GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 212, 28 August 1908, Page 2

GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

POLITICAL, By Telegraph.—Press Association, Ashburton, Last Night. Mr. W. J. Dickie, farmer, of Lyndhurst, to-day announced hie Candida.toirw for the Selwyn seat at tie general election in the Liberal interest, in oppositioa to Mr. C. A. C. Hardy,-MJP. PUBLIC 'HOLIDAYS. Dunedin, Last Night. The retail section ox tile Otago nanployera' Association has decided to observe Empire Day as a holiday is place of Prince of Wales' Birthday. This assures ia future the general oDfcervaiico of Empire Day, Junu 3rd will now lie removed from thv, list of holidays.

THE HALF-HOLIDAY QUESTION, Dunedin, Last Nigjt, At a meeting of the retail section of the Employers Association to-day it was unanimously decided to a«k tihe Government to take immediate stepi to have section 5 of the Shops and Unices Act Amendment Act, IUU7, repealed for" the following reasons;—(1) That the present system whereby shopkwpers have the option of dosing their premises on Saturday afteraooni or the statutory half-holiday jlxed by the local authority lias worked lor many years with friction and is fair to all parties, including the general public; (2) that under section 5 of the Amendment Act, 1007, steps are now being taken in tire four centres to lum all shops closed on Saturday* from one o'olock. If the movement is sueceasiul all shops in large towns will be dosed, on Saturday afternoons, and the shops in the surrounding districts will remain open. This condition of things would prove very detrimental to the interests of traders in towns who liave*inve»WKf a great mount of capital in retail shops, and would prove a great inconvenience to tflie general public; (3) that if any alteration is jnade in the closing of shops it should be universal. This meeting therefore urges that the Government should either make a Saturday half-holiday compulsory for whole of the Dominion or repeal section 5 of the Amendment Act alto-, gethur.

A PECULJIAIt POSITION. ; Dunedin, Last Night. A peculiar state of allairs was revealed in the Magistrate's Court to-day in a case in which (the Bay Town Board made claim against a resident lor muf the cost of construction of footpaths, korbing and channelling. Counsel lor tlie defence said he noticed by looking through tho minutes Obat at a meeting oa sth June, 1007, all members of tlie Board, with tim exception of the cnairfnan, handed in their resignations, which were accepted by the chairman. In cross-examination, the clerk to tho Board said that by tile time mentioned | above ail thu members had been 'told that they should have cone out of office the previous September in terms of (the Act. In answer to further questions, witness said that the reading of the Act was obscure, and members thought they had a right to remain in office until their successors were appointed. Counsel for defence submitted 'there waa no plaintiff in existence, and liis Worslhip non-suited plaintiff. Leave to appeal was granted.

AGGRESSIVE LABOR. Auckland, Last Night. At a meeting of the Employers' A»isociation held on Wednesday last, the aggressive attitude of some of the labor organisations against Mr. Justice Sim, was discussed, and the following resolution was unanimously adopted:— "That the action of various Uior Organisations in the Dominion in appealing to the Government to remove Mr. Justice Sim from Ills position as president of the Court of Arbitration, ii, we consider, utterly unworthy of those making thy request, and if conoeded would ant once destroy that feeling of security Vhicli ail law-abiding citizens have in appealing to our superior Courts because of the universally recognised independence of our Judges."

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES. I Wellington, Last Night, The number of persons who arrived in the Dominion during last month was 2041, as compared with 1008 of July of last year. The departures last month numbered 2284, the number for July of last year being 2110.

HARBOR EMPLOYEES' WAGES. Wellington, Last Night. Last month the Wellington Harbor iifiird increasod the wages of certain sections of the Board's employees. This led to petitions from (Other branchesof the service for consideration, and vii lions further increases were authorised to-day. The increases made last month jnvolve an annual expenditure of 111374, and thosa to-day a further £752, so that the staff's wages havo been raised by a total of £2120 per annum. The minimum wage V<j any permanent employee of the Board is now 8s 6d per day.

DAMAGES AGAINST A TRAMWAY BOARD. Christclmrch, Last Night. At the Magistrate's Court to-day, Mrs. Amy Winny, an old lady of 81, was awarded £(10 damages against tho Christchurch Tramway Board for injuries sustained by reason of a conductor starting n ear before the plaintiff was properly on board. The plain* tiff fell and broke her leg.

DISTRICT COURT. . ■ I Pahiatua, Thursday. In tho District Court one Fulcher ! brought an action for false imprisonment against W. Holdcn, at wJio«e fiistance, it was alleged, plaintiff haj liecn arrested on a charge of steal! l? three sheep. TSlie case was ■ dismissed is tho lower Court. Counsel for plainti.T, after hearing some of tho evidence, sough# to amend tiut. claim to onn of malicious prosecution, but the appli ofttioa was refused and a nonsuit granted on tho ground that the itiue of the warrant was act of a judicial nftkvi in tl>ie exerche of feia