LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 113, 14 May 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The three daily papers in Wellington will not be published on Friday next, the day of the funeral of the late King Edward. __ A number of applicants for unskilled labour in Wellington, reports the Labour Journal, has slowly and steadily increased during the month. This was especially the case towards the latter end, and is accountable for by the influx of men from the country districts. Compared, however, with the same period last year, it is pleasing to report that applicants are not only decidedly less in numbers, but the period of unemployment recorded on their application cards is generally of short duration. To the married applicants able and willing to undertake heavy manual labour, work in the country has been freely offered by the department. Some difficulty has been experienced in arranging for fares of men proceeding to private employment, in consequence of employers being unwilling to share the risk equally with the department. Several men able to pay their fares have been sent, but others have had to let the chance slip in consequence oi' shortness of cash. The Wellington City Council is about to make a ttart with the Wadestown tramway, and it is expected that towards the beginning of next month a fairly large number of men will be employed. No men from outside districts will be required. Bushfellers and scrub-cutlers have been in demand. Summarising the position, the month under review ha* been most satisfactory. With the exception of several single men, the department has been able- to offer work to all deserving applicants for un skilled labour, and for the carpenter, painter, plumber, stonemason, and other workers in the building trade employment has been more freely offered than for many months past, nnd in some trades men have been unobtainable. During the jnonth 57 married and 64 singlemen, with 62 dependants, were sent to Government and private jvork.

Although most of the sports -fixtorea arrauged for this afternoon frave -been postponed, owing to the wet weather, several games will ba played. Reports of these will be published in this even, ii.-g's Sports Edition of The Post. The Edition will also contain anno interest^ ing, special articles and a variety of in* formation relating to sportsvgeneraliy. During the month of April work wat found by the Department ' of Labour, at its various branches, for 58 married men and 182 single men. On account of the death of the Kingvhe annual dinner of the Palmerfitoif North Branch of the Farmers' Union, fixed far-next week, has been indefinitely postponed. Latest returns show that there ara 284 ' artisans and 3278 labourers working for tho Public Works Department intha construction of railways, and 25 artisans and 1271 labourers on road works. There are signs that the exodus from New Zealand to Australia, which took place last winter, will be repeated this year. No fewer than 240 passengers left for Sydney last night by the Moeraki, the number comprising 116 in tho saloon and 124 in the steerage. According to a letter received thia morning from Mr. "Thoreau, provincial secretary of the Farmers' Union in South Canterbury, by Mr. E. C. Jack, the Dominion secretary of that organisation, there is a' good deal of work for faim labourers ana, domestic servants in South Canterbury. Some excellent photographs taken by, Miss Corkrll, of New Plymouth, of tii« "Tattooed Rocks" on the coast near Eaglan aro on exhibition at the Alliance Assurance Company's former offices, Featherston-street. The hieroglyphics or inscriptions with which the rocks are covered are of great interest to archaeologists, and are evidently the resuLt of much labour. Th& Moeraki, which left yesterday, afternoon for Sydney, took a consignment of 56 horses, shipped on behalf of Messrs. Hoult and Son, Feilding, by Mr. Watt. All are medium draught horses, with the exception of one gelding racehorse. Last week the Ulimaroa •took 72 horses, mostly draught, for which there is a corJSsrderable demand in tho Australian market at present. An industrial dispute-* of considerable importance will come before the Cont dilation Cammissioner (Mr. P. Hally) at Masterton on Tuesday. It is that be.tween the sheepfarmers and shearers of the Wellington district. The dispute was filed by the employers last Saturday, and embodies-claims' for a con^ siderable reduction in the shearing rate — from : £!l to 17s 6d^a hundred. Similar claims are apparently being considered in other industrial districts of New Zealand. Assessors have alieady been ap« pointed in -the Wellington case. The member for Hutt (Mr. T. M. Wik ford) waited on the Minister for Railways (Hon. J. A. MillaT) yesterday oq behalf of tho Melling residents, with a request that the second morning train and the- 5.19 p.m. jtrain from To Aro should stop at that, settlement. Mr. Wilford also made a complaint regard-* ing the blocking of Kelly's.-lane, Petone, by railway trucks, a condition of things which sometimes occurs during the whole day. The Minister promised to Jook into both matters, and give a reply later. He would endeavour io settle tho question of train stops at Melling by Monday. Yesterday Mr, Justice Cooper forwarded from Christchnrch his judgment in a Chambers application in the case of H. F. S. King v. Dannevirke Publishing Company. Plaintiff claimed £2000 damages for his alleged wrongful dismissal as managing editor of th© Dannevirko News. In his judgment* his Honour held that the dispute waß one which should go to' arbitration (aa had been provided m the agreement between the parties). ( He ordered a stay of proceedings (as applied for by defendant company) in order that the arbitral tion clziuse should be oonspliecl -witTo, His Honour awarded £2 2s costs against tho plaintiff. Mr. M. Myers appeared for defendants, Mr. D. M. Findlay representing the plaintiff. v Dr. Newman, during the last mouths of his Mayoral term, made very p»i .sistent efforts* to secure cheaper domestic electric light. He noted the difficulty and costliness of installing electricity in the home under the present regulations of the fire insurance companies, and strongly advocated the "free-wirLng" system. To get this a change had to be made in the regulations, and with th» view the council approached a recent conference of underwriters in Wellington. As a result of this the matter has been discussed by the underwriters' inspectors, Messrs. Walker (Auckland!, War© (Wellington), Armstrong (Christchurch), and Slieppard (Dunedin) witk the officers of the City Council, Messrs. Stuarfc Richardson (electrical engineer!, G. LaugbJan (lighting superintendent), and Campbell (inspector). The undco writers' inspectors will report to the executive of the Fire Underwriters' Association, who will consider the report and communicate- accordingly to theCitj Council. It is hoped that the amendments desired by the City Council will be conceded. For several years past complaints have been made in and out of Parliament of the silting up of the Ohinemuri and Waiau Rivers in consequence of the de posit therein of tailings from th© gold mines, and last 6ession the Government gave an undertaking that a Royal Commission would be appointed to enquire fully into tho matter. The commission was appointed by the Governor yesterday evening. Mr. W. Ferguson, formerly engineer of the Wellington Harbour Board, will b'» chairman, and. he will have associated with him the Hon. E. .Mitchelson (Auckland), Mr. F. R. Flatman (Geraldirte), and Sir. C. R. Vickerman (Superintending Engineer Public Worlds Department).' The commission is empowered to enquire into the condition of the tailings deposited in the Ohinemuri and Waiau Rivers, the effect upon the land m tho vicinity and upon navigation; the remedial measures which should- be adopted without injury to any other person, corporation, or interest; the probable cost of carrying out any such recommendations; and whether a proportion of such cost should not' be charged against the revenue derived by local -bodies in the vicinity of the rivers, from the mines using these watercourses as sludge channels. The commission will also be empowered tc enquire generally into the whole question, as it thinks fit. Mi-. P. Galvin, formerly editor of the Mining Journal, has been appointed secretary fco the commission, which will leave for the North on Monday. We care not whether 'Us only a photo o-' a fifty-guinea picture you want framed. We can do the framing to your satisfaction. Kiikcaldie and &wuns, Ltd.— Advt. The approaching comot has bocn r»sponsible for a considerable amount of early rising on the part of people unaccustomed to it. In some instances parties have mado tho ascent of Mount Victoria, gazed upon tho morning star and descended, quite they hmi seen the comet. Mistakes are easily mad«. For example, ladies, when buying Winter Hosiery, unless thoy deal wrth a houso with a reputation to lose, very often fail to obtain reliable goods. The Hosiers' department of C. Smith, Ltd Cuba-street, gives unmistakable vnluo in nil classes of ladies' and children's hosiery Their ladies' black and tan plain cashmere hose, also fine, medium, nnd fanrv ribbed, at Is, Is 3d, Is 6d, is 9d, & to 3s 6d per pair, are tho bost value in the Dominion, and must be worn to be fully appreciated.—Advfc. y

The mails which -left Wellington per &.s. Mokoia on 21st April last, and connected at. Papeete with the s.s. Mariposa, arrived in San Francisco on the 12th inst. A return of Customs dues collected at the port of Wellington for the' week ending to-day shows a total revenue of £6947 13s sd. Beer duty amounted to £196 7s 6d. In connection with the Makara County Council's action in the case of steam wagons using the Ngahauranga Gorge, Mr. F. G. Mace writes to say that he considered the opposition to his wagon was influenced by personal motives, but not necessarily against himself. A reward is offered by Te Aro House for evidence which will assist in the conviction of a record sneak thief. The contemptible person absconded with some yards of the mourning ribbon which had been hung out in respect to the late King. Ihe rebuilding of tho Tuskou rail:" way station, on the line between Auckland and Rotorua, has been authorised by Cabinet. With this work will com,'nenc2 the work of regrading the main line between the two places, in conjunction with the erection of the new yards and statijn. The work will cost about £7000. "Many more engagements could be made if " applicants were willing to tako private service," says the head of the women's branch of the Labour Department, "but almost all the housemaids and waitresses ask for hotel service to be placed against their names. ' The report concludes : — "The oversea boats, Athenic and Tongariro have been met, with the usual result — the emigrants all have positions to go to." A derelict punt threatened to be a nuisance in the harbour yesterday. It was a craft that had once been used for ferrying Pencarrow stone, and had been whisked out by a high tide from its resting" place on the Petone beach. The vagrant drifted down into the fairway, where it could have easily damaged small vessels. Luckily the menace was detected before nightfall, and was towed in by the Harbour Board's tug. Various harbour works are making •teady progress. The wood-blocking of the Clyde-quay wharf has been finished, and there is only some- tidying-up now to be done to make the stcucture ready for use. By Waterloo-quay the great culvert work is nearly completed, and the sea-wall is well advanced. Unfavourable weather has interfered with the eaTth work at the Miramar water-front, but other operations there are making gocd headway. Mr. A. L. Herdman, M.P., has received a letter from the Minister of Public Works, replying to an enquiry concerning the suggestion that has been made that Sydney-street should be taken and added to the Parliament House grounds. The Hon. Mr. M*Kenzio 6ays : — "The Government has no scheme or proposal under consideration at present in connection with these grounds, involving the closing of Syd-ney-street, of which I can give you details." Although the 24th May will not this year be observed as a public holiday, the Education Department has decided that the children attending the- native schools (which are under the direct control of the department) shall Be assembled for half a day and lessons given appropriate to the occasion, — such as the lives of Queen Victoria, King Edward, and King George the Fifth. The Minister of Education (Hon. G.~ Fowlds) jias expressed the opinion that, if it fitF in with the arrangements, schorls vuder'the control of Education Boar.l» might with advantage follow a simikr com se. Yesterday afternoon tho Society for the Protection of the Health of Women and Children held a meeting in the society's rooms, which was presided over' fay Mrs. A. vR. Atkinson. There were also present — Mesdames D. Nathan, C. Izard, A. Hoby, G. Ponsonby, and J. R. Glasson. The society accepted the resignation of Mrs. W. Fell with much regret. A resolution was passed expressing the sorrow of the society in the-deatli of His Majesty King Edward tho Seventh, and its condolence with the Queen Mother and her children. A number of cases of alleged neglect of -women and children were reported upon. The following subscriptions were acknowledged with thanks : — Mrs. D. Nathan, Mrs. J. W. Joynt, each 21s; Mrs. Hunter Jack, Mr. C. B. Morrison, each 20s; Mrs. W. Fell, 10s; Mrs. D. Jones, Mr. A. Dunn, Mr. J. J. Curtis, "Te Aro," each ss; also stationery from Mr. ghand. Alterations in the date of public holi- j clays are inevitable consequent on the ' death of Edward VII., and in reply to numerous enquiries Mr. W. Pryor, gecretary of the New Zealand Employers' Association, has communicated with the various employers' associations informing them that he has been advised that although Prince Edward's biTthday is on 23rd June he is not legally Prince of Wales until created such, by Parliament. It is doubtful, therefore, if the observance of any day as the- Prince of Wales's birthday, where specified in* industrial awards, will be necessary until the title has been conferred on the 'King's eldest son. Mr. Pryor has advisee 1 that so far as this year is concerned where Empire Day or the Priflce of Wales'* "Birthday are made award' holidays, efforts should be made to arrange with the unions interested to observe the day of the late King's funeral in lieu of either of the above days. As the day of the funeral has been gazetted a Government public holiday, shopkeepers will bo saved the necessity of being closed for the usual half-holiday.