Interprovincial.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5897, 24 February 1903, Page 2

Interprovincial.

4 —: — United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph. Auckland, Feb. 23 The Premier offers, through the .New Zealand Literary Association, three guineas a3 a prize for a short story oa early Otago, the West Coast or Thames goldfields. A prisoner named Lee, engaged treeplanting at Waiotapu, attempted to escape last night, but was recaptured in a feyr minutes. The Arbitration Court to-day heard a number of cases of alleged breaches of awards laid by Carpenters', Carters', and Shipwrights' Unions against employers. The Court reserved judgment in the majority of cases, but fined W. Parsons and Sons', Carters, .£2 and costs, for employing carters at 4s a week less than the wage awarded, and ordered that the men be paid a sum equal to 4s a week for the time they had been in Parsons' employ. The Auckland Parcel Delivery Company were found guilty of employing a man on heavy carter's work at light carter's wages. The employee was unable to state how long he had been in the employ, and the Court fined the Company £, 10 and costs. OAMA.Bxr, February 23 ■• Some twenty competitive designs of monuinents to fallen troopers were lspns in in response $o the request' of t£e locs committee. After cons.iclera,t*pn of tlje. report of the sub-committee, the Resign of Benjamin' ans Reid^ Dunedin, architects, was awarded the £10 prijie, and that of «T, M. Forrester, Oaraaru, £5 prize. The design selected by the committee was the first prize one 4 with, mQdiffcatjons taken from a second design submitted by Benjamin and Reid. The total height will be 34Jft., including^ a twelve foot figure of a foot trooper, in marble, and also a life-size figure of a lion at the foot of the monument, which* when complete, should look very imposing. It will be erected at the junction of Thames and Severn streets. The structure will cost about £1200. Chrirtchobch, Feb. 23 The Christchurch Hospital Board has asked the City Council to authorise it to spend £1000 on an Infectious Diseases Hospital at B.ottl{s'Lake;" This'aotion is "taken 6n account df the ropoi-^ pf the 'District. Health Officer that th'ere is a'large increase in cases of scarlet fever, aiid the accommodation, at the' main hospital iu Chnsfchurch h insufficient, The Council refused to pass the sum, as a Bill will be brought before Parliament next session to gire. entire control of these things to the Hospital Board, and it was considered that the emergency is not so great as to warrant immediate action. At a meeting of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College the question of applying for a library grant from Mr'Carnegie ; was ref§rra4 to- the Museum afcd Library* Cdmmittees j;o consider and repo^fc on 1. 'Ms J. Speight was appointed o$ " geology at "'Canterbury College. * Thg University Senate to-day elected" Bjshoß Neville, of tjuuedin, to fill the. vacanctr caused by thg'death of Hon. \V, BqHe§tqq, DuKEpm. Feb. 23 At the final meeting of subscribers" to the Otago and Southland Nurses Fund, a credit balance of .£l2l was shown, and ifc was decided to vote 410 to each of the seven nurses, and give the balance to the Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Fund. It was docided to send a letter of thanka to Major Pilcher, Capetown, for services rendered to New Zealanders, and also to send him a silver medal as a souvenir. INVERCARGII.L, Feb. 23 At a meeting o£ Gitiz9£S io-eigh^,-- a debate too'k plage on the BorougTi CotiiJoiH? proposal to borrow-'.£-2,000 to build muni^ cipal offices and a theatre. A motion in favour of £he project Was caVrie'dV and'a' pbll -vy-iU be't&ken on the question." Ifth§ |6kn "if'^'•ui'44/t%^ Will bj»£{5 J sQ'!)foi: the work, the balance being now in hand M ai.O-ued rents and reserved. Most of th« published opinion has been against -tha proJHcfc as being too extravagant, but the > f a ct remains that there is no place of «H* t^inment now available in town,