LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2184, 24 June 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal autjjprities advise tliS'l) i g.s. Manngamu, wliieh failed from Svd- ■ my oil an I unlov for Wellington, is' ; bringing Australian mails .oiily, and is r due oil Wednesday morning. i The holiday for the Prineo of Wales's Birthday was-not at .ill gener- ' ally observed in the city, .Some offices, were closed, lint, many inoro wero open. ■ {©* tiustafSs as Osii-al Workers in jt number of oeeiipiitious kept the. holi- ■ ; day because this Was provided for in ■ their awards.. Ainbiig" tlio workers who ■ were idle for Hits reason were the whan' ■ labourers. "Wc believe." says the "Public Ser--1 vise Journal," "that the efforts of the 1 association to have abolished the pre- ; sent illogical system of imposing a levy on 'members of -the Service to i inako good defalcations of ait officer is about to bear fruit, ft is understood that it is proposed to abolish tihe.rpiractice.. When the mutter Was laid before: tjiß Con'in'MssicM'.ieJ" h'° esp'rsssed sytn- :: pa thy -with the request, anil, promised to' represent the mii-ifer before tin* Government, There is. neither logic nor: justice in the present system. Because an ofiieer at tile North Cap* .is ft t'lipf aivd robs Uie State,-, ttliy sbonhl public ofl; r e.rs of the S-tato from one e.isd of New Zealand to "tlie nt.hor be fp-reed to make up iiie loss? The Ministers tif il)o. Crown and w'xmhprs of Ibo Legifelature iiiiglit also be asked to <011fribnte. Tlicr-e is as mtteh renson i« asking them to c|o so- as, -to a.«lf the Service at large. Wtt irnst to see tl-.e prewrit system aboSislu'd during the ■co-m----i'll-<S SUSSfOW." Tho question of alloiving poblie s'e'rviints wl.t(> are also 'loiritorhds to retain aiiMftirtls paid to them for -rnilv tniv services i-e'.ijiered is at. prr-sent giving vise to disei.tssiOH., ajvd: has beeii set down for consideration at the an-: uuai ecmienfico of the PAibhe Service AsSsoiiition iiVotitli. esittav of tire "I'tiblir Service .Toirrital''' states in tho Jimn .niHnl»i- of that, puhlieafion that the Cnmwii-issio-ner is ai pve-seftt eousii3erin(j the jif allowing tjub'iie sesTante to retain those -a-iwouii-ts. A I'res.s Association itei-egtam from Wn-ngin-iui states that, a Wautaimi Ho".sewive». ! TTiifou ho.s !)»?n formed, officers being tkoted j'fiS-terda'ji-

When ho addressed the. fliftfttbws of Use Board of Agricidfciu'o at thw flr-s.t meeting of that tody tho Prime Minister emphasised tlie necessity of. ad* veriisii'ig the jtfodacts o.f Ijlie Dojijiiiion.. anil instanced what had been doii.O by tlio Rsivei'miiont in etOTiecttoi.i with tire. Panauun Exhibition. Tiipi'o was ev&ty prospect, ho saiil, that this New Zealand display Wmiid ho ft gwd Wio. Mr,. Masspy added that the e.\pci.»o int'irned by tho frovernmwit Wffiild be a. little great er tliiin was at first anticipated. lii* stead of tho whole of the csh ihil s lieing placed on view jii one Imildi'te, eitch country oxhibitinij was expected to provide its own fmildaiii, and therefore fit older to meet the. p.-sitirm the Government bad already authorised a i/iiildiii? for the Xew Zf-aland exiubits which would east abotifc £35f1;) iiniiiiing material was (icidedlv (Jeiir at 'B;iH Franat the. present tinio. aiid no cimibt labimi' dt the cbfiiing Kx'nibitinn also would fee dear. Tlio Govci'nme'nt's fcpresent.'divr at San frainisno iiad reported that it would be (jViit'e. impossible provide 3 sn>!:ible tevildiiig for anvthiitg undej; Tho Ooverament had expected, the Prime in.ister remarked fin.iliy, to get .a buildiiii; fo,r $2500. .hut lie bad pjven authority for the additional €100!) to be expended.

_ Already there arc prospects of ft btsey tinie abiiad iii the. labour .field geiJSfr ally, duriiv.j the coming sprinp and summer. An earlv demand lias sprung up for farm hands, and a steady dpnjaiid is being niads for such labour at the T.abonr t)e*pa;rtriiienti la linpton there is plenty ®f wof'l? for •oaf>' j>enicrs.; and n:uc!i work in prospect, ivltila painters are also dfting well at present, ■ dltfiotigli there does not appear to be a great d'en! of employment; ahead for them. Should tho i~*ity Coiin,ci! loan be authoribed works will bd put' iftto operation wliich will create channels for labour in many directions:

Mr. A. J. Harding. of tlio DistrictHigh School, Levin., writing in tlio current issue of the New Zeailaiid '"jotrrijal : of Education," claims that the delegates t® the Teachers' Institute da not .eprcsent (lie teachers. He points .out Iliaf, the average salarv of tlife adult teacher in N'c.w Zealand dufinit 1012 was €159; the ave.rarre of tlit>. nienibers of the exfcutue of the X Z Ti, I. wjip £393 —thai:, .is, dbilblo as lm.icli. "Now,!' says Jlr. Hardilip, "aii.yliody cflji . sec wiry I object t:g beinp: rc.wesen'fed by fho 'host' n'on. Boeaus." they don't represent ifie." He urues ii reform of the c-y.stetn of electing delegates to the In-. sM.t'ijte. The. Goveriinient steamer Tiitahekai, which is to arrive at Auckland tomorrow, «n her return from the Islands, is o.ne of the vessels wiiicli have been iitsirivftßd io keep a lookout for the fis.hiniz-liont which was recently driven out to sea. with two men aboard, from the ni%hbov.fhood of the. Bay of Islands. A wireless, r.iessnije from |]ie Tutanefrai which was forwarded to the Piiir.e. Jiinister yesterday states thatup to yesterday morning the. ifti'ssihg; criift had not been sighted. Ail executkx.' remit set dowrt for consideration at the annua] conference of the Public Service Association proposes: "That the Government be . urged to. iiinend the PisWic Service Act « ! iili ,a., view to having an alternative Ctovtrhni.ont tftpresciViaitive ijn the Appeal Hoard." A correspondent, writiisi*- to five "Jourlinl," suggests that the ednstitutiou of the Board of Appeal might bo ''improved liy an admixture of legal knpivleduo—say, in t'lid Government appointee."

Public Servants aro moving for an aiiiendriicnt of the Land and Tucc-me Ass"!)snjent Act by (lie insertion ' of. a i nntribulidns 'shall bo deemed, to lie insurance premiums far the purposes Of .the Act, and exempted from computation for pin poses of income inx, - .. - 1

Various matters relating to the procfi'dure of the Hoard of and wife sBSpo «f its iiivestigat.:iti.i)S ywfp ,syttled af. H conference bet ween the Prime .Minister and the members o| that body "•hwh wcik ,ioia.ee n week or two Ocaline with a suggestion that i.li,: b.fiard shouKi be enipowered to' 'coi! for l!er.sei!s tind papers, aikl exatnino witJ'csses on oath, Mr. vsiijd'tfet ■ta did not iliink Parliament uoitli cnisont to flin JJoan] of Agrirnltuie bi ,im placed in the sai'ne position as a Parliameiiiary Committee, but thai, the difficulty might be got- over hy "•viaii; the board the right to call for. sueh jv/s'"is and "jiapers as they required oil I lie. recommendation of the Minister. "That is to say," ho said, "if tlio Minuter is Satisfied that the MersoiVs whose' )i:.imes are subtnitted to him sliojild lH,;!»i«'d, and that, ccWsin .'jiajififS. Blimild be Supplied., then the Minister iriif direct that these jjer.sbns ;, aii:d. jjiapefs sllji'li bo ajTiilablo to the board. I I bin k that is tile onlv way out, and J Oiiiik tlyat- can be done." In regard to iiiootmpn of tlio hoard, Mt. Massey said tliat it was a matter, for moiniiers to settle, but :h« suggested that the I'.eard should mer-t at intervals of not less three, motlibs. If tisjii'fi was .urgent business to deal witii, there '■wis nMluijg'lo prevent it ineetnig at any time or place, (ifneraily, lie's.ip-tK-sed, the loard would meet, at, Weiiincrtim, btii there was nothing .to vent it meeting at any time, or p'ace tiiat might suit members. The posiitois. ort tile board arc honorary ' Ivittniciuliers aro in receiye. travcliiiig %- penscs, and the official telegrams of ijio hoard are. to be fraiiked. Mr. Massey : piqmised to arran.ee that the itiertrteii ov the board should have access to the Parliamentary 'Kbrafcy, but said that he did not know whether this 'oiiid apply to session, time, as members if hotli Houses une verv jealous of their p«\ iieges. He would sec what >u;d le done. , Amongs':-otber thing's, .lie i' iaid k to look int-o the oniatiisatifM ef (Ire ESjrai'tmciit of Agriculture, but it :is not intended that it should control fha! Dcpartmeiit in any way. The heard is nit advisory body purely, :md nil! make Tcroimneudations to the Mii;ij'.er ol Agriculture.