NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 317, 2 October 1908, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(DI TEtEGItArn—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND POST OFFICE CASES. Auckland, September 30. At the meeting of the Trades and Labour Council to-night a letter was read from the General Secretary of the Postal Department, stating that the council's letter with reference to the recent post office cases was receiving due consideration, and a reply would be forwarded when a decision wag arrived at. .The president (Mr. Arthur Rosser) said that notwithstanding the statement of' the t * n * s^r there was nothing which called for consideration, ho had been informed by several of the employees here that the decision in the Supreme Court was. a fair that the two. youths had been persecuted by a superior officer. This confirmed him in his previous opinion that the course the council had adopted was a right one, but ho supposed they would not get any further satisfaction. Several delegates urged that further action should bo taken, but nothing was done. MISSING YACHT. » i , c,s "orne, October 1. A coat, identified as belonging to Olsen, oM u ° f ,® two missing fishermen of the yacht Meteor, which went out from Gisborne three weeks ago and has not returned, has been picked up on the beach; tothe W yacht° eS ° f ' )oard 6U PP°sed to belong NEW PLYMOUTH CUSTOMS REVENUE. , New Plymouth, October 1. Ihe Customs revenue .at this port . last ' month was £4497. The previous highest 7 » W . a s, m September, 1907, when £3882 was collected. ■ . PRESERVATION OF INFANT LIFE. r> t?' l t\* 9 h . ristohu roh, October 1. •Dr. Finch, District Health Officer,, is a. strong believer in the present mode of carrving on the operations of tie local society, which has voluntary shouldered the responsibility of spreading knowledge, tending to the preservation of infant life. Speakin| at the Choral Hall last night, Dr. Finch said-it, would be a thousand pities if work of such a_ character were. placed under the control of the Government Department. He was at ' a loss to conceive which particular branch of btate-undertakings it could be controlled bv. it might be by the Health department, or it might be by tho Mines Department, or Stock Department. . : ARTHUR'S PASS T.UNNEL. Christchurch, October, 1. Up to yesterday the Arthur's Pass tunnnJ had been driven in 730 feet. THE SCAFFOLDING ACT; : „ , Christchurch, October 1. ine Corporation of Invercargill has writ* ten to the Christchurch City Couiicil asking its co-operation in obtaining a modification of the Scaffolding Act, 1906, in the direction of giving the inspectors discretionary powers, as to the bedding of scaffolding poles in' asphalt. .It was pointed out that this regulation meant useless damage to. asphalt footpaths, as the poles 'could be secured just as well in most cases without resorting/to this method. , ~ A DISTRESSED IMMIGRANT. ... Palmerston North, October 1. • The telegram sent yesterday in reference to the experience of a recent arrival from •England of the effect of the Arbitration Court awards promptly evoked a sympathetic response from Gisborne. the Salvation Army officer here, receiving this morning 'an- offer from a Gisborne business man- of a' billet and passago paid to Gisborne. The army authorities had, however, in the meantime, found the new chum a suitable position'in a local restaurant. • - ' . . .il'M iMi ,J : HEALTH .OF ' . ' Auckland, October :.1. : , At the meeting of tho Hospital Board, to* night, it was decided to draw the ; attention of the Government to the necessity. for, ; more stringent examination as to the health and financial position of immigrants. In the course of discussion it was shown that during the last six ■ years fifty cases, involving ninety-four persons,' had become a charge on the rates,. all these, being recent immigrants. ' Included in these were seventeen cases' o f consumption, \ . A "LIFE" SCHOOL. ■ Auckland, October li The Auckland Society 'of' Arts 'has decidfif to refer to tho incoming committee a request v from the Auckland: art students for. assist* anco in the movement for the establishment .of a "life",school. ; i\: , THE ARBITRATION ACT. < >' ■ ' • Auckland, September 30. In a. letter from the Minister for Labour, ■ read at to-night's meeting of the .Trades ana' Labour Council, the Minister stated that under the Arbitration Act no class of labour:• was excluded from its provisions. The statement gave rise to considerable discussion, '"i members desiring to'know'whether tho Minis-' : ter meant the present or the proposed new Act, and, if the former, how he reconciled his statement with the decision' in 1 the farm ' labourers' dispute. • The president (Mr. Arthur.. Rosser) re- ' marked that while farm labourers were included in the new Aet> domestic servants had been excluded at the Minister's 1 own suggestion, he having got a provision in- , sorted, whereby workers were defined as all persons employed for direct pecuniary gain or profit. This, declared the speaker, nad been inserted with the deliberate intention of shutting out'domestic servants, because it was contended that they , were not employed for direct profit or - pecuniary gain. He thought that the , Minister's .attention • should bo drawn to this, and he moved ','That the- Minister for Labour-'be fesked how he reconciles tho statement in ; his letter with the fact that farm labourers wert refused an award' under the present Act, and the domestic servants are to be refused status under the new Act.", The motion was carried. NEWS IN BRIEF. Christchurch, October 1. On the arrival of the Maheuo at Lyttelton this morning, Detective Hammond arrested a seaman on a charge of assaulting the police at Port Chalmers yesterday. The man was sent south by tho express. The smoke concert in connection with, the presentation of trophies by the Canterbury Rugby Union, which was to have been held to-morrow evening, has been postponed indefinitely on account of the death of Mt R. G. Deans..