TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1920, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

I PUB rnsss ASSOCIATION.—OOPYMGHT.) COAL FIRE SMOTHERED. DUNEDIN, Doo. 6. That part of the Taratu coal mine in which n. fire originated ten days ago, is now thoroughly blocked off, and the fire is practically smothered, l'lie manager hopes to he able to reopen the workings at this spot in three or four weeks. Meanwhile, tho men are opening up another place, 400 ft distant, and it is expected that coal'from this new drive will he coming put by the end of this week.

FREEZING INDUSTRY DISPUTE, j WELLINGTON, Dec 6. j No further progress lias been made in settling tho labour dispute in the I freezing industry. The representative of tlie companies today stated that the i companies offer of 20 per cent, increase on piecework rates and 224 per cent, on timo rates had hot been favourably en- : tortnined by the men. “I consider,” he said, “that the offer which we made before the announcement of the 9s bonus was a very reasonable one, which compared with similar increases in other industries. With the addition of the bonus offered, tho awarff rates for our men will he increased as follows: Piecework: Slaughtering sheep, per hundred from £1 15s to £2 2s; lambs £1 12s 6d to £1 19s; cattle, from 2s 3d eqch to 2s 8d; skin-pullers, 6s 10id per hundred skins to 8s 3d. The lowestpaid timework rate under the award is Is 9d an hour, and this, with the bonus, would he increased to 2s 1.72 d, making 17s I.Bd*a day of eight hours. It should bo noted that tho bonus applies to all overtime work, differing in this respect from any bonus awarded by the Court of Arbitration, which bases its awards on a flat rate per week. This appears to me to bo considerably in the workers’ favour, as overtime is extensively worked during the season.

ALLEGED TOTE THEFTS,

AUCKLAND, Dec 0. i At the Supreme Court to-day two totalisator employees—William Tobin and Samuol Ward—appeared to stand their second trial on a charge of having stolen £9, the property oi Harry J. Hayr, at Avondale, on Oct 2. Alternative charges of theft and having fraudulently omitted to account for the moneys received on the totalisator at i Avondale were also preferred against accused. The first, trial of the. accused was heard on, November 23rd and 24th hefore the Chief Justice when'the jury failed to agree. , Evidence similar to that given at the first trial rested upon two transactions, in one of which a £lO note and in the other a £5 note were handed in at the window of the totalisator where the two accused were employed, no change being received by the persons who handed them in. 1 Both accused gave evidenco, denying any guilty intention. Tobin stated that ho ggve the £lO note to Ward to hold . in caso anyone came back and claimed f it. Ward stated that when Hayr spoko to him about the £lO note, he immediately produced it and handed it to Hayr. When Tobin gave him the £lO note he told witness to give it to the owner if he called for it, and to collect £l. Evidence ns to character was called. After a short retirement the jury returned a verdict of not gnilty, and the ’prisoners were (fisehargfd. FAMINE IN CHINA. WELLINGTON, Dee fi. The Government has received a cable message from thp British Legation at Peking appealing for fuuds to relieve the famjne which is attacking whole provinces in China, I SUPREME COURT. GISBORNE, Dec 0. At the Supremo Court to-day, hefore Mr Jnstce Salmond, no bill was returned in the case of Pritchard, charged with manslaughter of a man named Williamson in a fight in a foundry, SEAMEN’S MEETING, WELLINGTON, December 7. The incident concerning the steamer Calm, which caused a hold up at the Wellington wharf was mentioned at the

monthly stop work meeting of the Seamens’ Union. According to the official report of proceedng, the Minister for Labour in a letter ropliying to representations made, admitted that tho Wellington employers .of waterfront labour had committed a technical breach of the War Regulations. However the regulations were meant to apply only to the war period arid no action would he taken against the employers. The meeting passed a motion emlxidying this reply and requesting the Minister to state whether he would adopt the same course in regard to any breaches of the regulations which might he committed by the workers in future.

HOMESTEAD SYSTEM, WELLINGTON, Dec 6. Though what is called tlio homestead, system of land settlement lias been on the Statute Book many years, and was revived a fo r years ago by the "Massey Government, nothing has been done under its envision ’.'.’here was considerable critcism from leaseholders last session when the Government took power to set aside portions of National Endowment land for homestead 'tenure, providing that the freehold should bo event ually available to settlers who complied with conditions. As most of the poor and to which this tenure is specially applicable is in North Auckland,, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie,,Minister of Lands, proposes about the middle of next week to visit Auckland for the purposo of discussing with Lands Department officers. ' (lie selection of q siutnb]e ’|appa whereon tho-homestead system can be started. The conference will go into tliq whole question. Another subject which tho Minister will invesigate is the extraction of gum from North Auckland lands and payment of royalties on gum thus obtained. It is possible that a commission may have to deal with the matter. FOUND DEAD. AUCKLAND, Dec 8. Tho dead body of Alfred Samuel A.l- - aged 40, ,n, resident of Parnell, was found *in Oraki basin. He was a widower with two children,

DROP IN SOAP PRICES. DUNEDIN, December 8. ... All brands of soap have been reduced. Victory, ia down by 3/6 per case and Launderine by £3 per ton.

BAND CONTEST. . NELSON, Dec. 8. | Mr Albert Waide of Adelaide, lias bqea appointed Judge of the Nelson Band contest, and Mr H. Sweeney, su- • pervisor. The total entries of bands are 12. There are also large entries for the solos; but these have not yet closed. AN UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH.

J WELLINGTON,, Dec 6. 1 , • The Government steamer Tutanekai, which left Auckland recently in search for the missing schooner Jubilee, arrived at Niue Island on Dec. 4tli, aftor unsuccessfully searching various islands en route. Tho Tutanekai will return via the Kermadeos. . A SHIRKER. INVERCARGILL), Doc. 8. At the Police Court, James Lee was fined £3 and deprived of civil rights for five years for failing to attend drill. The Defence authorities stated the defendant had been fined several times, and was a systematic shirker. TV police evidence showed that defendant Btated he considered he should be able to do as he liked in a free country.