AUCKLAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 53, 26 November 1907, Page 6

AUCKLAND.

,r• .' . 1 -. .' . November 25. ) ■ The question of prohibiting, smoking on the 1 ; wharves "was; brought up at* v the' Board meeting., r Miv Napier remarked that « . the Board should frame byliiws to present the practice.- Mr.'Bradriey thought that such a 1 bylaw would be extremely difficult to carry < out. Mr. Kneeri was opinion that it would • be;, a wrong step', to - try to' prohibit 'smoking . .pn Jhe wharves altogether ._ 'It would be quite efficient to prevent smoking in the holds of • .vessels. The chairman remarked that he had ' ■?ieeh two men on the wharf leaning on inflam- - liable material, and bothiwere sm.oking; 'Mr. fintrican.. statea...that two'; days ago tho har- 1 ' bourmaster found , a lira undergone .of the doors, caused by someone dropping a match. It was resolved to refer the question to. the • by-laws committee.. .At the same .mepting ; the matter of the control "of the Railway j A.which has been in question .as , jetween tlje Board and the Railway Department; i. was >lso referred to. Mr. Napier said ' ie 1 h'&d'had' a" conference with the General ' Manager for Railways, in Wellington; relative : to the . questions that) had arisen on this subject, and Mr. Ronayno thought- it would <db better to liavo an agreement for ; months. Mr. Ronayne had, one prepared, but' he (Mr. Napier) would not agree to it, as it. was. something like.that .in.Wellington, where they received and delivered all the ' cargo. "Mr. Ronayne:.recognised, that' a similar arrangement would not work;, here, and '■tlicn said, it would be bettor to, send Mr. 1 Buxton up to interview the Board and, draft . Mr ..Buxton would ho here in, a week or. ten days. Mr. Ronayne had snid :he was advised that one: line of rails ■would be sufficient in Quay. Street,- but whpn . the liability of traffic .getting flocked was pointed out, Mr. llonayne said he would put •down a double"lino, if the Board would pay . s ':Jialf the cost,of .'the extra line. TKe question PlSas deferred 'till Mr. Buxton's arrival. A • Vigommittee is to go,into the question. vaotorias Act. 1 : Apropos of the Factories Bill, the "Herald" Eajs editorially: "We cannot oxpect to have practical and reasonable legislation unless tho public is enabled to follow the course of a bill . through Parliament; and to express an opi'flion "upon any alterations and amendments .which are inserted in the original draft: before these are finally determined.' :It is; as . >lesii'(il)le,.in fact, that the country should be consulted upon legislation as that tho'HouSe ■should bo consulted; a claim which is being • gradually admitted as far as . bills themselves ' are, concernedj biit is still disregarded in its application to drastic amendment. Tho factories. Act. Amendment Bill affords a glar-' ing instaiico: of this, for, although in the original bill, ,wages were fixed at - a weekly "rate," it passed,the Council in the last week ' of the session so altered that a weekly wage prould have to be paid whether a full/week r was! worked "or not. -'.This greatly affects, tho •holiday customs of the Auckland factories, rtrid in fhis will react detrimentally to the inrteiobts of the employees,.aud it also interferes '■ unnecessarily with the running ■ of > factories ,<in short timo, a mothod inevitable during the /slack season.' This important alteration was ' euddenlj sprung upon the in measure tor which there is.no urgency -wh'.tt- , 'ever. It is of paramount importance that ithere should be no uncallodrfsi: interference) ; with industrial conditions, aiid for Pariiamake such a serious'alteration without giving those deeply interested .a.-reason-able .opportunity to. oxplajn its v efFccts upon '! industry- is an example of an altogether per- ' nicious system. , Melanesia. ' Regarding the just-completed'-cruiso. oftho ' "Southern Cross" amongst the islands, tho ' Norfolk Island correspondent of tho "Herald" states that the Bishop of Molanesia reported to him that' he foundeverything going on satisfactorily.'' The; ship;' in ' _h*er ten ; voyage made 136 calls at stations; a"hd a great • deal of useful work was done. The lady missionaries .the Solomons, and Ney ."Hebrides , . are;doing.good work. Four-new Jiouses.hayc ; been "built by Norfolk 'Island', carpenters , at i Raga Moto, Santa Cru?-, and TJlawa. which I will v improve the health! and. comfort of the, missionaries. Probably on account of tho unsettled state of affairs owing to the Kanaka ! returns, it was found difficult to got. boys to ..-■come to Norfolk Island. However, over (50 ' natives camo up in the vessel. Tho/ Southern Cross" has ; brought back a feit.missionaries, some for work in Norfolk.lsla.nd, .and some on furlough. An interesting featuro of the voyage was the .visit of tho liov. 11. .A. Hawkins, tho i Maori missionary in tho' Auckland diocese, and Hohi, a Maori priest, to investigate tho > languages of the Polynesian Islanders of Takopia, Sikaiaoa, Belwoa, and the Reef Islands," and th'cir relation to the Maori- language. There are hopes of a Maori missionary being sent next year.- -. .•' •" - .