LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8742, 16 December 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A writ claiming £300 damages for alleged libel has been served on the Wellington Publishing Company^ proprietor's' of''the newspaper "Dominion," by the " New Zealand Times." Company. The ground of the action is an article •published, on December 11, criticising the attitude of the "Times", towards the Red Federation .--Press Association. . ,

• "This is an age of talking, a great' deal of unnecessary talk, too,", remarked his Excellency the Governor in addressing the boys of' Wellington College. "Do not," he added, "speak for speaking sake. It is an annoyance to your fellows, and a bad thing for yourself. " I'have'often been chaffed about the brevity of my speeches.. One time I spoke only nine words. I had nothing more to say, and I did. not say any more, and that is why I am not i going to say any more now !" - j

In the Magistrate's Court at Hawera yesterday Jim Choy, a Chinese, was fined £10 and costs for having been found in possession of opium, contrary to the provisions of the Opium Act, 1908.

William Nash, a recent arrival froni Home, at Palmerston North, proceeded against Alfred Coy, his late employer, for using obscene language, in a cowshed abutting the road near Shannon. Defendant was fined £10 and costs (£2 2s 6d). ' ■ -

One interesting feature of the small Shops and Offices Bill, which was passed by the House- on Saturday, has' special reference to Chinese traders. Hitherto Chinamen ■ not naturalised in New Zealand have not been subject to the provisions of the Shops and Offices Act in regard to legal hours of trading, and so forth, and it is reported that' some Celestials have taken advantage of the fact. The Bill makes all Chinese traders subject to the law, whether they are naturalised or not.

The Auckland Exhibition entered this morning upon the third week of its season. Three months is its allotted span, but there is a proviso that if it proves distinctly successful, the season may be extended for any further term up to three months.. If satisfactory days such as that which was experienced on Saturday last continue/to the end; there is every probability-of an. extension (telegraphs the.Press Association agent). The week-end .rush brought a total of paid admissions for the first fortnight: up to 8,304, and with due allowance; for season-ticket holders/ and attendants,, .the officials estimate.: that 125,000 people have passed through the states. Saturday's attendance was 19,032. ? ■•;?■'■

!■ Mr Rj O. Jarrett. of Mastertqn^who recently' sent' a pen of White Leghorns to; compete at the Missouri Experimental Station, in the United States, ydias received a letter^ from the United Breeders' Company of America asking if he will sell the pen, for delivery at the end of the contest. The manager of the company states that he desires to obtain some New Zealand White Leghorn stock to compare with the American and English birds. He expresses a doubt whether the New Zealand birds will be successful .at the Missouri competition, on account of the change of seasons. ''.It would," he says, "seem that your birds would require a year's .residence under the changed climatic 1 conditions to show I their best."

Dancing after midnight has now been permanently stopped in the Brougham Street Hall, New Plymouth. ' At the last sitting of the Supreme Court, Dr. H. A. MeClelland was. the plaintiff in a case against, the Brougham Street Hall Company, and during the hearing before Mr Justice Edwards lengthy evidence was given bearing on the annoyance caused to'residents in the neighbourhood of the hall by dances being held there till the small hours of the morning. Mr Justice Edwards has now issued an \ injunction restraining . the company from allowing singing, dancing, and other entertainments in .the hall between 12 midnight and 7 a.m. The decision, allows""costs, to /plaintiff..' This injunction'is permanent. /

The 'Chief Juistice and a jury of 12 were engaged- at the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday, hearing a case in which William Phillip Shannon, labourer, sued the Drapery and General Importing Company for, £1500 damages, for injuries; suffered as! a result of a motor /accident '* (says a Press Association message). Plaintiff claimed that through the negligence of defendants' employee, who was driving the car, the car collided: with plaintiff, who was run over and suffered permanent disablement, which would .prevent him earning his livelihood. Plaintiff was going to board a tramcar when the motor ran into him, the driver failing, according to plaintiff, to give proper warning of his approach. Plaintiff had several ribs broken, and hisbehest, legs, and arms crushed. '-The/jury found for plaintiff for £400 damages, and judgment was entered accordingly, with costs.

I Hitherto in Australia wireless tele- [ graphy has been : confined to the coast line, and for the most part business has 1 been restricted to sliips at sea (says the Melbourne ""Age"). In the near future residents of the country districts aro to be given the privilege of sending and receiving messages by this up-to-date method of communication. The j expense of erecting poles and lines has I prevented the linking''up of a number of outback places with the telegraph 1 system, as much as £2000 or £3000 be--1 ing involved in such a comparatively short extension as 100 miles. On the other hand, 'means'- of communication could be provided over the same distance by wireless for £200. The Federal wireless expert has . assured the Postmaster-General that the system oould be operated in the country just as economically and efficiently as the telegraph, and Mr Wynne has decided that future small extensions shall be made by wireless. Some difficulty is anticipated at/., the.. ou,tset, in obtaining, trained operators, but this is expected, ,tp disappear gradually. ,

j .-A local resident who has a predilec[tion for the cup,.that cheers, ■met'i a generous, friend in Ashburton 1 on .Saturday night, With tlie result that he consumed more of his favourite beverage than was good'for-ehim; and, what with the whisky, the rain, and the darkness of the night, lost himself on his way home. He eventually wandered into a backyard and disputed ownership of a bed of straw with-the equine occupant of- a stable. The Bacchanalian was victorious, and soon stentorian snores were disturbing the dreams of the hens and roosters in their house next door. He arose early on' Sunday morning and made his way libme, but evidently was even then not sober, for he left his cap behind him. The female occupants of a house near by heard the noise made by the unhappy inebriate, and in the morning the police obtained possession of the cap. When! one member of the force saw it,; he said: •"■ Why,. . that's So-and-So's cap," and' so it turned out' to be?? The'owner; 'however,?' said I;'he { could not remember, where he had been, and as no one saw him on the premises in question, 'it is not likely that a eliarge will be preferred against him. He himself is known to the police, as well as his cap.

A Motorist's Advice to Intending Motorists.—"Why own a car that you yourself cannot drive, and miss the real fun of the going? There is health and joy-giving relaxation in _ Ford driving—because of the simplicity of the Ford mechanism and the consequent ease of its control. Think what the price means—for the car that has stood the test. Touring Car, fully equipped, £205; Runabout £190."— G. H. Carson has a new model Touring Car in stock for immediate delivery. Why not enjoy the, .Xmas holidays in your Ford? / ' ?''

The'current river report ds to tike effect that the Rangitata is fishabl-a, that the Ashburton is dirty, and that the Rakaia is clear.

Amongst the old soldiers at present in the Veterans' Home, Auckland, is one who fought at the siege of Acre in 1840, and also at the Gate Pa, New Zealand, where he was severely wounded throuh the body; also a Crimean veteran who was in the Heavy Brigade, and was wounded at Balaclava.

In pursuance of a policy of vigorous agitation for a Dominion scale of pay for. teachers; in secondary schools (says the Wellington "Post") the Executive Committee of the Secondary Schools Assistants' Association has issued a manifesto setting forth the claims of teachers for better treatment. At, present the- position is described' as anomalous, as there is no uniformity of salaries in the different secondary schools. It is contended that the association's scheme W bring salaries up to the mark would not cost.the Government . more than about £17,000, or, roughly speaking, 4d per head of population. Is is the opinion of the executive that this amount might be reduced, by several thousands of pounds if the Government were to insist on the present capitation grants being spent purely on school management or administration and teachers' salaries. The manifesto states that nearly every education board in the Dominion has expressed sympathy with attempts '\ of the executive to gain better salaries for secondary teachers, and many head masters /and head mistresses/ have expressed approval of the scheme sub-, mitted'to. them.c.^

Unequal rates of, pay exist, of course, in most industries where men and women are called to do the same work. But its unfaij-neSs "is :) strikingly illustrated in the . difference .between the wages of women in the two textile counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, Where the character of the labour performed is pretty much the same, writes Mr James Hasiam in an English magazine in an article.on " How Women are Exploited." The average weekly earnings of all'women in the woollen and worsted industry (Yorkshire) is only 12s 7d per week ; in the other industry (Lancashire) it is 18s Bd. . .Yorkshire women are slow to learn the lesson in organisation that their Lancashire sisters have taught them. . .In some parts of Yorkshire women are employed at shockingly low rates; their wages are lower than women in tho Lancoshire cotton trade were receiving over 30 and 40 years ago. ';..-•:■. There are in Yorkshire-about 60,000 married women workers and widows in textile factories. Can anyone conceive a more grossly unfair condition than paying a widow with children depending on her a lower wage than a man would be paid, while the weekly production of each may be exactly alike ? ".. ■