DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1924, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BY TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

BUILDERS’ CONFERENCE. AUCKLAND. Feb. 20.

The New Zealand Builders’ Conference rejected an Auckland remit that contractors should supply quantities m jolts over one thousand pounds. The apprentice question was discussed at considerable length. The vonfernce decided to support measures for setting up district committees, but expressed disapproval of daytime technical training. It was decided that a eonien-nee he convened of representatives of each branch of the allied trades with the object' of setting up an allied trades apprenticeship committee, and that a committee be appointed to meet representatives of tlit* Carpenters’ Association fur I’urtiuihiting a policy for the guidance of individual < innnin tvs.

The conference adopted a rc.-ommeu-datou that the Government ho urged to give full preference to builders training an adequate number of apprentices.

A motion was tarried urging the Government to make arrangements for prompt and regular payments to build, els carrying out i-ontracls under the Mousing Art or Advances to Hetilcrs’ Act.

A Canterbury remit that persistent efforts he made to obtain the inclusion of piece-work clauses in awards waadopted, as was an Auckland remit that the executive should endeavour to have a Registration of Builders’ Bill introduced next session.

Air \Y. H. AYinsor was re-elected president, other officials being :—Vicepresident.. Air T. ’Al.'Cunnark; treasurer. Air E. T. Fawcett; executive. Messrs 11. .Mainland. -V. Wilson and A. Fletcher; representatives on Employ-

er's Federation Advisory Board. Mr Mainland. The next conl’erenee was fixed for Wanganui. HECTIC TIMES RECALLED. AUCKLAND, Kub. 20. The liotic days of the last mining boom BKIo-7. when the Waiolalii mine priidueed gold hv thousands of ounces per month are recalled by the death of George Wanu*. which is announced today. Air Warm* was manager of the great mine from tlu* time of striking the famous patch and had charge throughout tin' period of its fame. I’rior to his luanagemm, the VYaiotahi had been a mine noted for steady output of gold obtained front Hit* working of -mall leads. Willi the advent of Air Warm*, the system of working was revolutionised and the scene of operations was changed. Me gave attention to the main Yt'ainlalti lode, which previously had been generally regarded as a buck reel. Mr Warm* was soon right in flic* midst ol one .*i tin* richest runs of gold the Thames had ever produced.

The returns cl" gold for lllltli were valued at F22;i.foH. and the company distributed L!80,00*'I in dividends. In the following year the yield amounted to £! 19,83-5 and the dhuribiiled pro fits came to BIOO.OIKT.

The AYaiotahi under Mr Warnc-’s management turned out the riches! mine tin Thames ever knew, save only the Caledonian, which in the early part ol it: history yielded nearly £1,000.FT.) in a singE year. The AYaictalii conipauy fell vpoi.i Law years at ter

the exhaustion of itf. gtcas ratt-h a*: Mr VAarne of lat*- years made Ins lion in Auckland where he passed away.

FOWL-WHEAT. A GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISE. AUCKLAND. Foil. 120. The jirst shipment, of Australian fowl wheat is due to arrive liy the katna in a few days. The purchase has been made l>y the Government, and the price will include ordinary duty, but it will be lower than the price recently ruling for southern. The bulk of the shipment, will he distributed from the ship’s side. A FARMER'S COMPLAINT. DUNEDIN. Fob. 20. A South Canterbury farmer, who was an applicant for one of the Mount Pisa sections, lias a grievance stated thus. “Relieving that 1 was eligible T came down to Otago to have a look at the run. That meant eight days’ loss of time and the use of a motor. Then I telegraphed to the Minister oi Lands asking if 1 was eligible, and his answer on February 13th. was that maidied men with families were on the same footing as returned soldiers. I am a married man with a family and am not a returned soldier, so T thought 1 had a chance. To make ~lll'to sure I wrote to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and on Fob. l ttli. received his reply that married men with children dependents wore on an equal footing with soldiers. I lien T put in mv application and T etime to Dunedin and was passed as suitable as regards finance ail'd experience. 1 a sited the Commissioner if my name would go into the ballot and he replied that he did not know. Subsequently I was informed that the married civilians had been struck out. I mu quite satisfied about preference being given to returned soldiers. My grievance is that the conditions should not have ltoon advertised until they were absolutely sure. I lost eight days t 0 start with, then three days in coming to he examined, and f am going to charge my expenses to the ■Department. There are four of us from South Canterbury in the same position.

A STORY DENIED. AUCKLAND. Feb. 20

The lion 0. W. R- McDonald. M.L.C.. Sydney, who arrived to-day, expressed surprise at the circulation of a story that he had travelled on the New Zealand railways on an Australian Jockey Club pass. He said the story arose from a jocular remark to » pressman in Sydney. He had ttlarliamcntarv badge attached to Ins watch-chain, and when he produced it for inspection by the guard Ins Jockey Club badge partly obscured it. and he imagined the guard had accepted the latter as a pass. There was absolutely nothing in the suggestion that ho had attempted to defraud the . ew Zealand Government or play a tries on the guard. Mr M’Domtld concluded by saving that recently he had commented on the class of Australian news received by the New Zealand Press to the almost total exclusion of information of real interest, and the incident under discussion bore otic that contention.