio next two hours; double time afterwards. Tannery . workers, Is. 3d.; general hands/ Is. Ud.j .curriers, Is. 4d.; fellmoiigery hands, pelt grader?, pelt curers, and wool-classers,. Is. 4ld.,if. continuously employed, Is. 3d. if required to do general work; wool scourers, Is. 2id.; bone grinders, Is. 4Jd.; and other workers, Is. Ltd. Youths, 15 to 1G yeans, to receive 155." per week; 1G to 17 years, 18s,; 17 to 18' years, 215.; 18 to '21' years, 9d. per hour. The under-rato workers clause is to be the usual clauso ol the Court. Piecework—felhuougery wool-sorting (crossbred), Is. Id. per cwt merino, Is. 3d.; pullers, -7d. per dozen t . potters, sd. per dozen. ' PORT OF AUCKLAND, m , „ , Auckland, April 2. Tlio Customs duties collected at tk» Port of Auckland for the quarter ended March 31 totalled ,€243,465, an increaso of .£15,917 compared with the first quarter of 1912; The butter exported amounted in value to .£451,138, against .£406,317; wool, ,£266,096 against JC207.722: gold. .£188,077 against ,£200,727; kauri . gum, ■£110,445 against .£81,550; frozen meat ' •£32.508 against. £16,997. . The value of the. total export of eleven of the principal, articles was .£1,221,886 against J31.002.877,f0r' tlio. same quarter ol tlio previous yea?:. - THE UNPAID RATES. . Timaru, April 2.: ilie Ljvcls. County Ccuncil will sum' port tii? Wannate Council's proposal to seek an alteration of the law to make the 10 per cent, penalty on unpaid rates apply after tho lapse of two inontks, instead of six mouths. STRIKERS RETURN TO WORK,. ™ _ Wanganui, April 2. , ..the Wanganui Freezing Works aro.norf operating at full pressure. Six strikers have Weil' taken on. Several others applied, but tlio company made >a selection, •they were greeted with cheers on returning to work, but ono. was objected to as lie was said tV have iis«d tho ob•jectionable term "scab/* -He was easily replaced, and all are working amicably now. More work is ■ being ■ turned out now. than before tho strike, and soma of tho learners are proving, quite as expert as tho old slaughtermen. •' •- FOUR. YOUTHS FINED FOR THEFT. Wanganui, April 2.: The sequel to a number of, robberies in the town and suburbs irak provided at the Police Court this morning, when ; four youths, aged 'about 19, pleaded.p"ii'■' ' to nine different charges'of theft'. Eacb" was fined and costs. Nearly ovc'jy. 1 thing in-tho placo where they "bacliecr 1 had been stolen, including a mattress and rugs'and bed. . LOAtJ PROPOSAL, Dunedin, April 2. At a meeting of the City Council to* night it was decided to ask the ratepayers' sanction'for raising a: loan .of JJ175,000 for street and other improvements. SWIMMING BATHS. ; Dunedin, April 2. .' The tended of Fletcher Bros., of £9145,. has been accepted for the erection of public swimming bath? in Moray Place. f DEER DUTY, < - Invercargill, April 2. The beer duty collected in the March quarter of 1913 was .£348, as compared with JI4GG for tho corresponding quarter of 1912; ' - i 'fhe Otaki school-children were enter-:, taincd at Ji. picture'show yesterday after-., noon, tlio committee deciding on this . form of amusement instead of a picnic.. The 'films were specially choscn, and were ci a highly educational value./ 1 . ' Two good cattle farms (one of 1200 acres . and tho other of 502 acres), both near . Wanganui, are advertised for lease by M_ess*s. London, Goss and Co., Box 188, ■ Wanganui. Tho New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., Palmerstoli Nortlij has been favoured with instructions from Mr. D. Buick, M.P., to sell by public auction 28 thoroughbred horses," _ including nitio racehorses. The sale will be held on Friday, April li, commencing at 10 a.m. Tc&chcr: "When did Charles L make his greatest- mistake?" Bright, scholar: "Tlio time ho lost his head." Messrs. Abraham and Williams, Ltd., ' hnvo received instructions from Mr. A, Hall, Oliau, • to soil by public auction, his Kuku Estate, of 310 acres, situated • one milo and a half from the Oliau Kailway Station. The sale w'ill be held in - tho Town Hall, Leviu, on Wednesday, ■ April 30, commencing at 1 p.m. Particulars appear in the advertisement on page 10 of this issue.