DOMINION NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1919, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS.

BIBLE CLASS CONFERENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Palmerston »'., April 19. The annual camp and conference of the Young Men's Presbyterian Bible Clans Union opened yesterday. The registrations totalled 290 and are expected to exceed 300. The annual report showed that the membership had made a substantial advance. The projects for the coming year were warmly approved- The camp will last about Ave days.

MEETING OF RAILWAYMEN. Westport, April 19. Mr R. Hampton, president of the A.S.R.S., adressed a large gathering of railwa.vmen i*f the local branch on Thursday evening and lucidly explained the new classification and schedule of wages. The meeting gave the president a most cordial hearing and at the conclusion of the address of two hours unanimously expressed confidence in Mr Hampton and the present executive.

BIG FIRE AT WESTPORT. Westport, April 19. There was a big blaze in Westport early in the morning. Penny's Palace Restaurant was completely burnt down, also Hallenstein's clothing factory. Nottle's, adjoining, was badly damaged and the stock ruined, and Rowe's photographic studio seriously damaged. Lawson's shoe shop with a brick wall saved the fire spreading up into the town. Lawson's stock and window were somewhat damaged. The insurances are: Lawson, £2OO premises and £3500 stock; Nottles, £350 stock. The other insurances are not available. Peuny narrowly escaped losing his life-

THE BANNED LITERATURE. Ashburton, Last Night. The annual session of the Provincial Grand Chapter of New Zealand opened at the Orange Hall on Tuesday and was continued yesterday and to-day, delegates attending from all parts of the Dominion. The reports showed that, despite the dislocation caused by the war and the heavy drain on our manhood, the membership and finances were well maintained. With reference to the banned literature, the Auckland delegates stated that between £SO and £IOO worth had been withheld by the Customs Department. It was unanimously resolved that the Grand Provincial Chapter records its protest against arbitrary and partial eMrcise of its powers by the National Government in the interests of the Roman Church by the prohibiting of the importation and circulation of loyal and patriotic Protestant literature. This chapter must regard the action of the Government as contrary to the traditions of our Protestant country, and subversive to those great principles of liberty upon which our Empire is founded, and without precedent in the Empire since the Star Chamber of execrable fame. The chapter, therefore, calls on the Government to remove the prohibition and to administer the law with impartiality for all sections of the community. It also passed a vigorous protest against Home Rule and the Sinn Feiners.

COACH AND MOTOR TRADES CONVENTION, Wellington, Last Night, The seventh annual convention of the New Zealand Coach and Motor Vehiclo Trades Industrial Association of Employers opened this morning. The delegates were accorded a covic reception by the Mayor. The president, Mr. W. J. Boon, adressing the delegates, said that whatever opinion might be held with regard to the best method of bringing down the cost of living, it was painfully evident that the only result of Parliament's hasty and ill-considered action, as evidenced by the recent Arbitration Court award, had been to intensify and absurdly complicate the problem. It was impossible to imagine where the riot of wage raising upon which the Court had been launched would end, but the main result, undoubtedly, would be to make the cost of living problem, in its total scope and in its detail aspects, more than ever formidable and difficult of solution. One thing was evident, that the workers, though not on a bare subsistence line, were not satisfied with their share of the products of labor.

ARBITRATION COURT'S WAGES SCHEME. Dunedin, Last Night. The president of the Arbitration Court recently intimated that the Court had :n view the arranging of a basis of wages for different classes of workers. The Court has now filed a memorandum dealing with the scheme. The memorandum states that it is undesirable that the rates of wages of workers in an industry should be liable to variation at short intervals. The Court has determined to fix the basis of wages as follows: Skilled workers Is 7%d per hour, semiskilled Is 4id to Is Od (according to degree of skill), unskilled Is 3Jd. The Court decided that the adjustment of war bonuses should be made half yearly. The Government Statistician had advised that the half-yearly periods ending March 31 and September 30 would bo the most equitable, and he had undertaken to prepare an index of numbers showing the variation in the cost of living, so that, above the wages, a bonus of 2id per hour is to be added to compensate the workers for any further increase in the cost of living up to March 31 last. This bonus will be readjusted on March 30 of, each year. The scheme is a hard and fast rule, but is subject to modification if necessary. It is hoped that it will be a working guide for conciliation councils. The bonus is excluded from the computation of payment of overtime.

The Court has determined, in future, to grant substantial increases in the amounts for overtime, as it is inimical <o the health. Overtime will be paid at the rate of time and a half for the first three hours, thereafter at double time, in the hope that overtime will be largely reduced.

The present statement makes no application with regard to the wages of females nor workers on weekly or monthly salaries, as such cases will be dealt with on their merits.