GENERAL NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 75, 31 March 1915, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

The Hawera Fire Board for many months has been considering the advisableness of the installation of autoraatic electric street fire alarms in the borough, connecting with the Central Fire Brigade Station in High Street, f Various systems have been discussed (states the Star), and the Board decided to give the system in force at Taihape a trial. It sent the superintendent and two other gentlemen to Taihape, who reported favorably upon it. A few weeks ago one circuit, with four .boxps, was completed, and has received a thorough trial by the superintendent, who reported to the Board on Monday that it was quite successful, and recommended the Board to complete the system. During the afternoon a test of the circuit was made

in the presence of the members of the Boq,rd, who were "more than satisfied. After a short discussion it was unanimously decided to complete the system throughout the town, the work to be under the direction of the superintendent, with the chairman of the Board,

At the annual meeting of the Manaia Gun Club on Friday evening, it was agreed to vote £7 7s to the Belgian Relief Fund, and £5 os for the relief of the Servians ; and a bonus of £3 3s was voted to the secretary, Mt Phipps, in recognition of his assiduous services in the. club’s interest. Mr Russell was unanimously re-elected president; Mr Phipps, secretary; Drs, Milrqy and Noonan and Messrs Long, Armitage, T. McPhillips, Meldon, J. (Taylor,. Hunger, M. Franklin, and A. H. Christie, vice-presidents; Mr A. Johnston, McDonald, Bennett, Duncan, Preo, C. Young. Staggard, Whitton, and the chairman and secretary ks the committee. The first m&tch of the season was fixed for April 28; first prize £ls, second £7, third £3; all to be paid in full. It was resolved that the fee for patrons be ss, and that an accident policy for £3OO be taken out.

A peculiar case, arising out of the general election, in December, was heard at the Police, Court at Hamilton last week, when George Stanton Onjons, a draper, of Cambridge, was charged that, having voted once he applied for and filled in another voting paper in his own name. The returning officer explained that defendant voted at the Cambridge booth in the A to L section • but then, noticing another section, M to Z, he got another set of papers and voted again. Later, realising that he might have done something wrong,, he informed the officer in charge of the booth of his action, which lie, the returning officer, attributed to a stupid blunder and not, to deliberate action. The defendant gave a similar explanation of his action, and the magistrate, after stating that he did not think defendant deliberately broke the law, ordered him to pay the cost of the action (£1 7s 4d).. L; ' ;

“The first session of the new Parliament will be opened, probably, towards the end of June as usual,” says the New Zealand Herald. “A suggestion has been made that the Government might be inclined to summon members to an early consideration of the national affairs, but it is , ipore probable that the opening of Parliament will be delayed until the representation of .districts, still in dispute, has , been decided. Several technical questions raised during the trial of thq,, various election petitions have been referred to the Full Court, which has decided to hear argument upon them on April 12. After the Court has given its judgment the trial of the has to be concluded, so that it, will probably be the end of April before the Election Courts give their verdicts. It is not unlikely that one or more by-elections will be necessary, so that a final' determination in the matter will not. be .reached unti Ithe end of May.”

“They have chosen Easter Sunday, and on that day—on the day upon which our Lord rose from the dead—these men will hold their picnic, and they will probably hold it as they held it last year,” Thus the Rev. S. Gray preached in the course of a sermon at the Hanover Street Baptist Church, Dunedin, on Sunday night, on the action of the Bakers and Pastrypook’s Union in holding its picnic on Easter Sunday. He stated that he had preached last year on the same question, and felt it his duty again to pall attention to what he deemed an insult to the Christian conscience of the community. Whatever seeming justification the Bakers and Pastrycooks’ Union might have had last year for holding their, picnic on a Sunday, they had . none this. “Their action I deem to he a flagrant wilful, and wanton insult to the, Christian conscience of this city.” he continued. They were attacking the sanctity of a day to which , the labouring classes owiied many of their privileges were their eyes open to see it. It was treason to Labour’s Lord, the carpenter of Nazareth; The Baptist Church had .always stood for the liberty of the soul before God, and for all the great principles that had made unionism possible, but he bad been sorrowfully forced to the , conclusion, that many trades unionists made trades unionism their religion. This was a sham. There was no power in trades unionism to reach the consciences of mankind. It was not for nothing that the Son of, God was a carpenter. It was because' the mass of men were toilers. He dignified toil, and made labour sub-1 lime. “You working men cannot, re-' tain this Day of Rest unless you re-1 tain its sanctity,” said Mr Gray. “It is , the, Christian conscience of the community which will protect you in your day of rest more effectively than any' artificial harrier of trades unionism.” 1