LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 84, 8 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Our readers are reminder] that tonight Mr. R. W. Smith will address the electors in the Taihape Town Hall, as this is the first opportunity he has taken to give an account of his stewardship there will no doubt be a large gathering.

Arrangements have been made for the Taihape Daily Times to receive the election results from all over the Dominion up till an early hour on Friday morning. As the results are received they will be screened from Station Street per medium of a limelight machine kindly lent for the occas. ion by Mr. W. Kincair.

The Government is exempted from the awards of the Arbitration Court, Legally it can pay any rate of wages it 1': 1 s. Mr. E, Howard, secretary of the Canterbury General Labourers’ T nion, complains that the Minister for .ailways is taking an unfair advantage f this exemption. He states that .he Labour Department is seeking for ren to work on ballast trucks for Us i day while an award has fixed the rate at 9s 4d. Mr. Howard has sent a telegram to the Minister, setting fm-th his icnmnlain'H, and .■asking:

A meeting of farmers is to bo held in the Argyle Hall, Hunterville, today for the purpose of considering an offer by the Gear Company to freeze gift stock free during December, and also to receive gift stock.

A prohibition order was taken out against Simon Whelan, charged with hi s second offence of drunkenness at the Police Court this morning. A first offender was convicted and discharged.

A Gazette issued on Saturday contains the lists of candidates selected by the Prime Minister to represent the Government party, by Sir Joseph Ward to represent the Opposition, and by Messrs. A. Hindmarsh, M.P., and J. Robertson, M.P., to represent the Labour party, for the purposes of the Expeditionary Forces Act, 1914. The Act required the respective parties to whom the votes recorded by members of the Samoan and main forces were to be allocated.

According to a letter received by a local citizen, a rumour is extant in England that when Parliament opens the first business will be to pass a bill to secure universal conscription. This, it is considered, will pass without difficulty, but may not be enforced, -the intention being to give Lord Kitchener power to compel men tc join the army. Apart from this provision, he hopes to have one and a half million men by the next English spring, and 900,000 have already enrolled. •

According to good authority trade in general is in a much more serious condition in Australia than in the Dominion. A decline commenced in August due to the general despondency and uneasines created by the declaration of war and the immediate results. The Government’s labour policy has caused still greater depression and the deline has continued until at present trade is the greatest optimism cannot be expeet•it its very lowest ebb tnd even with ad to reach even normal again for some considerable time.

The meeting of all those interested in the local freezing works proposal which is to be held in the Town Hail ! supper room at 11 a.m. to-morrow (Wednesday) promises to be a thoroughly representative one and there are indications that the movement has recently, probably on account cf the high prices for fat stock now ruling gathered a good deal of enthusiasm. The plans for the works which have taken three months to prepare, are now ready and will be submitted to the meeting by Mr. James, the,architect and engineer to the company.