CHRISTCHURCH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 46, 18 November 1907, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH.

• November 16. The Mother Goose Company left last week for Sydney, after a season as'' successful as has been experienced 'anywhere;' Mr.■ Richard Stowart, vopresehling M>\ .). 0. Williamson, tolda .press reporter the -.he'run of the pantomime constituted an An.;, .ilasian record, inasmuch as r the s'afrie. piece-had been played continuously by the same company'ever since Boxing night of last year,'"when it was produced in Melbourne: 'After Sydney, the company will appear at Newcastle and Bendigo, finally setting foot in Melbourne again. There the company will-go into rehearsal for the production of '!Humpty"Dumpty" next, Boxing, night. Mr: Steivart said that the present tour-had been inaugurated to ascertain whether it would-be possible to keep one such large production going from year to year. The results of.:the tour had .been wonderfully satisfactory/, and appeared to fully warrant .a continuance ,of the. system. He addod:—"Theatrical.organisations were much better treated by the -railway authorities .in Australia than in New'Zoaland. In the Commonwealth it; waif recognised, that tho companies- required-"extra accommodation,, and so special trains were almost invariably furnished, which facilitated matters for all parWith special trains and double, sets .'of scenery an enormous extent of territory, could be covered of playing dates, but we have been' very, fortunate, in that .respect in_ Now Zealand.. ,Ws' have been in the Dominion something, like, ten -.weeks, and have only lost one single night, .and. wo gave ma- .. tineos' regularly all-along 'the line;' that' means a great deal, with a company of over 120 people. ' ' '~"..'..' ' . " '-~''. Holidays. ■'-'■' •■> ■•'■ ■■<■■ Opinion in the commercial community is by no means unanimously in favour of the recommendation' of the Chamber of Com- ' merco that the anniversary days of 'the yiiri- . pus provincial districts - should be-abolished in favour of pnevday'annually to'be known as Doniinion Day.';-'' Old colonists object to tins abolition of thC'lipliday that commemorates' . the] foundation-' ofi the province, as ono of them said: " I should be sorry to see the i day lost sight of, in view of : some change in \ tho; designation'of,Now- 1 Zealand which may \ appeal' to others a greater extent than- it does to mo.. I, was proud of tho. term 'Colony.'" Others, while: agreeing to: a certain extenj:-,;wit-h,,.this view, assert that the;'present, .system.'of holding the anni- , versary days-.of the- respective, provinces 'on | different days is.iiot froma busi- '. ness man's point, of view.-. ','We,observe our ■ holiday on December 16,'! said,one..."-but ; business'people-outside of Canterbury forget the datb, and consequently they aro astoii- , ished when. they, do' not receive prompt re- ;■ plies to their telegrams.' From that point of [ view it "may be desirable to decide upon a '~ suitable. day whereon-tho different anniyer- , sary _days'could he..'observed.'; .If Dominion J Day is to be declared an annual holiday, I . would suggest, that it should be observed on , tho same day as. .the King's Birthaay. The . proclamation of.New Zealand as a Dominion , would ■ then, bo linked for all time ,with the , anniversary of, the King in, whose reign it , was raised to that'status';"' 1 Y.M.C.A. Building Fund. ~' x . ;

An. analysis of the contributions received by the Y.M.C.A. during its recent building fund campaign showsithat 1913 separate subscriptions were-received,'the amounts ranging . from ' sixpence to" Bye, thousand pounds. The totaljßimounced at,tlio end of the campaign, £15,35-1, lias-not.iibeen materially added' to since. .■■..,■'', .....■•:.. ; , , ' A Captain of Industry.' ,\■'"/;.' The "Press,", referring to the k'nighting-of Sir' James, Mills,, remarks that one fcaturo of the honour that is particularly noteworthy is that it is'the first conferred on a Now, Zenland "captain of .'industry. '■'■ Hitherto \ the knighthoods that Jiavei come to. New. .Zealand hpvojbecri'besto.w'cd chiefly, for'■ political services, and it marks: a decided .step .in the Dominion's progress that a private citizen should hayb been singled out for, distinctionat , the'-Kinds, 'dip, "tho" King ' on, account' ofvaluable services;.rendered to, commerce and' .industry. -.' The action may, we hope, be taken- | as a precedent for future honours. ' The. da.y of great riion is. hot.past.., There are, and will.be, no doubt in the tfuturo, New Zcalanders 'deserving of similar'honour,' arid tho, fact that Sir'James'. Mills's, work''on .behalf of.the Dominion'hasf'been thus .recognised opens the way for others to bo distinguished at some future'time. ', * ..:.'". Domestic Workers. ■ ' The Domestic".-Workers Union is delaying taking any further :steps..towards securing its demands until ( tlie employers hare had a little: more, time jh. which to study the ultimatum recently issued.'.by the union. The'.'secretary of the union', told a. press reporter that tho demands were iio't. put forward as feelers. 'They had been Adopted, Vand. the. union apparently means'to stand by, them, i. "If tho' employers do not coine to the conference,'' she said,.."we,:shallih,avo' no option- but to filea dispute. We ; arb sending out notices /to all tho employers W'o.know, but' it is difficult to 'get them. all. ...The: union,will probably "apply to tho Arbitration Court to brfng all employers of domestic, .workers under the award,whether, they have been cited or not. It is' nonsense to talk about tho good feeling existing between; mistresses and their servants. In a great many 'cases' there is too much resentment exhibited'oh both sides; Tho worst thing is tho conditions,.of,service—not tho it is iii order to effect an improvement in the conditions that tlie union has been formed.-;-The -most' trouble is ,in ■ the biggest houses.'.ln the small places the go-: noral is hardest-worked, but then she is-usu-'ally treated, as .one.'.of, the family; but in •the big places the girls have.very long hours, oxtending sqmetiniqs:froin.six o'clock in the morning until.-I:3o.next morning. The com r mittee of the .union meK iiext woek to dis-; cuss tlie. replies..received, from 'the employers, and we'wil lask thVlatter to appoint a committee to discuss the" position "with a committee we will appoint'.'!'.' A.'further question elicited the -statement,, that, several thousand omployers would be cited if a dispute is filed. As to the objections raised by ; the omployers to. the'deminds.'6'f.tho.union, tho.secretary . said: —"Many of. them object to preference to unionists, but that is tho crux of unionism we "shall ■ stick" to it",cvon'if everything else gees. _ Then'.'there is air objection to paying overtime, bjrt we, think that, it would stop a lot of unnecessary work. .Another objection'.is raised ,to the'number of holidays, but the employers; do not understand that'we" offer them the right to give another day in the week instead-of the statutory ■■holiday:' A number of ladies who have written to me have notified' their willingness to. attend the: proposed conference. Others appear to think that the union will fizzle out, but they'are; mistaken. The union-.has been registered for eight months, and:it has now a:membershipof fiftyi' If we get the conditions we are asking,' domestic, service will bo taken by many girls,who now- go;'.not'.,by 'preference," to factories; '" . '~'"