LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2442, 22 April 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Wimmeni, which sailed from llobart on .Monday for Wellington, is bringing Australian mails only. She is due on Saturday morning. A Cassette Extraordinary published last night further prorogued Parliament till May 26-

A sitting of the Conciliation Council will lie held this morning, under the presidency of tho Conciliation Commissoner (Mr. P. PI a 1 ly) to bear the Private Hotel Workers' dispute.

Speaking at Brooklyn last night Mr. Geo. Frost referred to the fact that o4,(J00 trees had been planted by tho Reserves Committee of tho Council last year, and this year there would bo a scheme under consideration to plant 100,000 trees iu various parts of the city.

Messrs. D.'M!Larcn and A. W. Oroßkorry, as « deputation from the Saturday Half-holiday Association, have waited on tho N.Z.A.A.A. and been assured of that association's support in their campaign.

''We prefer dealing direct with the employers, not with men who know nothing of our trade and lia-.v nothing to lose but the few pounds allotted to them for their services on the Conciliation Council (states the monthly report of tho Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners). The writer has sat on the Conciliation Council when the assessors i for both parties have agreed on certain poiuts, but tho agent for the Employers' Federation would not agree, and reserved the right to bring the matter before the Arbitration Court. We have so many bush lawyers to deal with that iveare heartily-tired of lliom; even in our own socioty these pests get on our nerves. There is too much law in New Zealand, and not enough common sense, and here we state emphatically that we have absolutely no time for tho professional agitators. Wo detest men of the Larkin and Graham Hunter type. These men are always looking t*> which side their bread is buttered. What do tlioy care about the employer or worker? Nothing. To them it is a profession."

Eight medical men will go into camp at_ Trentham shortly to undergo certain training in connection with the work of the stationary hospital, which tho New Zealand Government is about to establish at the front. The names of Drs. Marebant, Du-Jcan Stout, and Pattie, all of AVellington, are mentioned among those who are understood to bo going with this section of tho Medical Corps.

A novel point was raised in a case heard in the Court of Appeal yesterday. It appeared that one Albert Waterwortb had been employed to. manage the Auckland buriness of Harringtons (X.Z.) Ltd., at a salary and commission on profits. Tiie company, before calculating Waterwortli's commission, deducted from the surplus 5 per cent, for depreciation of stock, and upon what remained assessed tho manager's percentage. The manager claimed tliat his percentage should have been upon the gross surplus. The Court reserved decision. Counsel for Vatcnvorth was Mr. 0. 13. Morisou, K.C., with whom was Mr. G. Samuel, . and counsel for the company was Mr. i T. Young.

Yesterday afternoon the Court of Appeal struck olf the rolls for two years Frederick Oliver Reuben Phillips, barrister and solicitor, of Otorolianga, because of professional misconduct in the course of a land transaction with a Maori woman. Phillips was required also to pay 15 guineas costs. Mr. H. F. Von llaast appeared before the Court as the representative of the Law Society, and Mr. A AV. Blair represented Phillips.

Cablegrams continue to arrive in connection with labour unrest in Great Britain. It is satisfactory to learii from the Liverpool papers that the men nt the docks have received the Is. a day for which they have been agitating. This increase, it is believed, will have considerable eft'oct in inspiriting the men. The chairman of the Cuuajd Company and Mr. James Sexton (secretary of the Dockers' Union) have issued a notice in which they say:—"In the present national crisis you (the dockers) can do your share just as surely as your, brave comrades in the trenches. Your employers have played the game by agreeing to an advance of Is. a day all round on your wages for day work which means a rise of 20 per cent, on all ordinary work. You can get in your shot by buckling to with a will and putting in your best."

Mr. M. P. Cordia, manager in Sydney of the Royal Packet Navigation Company (Dutch line'of steamers), received by a recent mail from Europe private letters, which contain some interesting information as regards the measures taken by several of the Dutch steamship companies since the Germans published their intention to destroy all shipping in British waters from February 18. The Steamship Company Zeeland, for instance, which rims fast mail steamers across _ the North _ Sea, connecting England with the Continent by the Queenshoro'-Flushing route, Immediately withdrew it 6 regular nightly mail service. The distance from Flushing to Quoensboro' (about 100 miles) can easily be covered in broad daylight, and in order, to show as conspicuously as possible to any German submarino or other war craft that it was dealing with o Dutch-owned steamer, the hulls and funnels of this company's boats were all painted' in the Dutch national colours (red, white, and blue stripes horizontally). Some of the larger mailboats between Holland and her East _ ant! West Indian colonies, as also the liners running to North and South American ports, had large red, white, and blue flags painted on the bow 6 and sterns, whilst amidships the vessel's name and nationality were painted in large white characters. The liners were further provided with large illuminated letter-.-sign.f, which displayed by night thi ship's name and nationality, being electrically lit. and fixed on one of the top decks amidships.