Page 6 Advertisements Column 3

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 87, 12 April 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL, It k understood that a conference of three of the candidates for the Mayoralty of Wellington was held this morning. Messrs. John Smith (ActingMayor), R. A. Wright, and A. S. Bis* attended. The question before the meeting was whether the contest could nob be simplified by the withdrawal of two of the candidates named. We learn that all three gentlemen were firm in their intention to go through with the matter, leaving it to the electors for their solution. The values of exports of the principal New Zealand products for the month ol ilarch show a shrinkage of £27,241 for the month, but for the twelve months ended 31st March, the shortage amounts to £2,320,032, the difference between the total value for the past twelve months of £17.,626,946 and £19,946,978, the value set on the total of the chief exports for the year ended 31st March, 1911. The Wellington portion of the Australian mail aboard the s.s. Victoria, which left Sydney at 7 p.m. on the 10th instant 'for Auckland, is due to arrive here by Main Trunk on Monday next. The Town Clerk (Mr. Jno. R. Palmer) notifie6 that the Wainui-o-mata waterworks catchment area, containing 6500 acres has' been exempted from the area, in which deer may be shot. Proceedings will be taken against anyone shooting on the land. It is not generally known that under the truck provisions of the Wages Protection and Contractors Liens Act it is illegal for assistants to be paid wages by means of crossed cheques. For pay.ing an assistant in this manner Norton Smith, licensee of the Palace Hotel, was fined ss, with costs 9s, by Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court to-day. Sir Robert Anderson, who ha* been" twice Mayor of Belfast, _ and is now chairman of- the corporation tramways in the capital of Ulster, stated to an iuterviewcr in Christchurch that there are about 300 cars and 1000 men employed in the Belfast tramways. The sye'^m ♦•* run at a -»otit, and this year about £!20,000 i is being given from th« tramway earnings t /&vd& the relief of the rates. Tho ''ystein cost about £1,250,000 to insfcu. He eaid he vvau much otruck with the up-to-date systems he had seen in New Zealand. People aye asking whether it is true that a epy was arrested at Otago Heads on Suuday. The tale arises out of a very simple occurrence, relates a Dunedin paper. An administrative officer in the service of one of the big public institutions is an ardent photographer, and always takes his camera when he goes ttbont. He went to the heads on a ferry boat and was about to 6tep ashore when an artilleryman politely but firmly ordered the master of the vessel to otop the camera from being passed over the rail. Protestations or innocent intent served no purpose, and the soldier was also immovable when told that the instrument would only be used about the •beach. The orders were that no cameras were to be landed, and that was an end of it. The incident created eotne amusement amongst the passengers. i The price of coal was again under discussion at the Trades Councils' Conference to-day. It was hinted by Mr. G. R. Whiting that the rke in price of coal was due to some combination of interests which possibly exerted some influence over the State Coal Department. Whether that was so or not. Mr. Whiting insisted that the whole position should be investigated by the executive of the United Labour Party with a view to ascertaining the true fact*. Mr. Sullivan, another Canterbury delegate, declared that it was useless to look for a vigorous administration of the State coal enterprise so long as they had a party _in power which was compelled to initiate the enterprise by virtue of the pressure of public opinion and not j because it believed in the principle of ! the departure. Jt was decided to refer the matter to the United Labour Party, with power to act in any direction deemed necessary. In respect to most of the leading trades enquiries go to show that the position at present is very satisfactory. The Labour Department reports that there appears to do a demand for carpenters in coun try districts, especially in Marlborough and Taranaki, and they are difficult to obtain at any rate, from . Wellington. Plumbers are still in demand, and it is almost impossible to get men to go to country' engagements. Some applications for hands have been on the books fov weeks, but the men are not 'available. There are no painters on the books of the department. Building trades labour ers are finding some difficulty in obtaining employment, but the difficulty is not yet pronounced. Before going to any work in tho country men arc stipulating on fares being guaranteed both Ways. Seeing that some of tho jobs only lust three or four months tho department does not consider tho elipulatioji unreasonable, especially in view of the fact that work in Wellington is fairly stoftdy. The compilation of iho Lower lhrit municipal roll has been completed. There as a total of 450 new nnmes, which is taken as evidence of an increased interest in local affairs. Tho conte&t, fov th<x Mayoral election is expected to be. paiticularly keen. Returns of land uikUh* tlu» Land niul Income Assossment Act iuu.il. bo soul iv by the Ist of May next. The estates of fifty-nine deceased persons were placed under tho ohnrgo of tho Public Trusloe during llio month of March. Afternoon Gowiu, including quilo a number of beautiful mmM <hc,v*\<>, mo oftVrpd by KitUc.iklu' nmi Ktrtiiu., },t<l,, .it 30s Gd to b uunwa-v Thy slmo will dose to*miirrou (^Aiuutaj.) iU 1 p.m., 4i> usual.— Advv.