LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 86, 11 April 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It ifi estimated that the" cost of the new motor cars and now motor cycles registered in Wellington last financial year was between £50,000 and £60,000. The number of new motor cars was 108j while 174 new motor cycles were registered. It is the intention of Councillor Fuller to inov« as follows at the meeting of the City Council next Thursday :— "That a deputation, consisting of the Mayor and citizens, wait upon the new Minister for Railways with regard to the early rommenconienfc and completion of the new Wellington Central Railway Station." Should tho Workers Dwellingo Act bo amended no as to provide for workers choosing > their own sections when about to build under the benefits conceded by the Act? This point came before tho Trades Councils' Conference to-day. Delegates agreed that there were two sides to the question. The main objection to individual selection advanced by the Department appears to be this : That individual buying would raiee the price of land, and make tho coefc of labour much greater than is the case where a block of land is first purchased by tho -State and subdivided afterwards. Mr. W. Naughton urged that the present maximum limit of advance should be incresaed. It wae pointed out by the president of the conference, the Hon. J. T. Paul, that the object of the Government in building in blocks wae to reduce the cost of tho buildings to the lowest possible margin. After further discussion, it Was agreed that "The Act should be amended "to allow workers to build where they desire."

"I am strongly iv favour of preference to unionists and hope it will bo made a part ot tho law, declared the Hon. G. Laurenson (Minister for Labour), when replying to the timber workers' deputation to-day. Mr. E. Phelan (president of the workers' conference) : "You win get over the Labour troubles if you do that." Mr. Laurcnson hoped this would be^so. The dclvgaWs expressed their approval of the Minister's sentiments. Replying to a. deputation of timber workers' delegates to-day, tho Miniate! for Labour (the Hon. G. Laurenson) expressed himself as heartily in sympathy with a request, that employers enould be required to maintain an ambulance kit at all country mills, yards, and bushes. The -Lyttelton Harbour Board, he said, had subscribed to the funds of the St. John Ambulance Association and complete sets of the necessary equipment wero placed about the wharves. Wherever men wero congregated in dangerous avocations a medicine chcot, etc., should be deposited at a convenient spot. (" Hear, hear.' ) Advice has been received by the Postal Department that wonio of the mails which were burnt on a mail tTsrin near Brisbane on Saturday were from Now Zealand. Letter bags from Dunedin and Christchurch to Brisbane, the contents of which were unknown, were burned, but the content* of mail bage from Auckland to Hongkong, and from Wellington to Kobe, Japan, are in fair order, the registered letters being intact. The parcel mail from Wellington to Hongkong wae badly damaged, but the insured parcels aro intact, and the Wellington to Brisbane newspaper mail 16 in fair order. « A great deal of discussion has taken place among tourists and others making the round trip in the Hot Lakes district as to the unusual tameness of the wild duck ■ and other birds in evidence on Lake Rotomtinana. A Rotorua paper states that many have expressed the opinion that it would be only commcoi mercy to the unsuspicious wild fowl to proclaim the lake a sanctuary for their kind. It is stated that the birds in question follow in large numbers launches traversing the lake, , giving passengers much pleasure 4n feeding them. By Gome their advent is eagerly looked for, and, it is asserted, they aro an important factor in the general popularity of the trip. Tho matter has been represented to headquarters in Wellington. When replying to tho welcome es* tended to him by the Trades Councilo' Conference yesterday, tho Minister of Labour (tho Hon. G. Lau»enson) furnished delegates with some advance statistics concerning industrial affairs. Iv 1911, he said, there were 44,480 employers of workers in New Zealand. The number of persons in business, but not employing workers, was estimated at 52,064. while 237,225 persons w«.'e working tor wages. Relatives assisting employers' totalled 22,948, a grand total of 326,717. In 1906 it was estimated that there were 8281 pereons unemploy* cd. The figuree in this connection for tho current period were not available, but it wae confidently anticipated that they would show v, great improvement. As far as the primary industries wero concerned, it was estimated that 123,906 people, were ongaged in farming and mining pursuits. The total number of people engaged in tho Postal and Railway Departments and in providing means of communication was estimated at 31,000. In shops and w^rrehoußea 47,000 persons were employed, and 135,000 persons were engaged in manufacturing, i _ Labour apparently feels that it* political _ and other interests are not kept sufficiently prominently before the Government. At the Trades Councils' Conference to-day, Mr. Burgoyne (Canterbury) moved — "That the conference desires some systematic method of keeping constantly before the Government the decisions of tho conference in reference to amendments of industrial legislation." He suggested that "a permanent deputation should, bo set up in each contre t for the purpose of keeping constantly in touch with Ministers. Mr. Muir (Wellington) proposed that ' the conlerenee should s take into consideration tho necessity of appointing an agent to be stationed at the seat of government to look after the interests of the workers, both politically and industrially. Tho employers, ho said, had an agent, who practically lived on th© doorstep of Parliament. Labour should also have an agent, to put its views and claims before members of the Hove© when tjhey were most accessible. Th© motion was withdrawn, and Mr. Muir's suggestion, in a elightiy amended torm, was referred to tho United Labour Party in tho shape of a recommendation. Travellers by train or boat can avoid all discomfort by checking their baggage through the New Zealand Expreee Company. Tels. 92, 2410, 1333, 3068. — Advt. Unpalatable as tho reoent utterances of Mr. Churchill in reference to the naval situation in Europe undoubtedly is to our rivals on the Continent, its main effect has boen to satisfy tho nation and consolidate tho faith whioh it roposos in those by whom it ljas entrusted the solemn ohargo of the maintenance of tho nation's naval supremacy. That thoy will sea to it that the British Navy is kept supreme, this statesman like policy leaves no doubt. It scorns that_ the oversea dominions are more fully realising that tho economies of our vast colonial trade are only secured by the unchallenged character of tho British Navy. This is simply illustrated by tho welcome given to a very large shiwj&Hnt of "Dreadnought Serges" at C. SH*fcl«» Ltd., Cuba-street — solid British weaves, fast navy dye. These goods present themselves to you aa the very last work in navy eerges. Six qualities— -3s 3d, 3s 6d, 3s 9d, 3s lid, 4» 3d, 4s lid yd.-Advt.