TELEGRAMS VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 May 1921, Page 2

TELEGRAMS

VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH —PBESS ABBN., COPYRIGHT. COAL POLICY. WESTPORT May 10. At a meeting of the Buller Progress League to-night it was resolved. “That this League views with alarm the heavy increase' in the coal importations from abroad. While, under the circumstances, these importations have been necessary to maintain the industrial life of this Dominion, ye| we are of opinion that this policy was unsound, and would therefore urgently recommend that it be superseded by the vigorous development of our coal resources and, with this end in view,-we therefore spcctfully urge upon the Governmeit the necessity of proceeding with the Buller Gorge railway forthwith.” It is mentioned that at least £2 ),000000 has been sent unnecessarily out of the country for coal that could have been produced in New Zealand. ECONOMY URGED. 1 WELLINGTON, May 10 The annual conference of Directors ol Technical Colleges, and other officials connected with technical education, opened to-day. Mr (*. J. Parks, Director of the Wanganui Technical College, presided. In his presidential address, Mr Park said they must all deplore the fact that the policy of economy in education, already begun in this country, had so far elicited little more than pious resolutions, but he hoped that the conference would not only consider economy in education, but t' at it would take some preliminary step towards setting up a National Education Defence Association with a permanent organisation to follow up its resolution. At the same time lie was not of the opinion that economy on the part of t,he Government was not necessary, nor that economy in the Education Department’s expenditure was impossible.

Regarding the detects in the present system, -Mr Parle said it mistakes were not to be repeated they must endeavour to maintain the present scale of educational effort. They must organise, and organisation must begin with the teachers, • SUPREME COURT. DUNEDIN, May 10. At the Supreme Court Charles Stewart Doig, postal official at Clinton, pleaded not guilty to two charges of opening letters and destroying them. The jury returned a verdict of “not guilty,” and the accused was discharged. A GUN TRAGEDY. DUNEDIN, May 10 A tragic gun accident happened at Portobello, the victim being Stanley Arnold Oram Chapman, the iourteen-year-old son of Mr H. Chapman, Registrar of Otago University. The lad, whose home is in Musselburgh, had gone to Portobello to see a boy friend, and while they were examining and handling a shot-gun, it exploded, the charge entering young Chapman’s thigh. He was taken to a private hospital, where lie succumbed. TARIFF REVISION QUESTION. WELLINGTON, May 10 Tariff revision was referred to at a meeting of the Central Chamber of Commerce. The Canterbury Chambei wrote requesting the Chamber to refrain from participating further in the tariff controversy, and urging the appointment of a Royal Commission to review the whole incidence of taxation. It was explained that the Associated Chambers bad already requested the Government to act in the direction indicated. The meeting decided not to commit itself to any definite action in the meantime.

CHILD LABOUR OPPOSED. WELLINGTON, May 10

At the Technical Schools Conference, Dr Hansen moved that it should be made illegal to employ for wages, either for full time or part time, any child of school age. He said children were found in technical schools, with whom teachers had no chance, because the children had no education of any kind. Children were used to provide cheap unskilled labour. The Conference should draw attention to the necessity of keeping up the school age. It is becoming increasingly common to find children of school ago working full time. Too many parents were permitting children to evade proper education. This was undemining their health. The Conference strongly opposed the principle of child labour, and will urge the Government to frame regulations safeguarding the interests pf children under school age.