LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 63, 8 December 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"When 6ix o'clock closing was mooted first," said the union advocate in the Arbitration Court yeterday, during th« hearing of the licensed hotel -torkeiV dispute, "I thought with the employer* that it would have a disastrous effect on Hie industry, aud would throw hundreds of workers out of employment. However, six o'clock closing has made mora work than ever liefore. To-day, there are more persons employed in bars than before the early cloning law came into force. There are bars all over some hotels, special bars built in every available corner, as a result of the decreased hours."

Itr. Justice Stringer, nicely interrupted some "stonewalling" in tho Arbitration Court during the hearing of the Wellington licensed hotel workers' dispute yeßterdny. The workers' advocate had challenged the voracity of a certain table of figures quoted by his opponent tor tho employers, and had commenced to read out the figures to himself while the other advocates stood waiting. Sir. Justice Stringer listened for a moafent, and then said: "Is this a soli)ii|.uy, Mr. ?" "I beg your pardon Your Honour," stammered the astonished. advocate. "I repeat," said the Judge, "is this a soliliquy? ' For if you are addressing me, I can't hear. If not, let Jfr continue his address." . Ho did,'. ' During tho visit of Lord Jellicoo to Hastings a bibulous individual made a semi-coherent interjection while the Gov-ernor-Genera! was delivering an address. "I beg your pardon," said the Admiral. The inferjector was somewhat taken aback at being taken 6uch direct notice of, but having obviously previously acquired courage of the variety which is reputed to come from the Netherlands, repeated his question: "Why didn't you ston at Home?" "Because His Majesty the" King sent mo here," replied the Admiral quietly. "And I repeat," continued His Excellency, "that it is n great pleasure to me to come here, in spite of the fact that (looking in .search of his questioner) there is ono gentleman in Hastings who is not pleased to sec me. Oh, I'm afraid he is gone." (Laughter.)

Addressing tho congregation at a service in an Auckland theatre, the first delivered to his old congregation since his removal from St. Andrew's Church, the Rev. A. A. Hurray eaid: "Don't think for a moment that I am going to launch a broadside against the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. Let me assuro vou that I am not here to launch broadsides against the Church into which T was born, and under which I was trained and educated. We are hero not as a' little sect that has broken away from a creed. I am not the founder of a new sect. You all know perfectly well that it was my wish to remain where I was, and you did your utmost to make it possible for me to remain there to carry out the work which we believed God had entrusted to us; but we were cast out. We aro not now seeking popularity, nor are we here in a spirit of competition." . . . Wo aro going to stand firmly tor liberty of conscience, and wo believe that if wo stand solidly for this in the spirit of love God will Mesa its. We we not going to exclude from membership those who do not see eve to eye with us. It was for this very reason I was put but of the. Church. We aro not going to, make the great error we believe the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand made. AVe are here without bricks and mortar. AVe have no mo-Ttv and no General Assembly at thelrack of us, wc have God; and we have everything." Information that auction sales of timber have taken place in various parts of tho Dominion has been received by the Board of Trade, states the "New Zealand Herald." Apparently this limber was delivered to the purchasers without the production of a permit in terms of the building regulations being demanded It w explained by the board that this j» a breach of the regulations, and any person receiving or delivering timber in 6iieh circumstance* is liable to the penalties prescribed, for such an offence. It is the intention of tho board to institute proceedings against anyone found infringing the regulations in this or any otlior manner. Tho Now Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has decided to recommend Februay 10 to the Auckland centre, as the date fiwd for the Sw Zealand championship*.

It was anouuced yesterday in the Court of Arbitration that iu all probability iurthcr (applications on special grounds for tho 9s. bonus would be dealt with on Thursday. From a statement made by J Lis Honour Sir., .histtu-; ! Stringer, very likely eoiittideraticfti of tho claim will bo ttill further postponed until Monday next. A case, affecting restaurant employees will be healt with at nine o'clock this morning. hi the Wanganui Magistrate's Court .yesterday J. Cameron, licensee of tho Hcd J.ion Hotel, was lined X's for underpaying a waitress, and .£lO for failing to pay a bonus of 10b. per week to a porter.—Press Assn. For the last twelve years wo liavo never asked for an increase in wages for our chefs and second cooks," said Mr. E. Kennedy in the Arbitration Court ycslorduy, while appearing for the A\ellington licensed hotel workers in their dispute. "In IMS, I think it was, that class of worker received a 2s. lid. a. week increase" At tho annual meeting of the Petone Ambulance Van Committee Inst evening the following: officers were elected for the ensuing year:—Messrs. \V. Clark (l'orestor), K. .). Cruickshanks (Oddfellows), \Y. B. Gough (Druids), sec., Jliss Cochran* (Xursing Division), and Messrs. W- B. Nicholson, White, and Greenfield (senoral public). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle delivered his first lecture on spiritualism in tho Auckland Town Hall last night. The building was crowded., and the lecturer held the I(U'Re v audience in the grip of lus earnestness throughout tho evening. He dealt at length with the result "of his personal investigations into tho realms of spiritualism.—Press Assn.

On Saturday morning a Christchurcli man advertised ft house to let in Southey Street. The papor containing- the advertisement was published in the small hours of the morning. At exactly i a.n). tho householder's telephone rang. Jhe wife e;ot up, went to tho telephone, and a male voice said: "I'm making sure or getting: that house in Southey Slieet. Shortly after daybreak other applicants commenced to arrive. At breakfast time, when the husband rose, there were queues at the back and front doors, and others at the front gate, while the telephono bell was ringing almost continuously. "I'll fetch the rent-book along now," said one enthusiast, "and we'll make a start straight away." "Havo you let the house?" the advertiser was asked later. "I couldn't stand it," he replied. "I got out. I don't know exactly what to do. I daren't go home for them." A later bulletin indicated that the house 'had been let.

The shipowners' reply to a recent demand of tho Seamen's Union for an increase in wages of £2 a monili was that tho matter would be held in abeyance till the Arbitration Court had made known its decision regarding the 9s. cKwt-oMivhiK bonus. The secretary of the Seamen's Federation, Mr. W. T. Young, staved yesterday that whatever the Court might decide the seamen were Ilrm in their demand that they should have tho same spending power as they had in 1911. At the present time, he said, -Jiey were- short by about 40s. It was important to note that the seamen had not participated in the bonuses already granted by the Court this year. .Af-.'jr reading the statement (published yesterday) of -.(lie educationist who believed that the promotion of teachers according to grading was going to be a bad thing for the children in the schools, Mr. 11. A. Parkinson (secretary of lihe New Zealand Educational Institute) told ii Dominion reporter that the educationist referred to had not made himself acquainted with the facts of the case. "'L'he rapid change of teachers from one position to another," said Mr. Parkinson, "has been going on for many years past anil the recent change in the' law will'not affect it in the least. The only effect of lihe change will be that the teacher most worthy of promotion will bo promoted. The number of changes depends, not on the making of appointments bv grading, but that on the fact Vliat. positions are determined by average attendance, and on another fact, that there are too many paltry steps in the scale. There are several indications in tho remarks of {he educationist that he has nnlv the most superficial kuowIcdse of his' subject, but he became really fmuiv in liis last phr.ase, where he spoke of the 'aggrandisement of the teacher. 'Aggrandisement' is a good word to apply to a service in which about half of tho assistants receive less than tho minimum wages of drapers' assistants. . and nearly one-third of them less than the wages of tram conductors."

At Hie annual meeting of Christ's ColIce Old Boys' Association it was unanimously decided W) support the protest being ' made by the acting-headmaster against the proposed abolition by Hie Defence Department of distinctive nuspireea '"■torn, by secondary school cadets. It was also decided to invite tfto- co-operation of the principal secondary schools in the Dominion in the protest. The secretary of the, association ha* now been advised by Brigadier-Gen-eral 'Richardson, in charge of administration, that instructions have been issued to all officei-s commanding districts that the cadets of secondary schools may re-, tain their distinctive cadet pugnrees, the cost of same to bo provided from maintenance grants.—Press Assn. There was a surprised niotorman in Queon Street the other morning, states the Auckland "Star." Ho had left tho stop at the comer of Queen and Customs Streets and was apparently swinging tho ear on'to the higher speeds when there was a report!, and the control box, the half-barrel looking arrangement* on the platform through which the current is regulated to the motors, burst into flame and gave off denso clouds of smoke. It burnt itself ouii in a few seconds, but still continued to smoke for some time. Tho car being thus disabled another trnmcar came up behind and pushed tho lame duck up the street out of the way. Tho moibrman apparently escaped with a big surprise. As he was necesBarily standing, right alongside tho controt 'box when it blew oAvt it is surprising he was not severely burned. Children are often most amusing when most serious, and Miss Louise Mack has found this out in her lectures to children which she lias delivered all over New Zealand under the auspices of the Education Board. The lecturo often becomes a talk. When speaking of Germnnv in her- travel tnlk she asked her small auditors: "Can you give mo the name of tho Emperor of Germany?" "Mr. Massey," promptly responded one small patriotic youngster. On another occasion sho nslted the small audience: "Can ; you tell me who won .the war?" Up went a hand from a wistful little girl in the front benches. "Well, my dear, who was it?" "My brother," proudly responded tho fragile child.