LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8273, 19 October 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A lirst offender for drunkenness was fined os, in default 24 liours' imprisonment, before Mr R. Clark, J.P., at the Polico Court this morning. j Mr J^ M. Hampton, Hinds, has received advice that his son, Trooper | John M. Hampton (reported wounded) is returning home by. tho transport Willochra. Speaking at a, mooting of the Masterton A. and P. Association recently, a.'member stated (says ■ the. Wairarapa "Times") that a.good deal had been .heard lately in connection with the alleged shortage of shearers. However, from the information available, it was shown that shearers were plentiful. He knew of sheds which could have filled their board two or three times over.

A Christclmreh Press Association telegram states that"as a result of a ballot, the Lyttelton watersiders decided by 340 to 20 in favour of work on the wharf being confined from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., but to leave the matter in the hands of members individually. As a result, Just night work on the Kauri, with coal from Newcastle, and on two other vessels, ceased at 10 o'clock. The union also decided that a new hours' clause be the basis of a new agreement to bo drawn up when the present expires in June.

Our Wellington correspondent writes : —Cabinet has not yet : made the final arrangements in connection with the proposed Board of Trade, and the new body is not likely to come into existence much, before the end of the year. In the meantime, applications for seats on the board are coming to hand from all quartors, and it is evident that when, the salaried positions have been advertised and all the replies have reached the Government;, the task of selection will be a difficult one. There seems to be a disposition in some quarters .to assume in advance that the Board of Trade will not succeed in reducing the cost of living. A member of the Ministry, mentioning this .matter, said he thought people were judging the scheme too hastily. Everything would depend upon tho constitution of tho Board and the faithfulness of tho Cabinet in giving effect to the Board's recommendations. He saw no reason why jrho.ncw commissioners should not be efficient, courageous men, and he was quite sure that the Ministry was sincerely anxious to discover practical methods of helping tho consumers and checking exploitation.

While there is yeii y no cause for alarm respecting a shortage of seamen in Ney/ Zealand, the^position is-daily becoming more acute. Speaking on the subject to a reporter (says a Wellington Press Association telegram), Mr W. T. Young, General Secretary of the Federated Seamen's Union, said that the position was undoubtedly more acute now than it was a few weeks ago. This was greatly duo to the fact that a large number of seamen had gone into camp to join the Eighth Reinforcements, also to the fact that a good many New Zealand seamen picked up by Australian trading.vessels at various ports in New Zealand were discharged in Australia and reverted to the Australian coastal trade. Australian seamen who were- engaged in other places were discharged in Australia. Both those facts were tending towards a shortage for the mercantile marine. If matters continued as at present, he anticipated that by Christmas a number of vessels would probably be laid aside for want of men. Mr Young estimated the number of seamen who had enlisted from New Zealand; either for naval reserves or land forces, at fully 1000,