HASTINGS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9939, 10 December 1900, Page 8

HASTINGS.

[own correspondent.] The result ot the adjourned meeting of the Heretaunga Dairy Company .hows that the Tastings people _ only want waking up to attend to their interests. The meeting on Saturday night, presided | over by Mr T. Ciosse, managing director, was brief and Very much to the purpose. J It was suggested at the previous meeting, I held last Tuesday, that the Saturday n ; ght meeting would probably f_il m securing the attendance of so many shareholders. This, was not so, it being successful in every way. Tbe adjournment w?,s practically for the purpose of ascert?.ining whether the milk suppliers thenis'eh-es would take shares, for in no other; way could the factory be maintained.. Up to this the milk suppliers as sh?, re holders have been in the minority. The majority of share- 5 holders were thosf.. w ho had put money | ioto the company for the benefit of the| district, and wi' 4 h only a remote hope _f' recouping ther .selves by a dividend. At the last meeting, Captain Russell' voiced: the feeling 0 f the outside shareholders when he s? _,_ that they understood that the factr, r y waa to be a co-operative one, which' U p to this it has not been. As I said a'fc the outset, the real question was whether the milk suppliers would take up 'sufficient shares to carry on -ie comP»' >y as an up-to-date coueern. Mr B. S*7are, secretary, was empowered to? ••collect evidence on this point. Theevi->: dence is egw forthcomi.egin as extremely j satisfactory way, foe -over 500 shares j have been taken up. _cur hundred would _aye been sufficient to carry en, 700 being the maximum. The outcome of '.hi- was that the -followingresolution, proposed by Caprain Rnssell and seci -onded by Mr R. Wellwood, was carried ! uaa-imously :— ■" ThAt the shareholders : are prepared to i~nd additional capital to . put the factory on asi efficient 'basis." The question isf the-directorate was also <a 'matter of consideration. The present directorate, in view «of the new state of ; -flairs, generously ottered to resign so as \*o allow the milk suppliers to -act as di- ! rectors. This was not approved by the • meeting, as the services of the present | directors were highly appreciated. It . was, however, resolved, on ithe motion of Mr Holmes (Havelock), that it be a recommendation, under rule 64, to elect three additional directors, the same to b3 milk-suppliers. These resolutions veto, the suggestions of amalgamation with 1 other factories,-* of sale, and of lease. The Mounted Riiies will go under 1 canvas to-night, whatever the weather may he like. X-he'Q-ueen'a lodgings in Hastings con- ! sist-ef two apartments. These have had Ito do duty for four lodgers since • Sal _rd*y. The tenants appeared before ' Messrs_eilby and Dennett, J.'sP., this I merning, when three of them, being con- " aidered first offenders (-that is, not having ' bean up for the previous six months), J were convicted aud discharged. The 7 fourth, Ropohana Oteri, was less fortu- -,' nete He vvaa fined 10s for being drunk % na Saturday last, costs ot Court 2s, cab 3 fare-2s, or seven days. For committing • an act of indecency in front of the Bank 3 of New South Wales he was sentenced -'*■ to one month's imprisonment in Napier 8 ; .gaol without the option of a fine, the **■ sentences to be concurrent. ">'; The fancy fair on Saturday night on s< behalf of the school grounds fund was, c ; if possible, more successful than on Frif, day evening. There was scarcely stand • s ing room in the Princess Theatre. Mr A. L. D. Fraser. M.H.R. for Napier, was served with a notice to-day ~ by Mr Skerrett, clerk of the Court, that he had forfeited his seat as a member of the Hawke's Bay Licensing Com- ~ mittee through having been absent *.' for two consecutive meetings. Mr ■ Fiarer was unavoidably absent on one a occasion, owing to his Parliamentary 'duties. Through a defect in the _3t, such as the blunder about the quorum, ' no provision is tnade for leave of absence. \. The matter is now in the hands of the [. Gove-, nor, who will no doubt reappoint ' Mr Fraser. There has been much said lately about [ the Saturday half-holiday. It seems reasonable at first sight that ©bservanee ■ of the holiday on one fixed day should be compulsory everywhere. If it were '. made so people would, no doubt, get " used to it, and circumstances would soon ' ■ adjust themselves. But between Hastings and Napier in this matter there is a wide gulf. Wheu people are working in a townsh'p it d< es not matter whether '. Saturday or any other day is the wages «iay, and consequently the market day. But Hastings-has only a limited dependence on is local customers. We have no factories i-.-the ordinary sense, although there are two or three important industries. Aec-;iding to the Factory Act two or thiee boys aud the boss are technically a factory. Therefore the Hastings trade is mainly from outside, from the stations which outly in all directions. The employes on these leave work early on Saturdays, and come in to Hastings to do their shopping. The managers of these stations could not possibly allow their employes to leave work early on another p±y day, because that would mean two half-holidays per week, which even the liberal legislature of this colony does not contemplate. As I said at first, matters would have to adjust themselves somehow, but the difficulty does not seem easily surmountable in Hastings.