DOMINION NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1920, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS.

COMPULSORY VOTING By Telegraph.--Press Association. Wellington. March (i. A delegate at the Chambers of Commerce Conference this week sam .Mr. Massey had promised that he would introduce compulsory voting. This statement was brought to Mr. Massey's notice yesterday. The Prime Minister said he had made no promise of the kind at any time. His recollection was that when speaking in the House on certain difficulties in the preparation of electoral rolls 'Sir John Findlay interjected a suggestion that compulsory votin<* might be desirable. To. this "he (Mas* sey) replied to the effect that he was rapidly coming round to this view. This remark was not in any way a serious statement of his considered opinion on the subject and he certainly never made any such promise as has been alleged by the speaker at the conference.

DEARER TIMBER. Wellington, March fi. An increase in the price of building timber has been authorised by the Board of Trade consequent on the increase in the cost of production. Ordinary building rirau goes up Is 6d per MO feet and heart of rimu 2s per 100 ft. The rise is equivalent to less than 10 per cent, increase in the selling price at the mill. TEACHERS' SALARIES. j Masterton, March 6. J The Teachers' Institute at a meeting to-day, passed a resolution requesting the Government to accord teachers the 'equivalent of the salaries paid to their present positions before the war, the reason being that increments made during the war years utterly failed to counteract the increase in the cost of living.

AVERSION TO ENEMY TRADE. Auckland, March G. A Dominion drapers' conference in Auckland, representing the retail soft goods trade, passed a resolution expressing strong aversion to dealing in German goods and requesting the Government to state its attitude regarding the resumption of trade with Austria and Germany; if such goods are admitted that definite marks denoting the country of origin be decided upoii and rigid steps be taken to prevent admission of German or Austrian goods through other countries; that a much heavier penalising import duty be imposed than that now enforced under the British preference clause.

PROFITEERING COMPLAINTS. Dunedin. March G. Mr. Clarke, ex-Mayor, Mr. Galway, retired soliictor, and Mr. Brown, vicepres'dent of the Tailoresses Union and secretary of the Co-operntive Bootmakers' Union, have been appointed to consider complaints respecting alleged profiteering in Dunedin.