LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 123, 18 February 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Prime. Minister stated yesterday that the censorship 011 news from Piji, recently enforced in the Dominion, had been removed. It appears that a censorship is still being maintained at Fiji, which is not within the jurisdiction of tho New Zealand Government. An interesting aspect of the "tipping" practice was disclosed in the Arbitration Court yesterday, when Mr. W. Grenfell, on behalf of the employers, raised the point a® to whether the principle should be observed, in assessing certain hotel workers' wages, of taking into ac-. count the "tips" received or likely to be received. Mr. E. Kennedy, employees' representative, contended that thero was no justification for taking)' what ho submitted was a negligiblo factor into consideration in any assessment made. His Honour, Mr. Justice Stringer, pointed out that ho distinctly remembered that in the appeal that was mado before him on behalf of the stewards on siiTps it was urjjed that theso men should not be made uependeut upon the practice of taking "tips." He was sure, however, that the stewards did not scruple to tako as many tips nowadays as at any time. That was his personal experience, and he travelled frequently throughout the Dominion. "Give me a good chorus and you'll have no need to worry about your finances," said M>r. H. Temple White in making an appeal for a larger choir of good voices at the annual meeting of the Choral Union last evening. Work is now being done to strengthen tho tower of the Town Hall. Breaks lmvo been discovered inside and out in tho plaster, and, as tho hall is built on reclaimed land, it has been decided that no risks should be taken with such a heavy pilo of masonry. Whilst any defects are being patchad up th& tower will be relieved of its coating of soot and moss. .

"Many people now leaving for England would not do 60 if they knew file difficulty thero was in getting a passage back," said Mr. W. E. Caldow to a Dominion reporter yesterday. ''The system is all changed. Tho snipping companies can do nothing for you—it is all done through the High Commissioner's Office. You lvnvo to go there and iill in a form, slating approximately the time you wish to leave, aud then—well, they do tho best for you. Mr. Bonsor, who is in charge of tho passenger department, is very courteous and obliging, but even he cannot treble the accommodation available. I know of people) in London who were waiting to get back to New Zealand in November, and who had no chance of leaving" before March. 1 would advise any man going on a business trip not to take his wife with him. There are occasions when a man may bo able to get away in the third-class or with a shake-down, but the wife is always a stumbling-block to such makeshifts."

In the case of tho storemcn's dispute, by consent of the parties, the Arbitration Court yesterday decided to set down the matters in dispute for hearing at Wangnnui.

Local merchants and importers have been invited to attend a big exhibition of Javanese manufactures, to be held at Bandong, Java, during May next. The Dutch Government has awakened to tho fact that exceptional chances are now offering any country which can produce goods of almost any kind, and in order to show wkitj can be mado in Java of utilitarian yaluo to the outside world, this exhibition is being held. Bandong has ljeen selected as the location owing to its attitude being 2000 ft. above the sea-level, which makes the temperature endurablo to visitors. ' Among those who intend to visit Bandong and the exhibition is Mr. Byron Brown, representing Derbyshires, Ltd. After visiting Java Mr.' Brown intends to prococd to England.

"Wo more fur coats 'bought here" was tho rather surprising sign noticed by Mr. W. Fi. Caldow in a second-hand shop in Londoa last November. Still wondering why such a notice should be exhibited, he passed another shop of tho same class, with a similar sign exhibited. Astonished at this extraordinary slump in such luxurious garments, Mr. Caldow made inquiries, and found out that whilst tho' munition workers were earning big money during the war nearly every ono of them went in for a fur coat, but tho "good times" ljaving come to au end, cash was not quite so plentiful, and many of them were compelled to part with their treasured possessions.

The Minister of Railways wrote to the Petone Borough Council intimating that the report before him indicated that the siding facilities already provided at Petono were ample for the business, nnd the traffic \vns more expeditiously dealt with than it could be under the council's proposal. In addition, the provision of a siding on the town side of the station (which was what the council asked foil) would necessitate shunting across both main lines, which would be objectionable and could not be permitted at an important suburban station where the train service was frequent. -Under the circumstances ho regretted that the request could not be granted. The matter of tln> grade leading to the over-bridge was being looked into, and a further communication would be sent in duo course. The letter was read J.t the last meeting of the council. Councillors Churchouso and Cook wimp of opinion that the matter should be pushed forward, and suggested that the beach might be used for n siding to save the climb oyer tho "miniature Uimutaka" over which tho mad now ran. Tho Mayor pointed out Hint, objection was made when (he present yard was suggested. He moved that a committee be set up to visit the various places suggested, and that a letter Ik* written by the council to the Minister after the committee had decided which site would be most suitable. This was agreed to, and the inspection was appointed to be made oil Sunday morning.

A motion will he proposed at the next meeting of the Dunedin City Council thai every corporation employee not earning over JJ2OS, having a child or children, plioiild be allowed 10s. per calendar month for every child up to the age of 1C years. Another motion will bo proposed that the whole matter should lie dealt with under a national scheme, under the control of the general Government.

The Hand of the New Zealand Natives' Association will plov at Oriental Bay tonight.

Ono of tho clauses in tho employees* | demands in tho Wellington district pri* I vate hotel and boardinghouso workers' dispute, at present before the Arbitration Court, to which tho employers yesterday objected, was the one which mado provision for the retention of the union's labour bureau through which employers ,m compelled to engage all help, hi a statement put in on behalf of the union Mr. 12. Kennedy gave some interesting figures. During the period from Octoi>er 1. 1!)17. to February 1, 1!)20, 8G37 positions were filled through the union. According to Mr. Kennedy, assuming tho union wer-s not operating this clause and tho employers obtained the same number of workers from licensed registry offices it would have cost tjicm in fees (lie sum of J22591 2s. ]n Addition it would have cci=t the workers engaged a total of .£1295 lis. By the operation of tho , union's office, however, a total of X 388(! I 13s. had been saved to tlie employers and workers. ■ A Valetta. farmer who was in Ashburton on Saturday slated (li.it ho was at ' present harvesting a crop of oats which he estimated would yield 100 bushels per acre. An elderly man named Duncan Pollock, a carpenter, employed by the Public Works Department, and residing at 156 Tasman Street, dropped dead while walking in Lambton Quay, opposite the Government Buildings, yesterday morning. Peath is supposed to have been caused by heart failure. The shortage of sugar (says the Duntv din "Star"! is still very serious for som« manufacturing industries. One Dunoi din manufactory has been compelled (o tcniDorarily surrender part of its Soutfy Island trade, which means a loss to Dun. edin business o£ .£IO,OOO a month. Pend< ing an improvement in the sugar supply, the firms trade is confined to the southern nortion of tho island. The difficulty of displaced labour will arise later »( sugar supplies are not increased. Two prominent specialists in tropical diseases, sent out from London by tli« London Society of Tropical Diseases.' have arrived at Apia, reports the Samoa "Times." The two doctors, Dr. O'Connor and Dr. Riclsdale, who are accompanied by two assistants, will make thcil headquarters at Funafuti for the next two vears. From Funafuti they will visit other parts of the South Seas.

A Dunedin "Star" reporter was inspire ad bv an incident which occurred at th« last Dunedin concert of the New Fouth Wales State Orchestra, to write a paragraph about the "edgintss" of the artistic temperament. That paragraph (reDrinted in The Dominion) described tha annovance of Mr. Henry Verbnigghen at the persistency of the audience in "encoiincr" a certain item. On seeing the etorv in print, Mr. Verbrugghen wroto to the "Star" as follows:—"I read an excerpt from your paper, 111 which tha writer refers to the 'encore* incident at tho previous night's concert given by my orchestra as 'A glimpse of the "edginess" of the artistic temperament.' I submit that mv attitude had no connection what, ever with temperament, artistic or otherwise; it. was a question of not unduly prolonging a concert, and of enabling those whose time was limited by trains and other circumstances, to hear the t last item. My programmes are invariably framed to last just over two hours, including an interval, which is quite sufficient for any really attentive listener. Those who have experience can discriminate between the persistent handclapping of a. .few thoughtless individuals who want to seo how far they can go, and the spontaneous outburst of enthusiasm caused bv 6omc outstanding performance, and what your placid contributor fails to convev is that the audience on Wednesday emphatically endorsed my action. The days are gone when, to 1» thought artistic, it was necessary to be either a dissolute scoundrel or a degenerate idiot; that fact is at present appreciated by thq few really cultured peopk whom one finds everywhere, and the sooner it permeates otlier spheres of society the sooner shall ire see the dawn of a. more intellieent attitude toward? the art? on tho part of the people.' 1

"A now departure which the board is sure n-ill meet with the approval of the shareholders is in connection with the manufacture of fireclay goods," said Dr. C. Prendergast Knight, chairman of directors, in addressing tho annual meeting of shareholders of tho Wellington Gas Company Ltd. yesterday. "During tho war it was found very difficult to import fireclay materials for the requirements of the works, and no reliable sources of supply were available in tho Dominion. It was therefore considered advisable for the company to erect a plant, and commence the manufacture on its own account. So far the venturo has been dccidcdly encouraging. Suitable and excellent products are manufactured for renewal and replacements in the retort house and other parts of the gas works, and firebricks and other classes of goods are being made to order and for sale. A considerable deinaud has already been created in the Dominion for these productions, and it is anticipated that fhe- trade will materially increaso in a short time." .

The divorce suit of John Sydney Saimde.vs v. Edith Mary Saunders and Harry Hirt, which was to have been heard yesterday, had to be postponed because of the inability of a witness from (jisborna to reach Wellington in time. It was announced last evening that Donizetti's opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" was to have been tho work to bo presented at the first concert by the Choral Union this year. The secretary (Mr.' W. E. Caldow) announced at last evening's annual meeting that the agents had been unable to dispatch .the scoras from London in time. They had then cabled to Melbourne for the scores of "Hiawatha." but found that they voro unobtainable. For that reason the committee was unable to nominate the onto of the opening rehearsal. This would bo done through tho medium o» the Press during the next fortnight.

Tho tnistees of the New Zealand s Tribute to France Fund have handed tho Prime Minister a cheque for .to 15, tho balanco of the fund, with a request that he will transmit the money to General Pan. They have asked General Pan to hand the money to the Union des Fenimes de France, "to be used as may be deemed best in the various good works of thai, organisation." Tho main part of tho money contributed to this fund has already been sent to France.

A point involving an important principle cropped up in yesterday's proceedin<rS before. the Arbtralion Court in® consideration of the Wellington District private hotel and boardmghouso dispute. On behalf of the union, Mr. E. Kennedy submitted thnt married employces (men) electing to live off the preraises should be paid tho amount Allowed for lodging in the case of employees livintr on the premises of their employer. According to Mr. W. Grenfell, who appeared for the employers, the union was very ill-advised in asking for the insertion of such a clause. Tt would operate adversely against married men endeavouring to securo employment. The Court had repcatcdlv laid it down that it would be umr'se to'differentiate between single ami married workers. Mr. Justice Stringer: 'Tt simply moons that • employers would not employ married men." Mr', Kennedy pointed out that in tho experience of the union it did not work out in the way His Honour suggested. At tho present time many marric-d employees received neither board and lodging nor any allowance in lieu thereof.. On top of that they had to pay heavy house rent. The matter was not pursued to finality. At the end of the day's proceedings tho Court reserved its decision upon the whole dispute.