STATIONMASTER'S DISMISSAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 11, 12 July 1912, Page 3

STATIONMASTER'S DISMISSAL

CASI3 BEFORE RAILWAY APPEAL • - BOARD. REDUCEITIN GRADE., Last evening the Railway Appe&J Boardf heard the*> appeal of Thomas Henry Stubbs, relieving officer in the Auckland district, againßt his dismissal from the service. Dr. A. M' Arthur, S.M., presided, and with him wore Messrs C. P Ryan and! P. Games. Mr M. Dennehy appeared for the . appellant, . and Mr H. Davidson ra» presented tho Department. It'waß alleged by the Department that while acting as relieving stationmaiter at Taupiri, plaintiff left tho main Tp<»ntß partly open, with tho result that att"'engino and three wagons left the railfe/ . It appeared ,that the guard of another train, had omitted to olobo the point* properly. The question at the Departmental enquiry , was us to who was responsible for ,the locking of tho points— the gun,rd.B'o> ( tbe porter at the station. Tho latter had Jiofc locked the points, being under tho impression that the guard had done so." lfa was Bubmitted on oohalf of the appellant' that the punishment was too severe* for the offence. Appellant had been twentysix years in the Department, and no offence of a serious nature against' hi* name up to tho_ time of the occurrence. Besides losing his position in the service^ he also lost his superannuation. Mr Dennehy added that the porter had not been punished in any way. Mr Davidson contended that the responsibility roeted with Stubbs. Though. th« punishment waß severe, it was the only, punishment meted out in such oases. ,"' Dr. M' Arthur said he was satisfied that appellant could not be relieved from responsibility for the accident,- but he waa not sutiaficd that tho offejic© deserved' puoh severe punishment. In giving judgment, he said ' that tli« appellant could not be altogether freed from responsibility for the conduct of ,iiin station, but the punishment scarcely fitted, the crime. Tho board decided thatCtho case would.be mot by reducing appellant from Grade Bto Grade 9. This m^ana that he will be reduced in salary from £265 per yea,r to £220. They rocognlhodi that the appellant was a capable officor.

Shakespeare societies, even though they may not flourish extravagantly, exist in all our big cities, writes The Post's Australian correspondent. A delegation from the New South Wale*pociety of this order waited upon the newly -installed Lord Mayor of Sydney (Al» dermau Clarke) a couple of days ago, and asked fo/' his assistance in a movement for a qiomorial in Sydney to mark the centenary of Shakespeare's death, falling in 1916. The Lord Mayor agreed that it was a good thing to perpetuate the memory of Shakespeave, but said' he feared there was no chanco of getting, tho general public to show interest' ia the matter. In tones and terms of conviction he declared that Shakespeare was not relished much nowadays. "The pobtry of Shakespeare is a very nice, thing for tho educated man f but the geneial public wants something more >. ofi drama, burlesque, and extravaganza, than of Bolid and inspiring pieces, "j ho great preponderance want light instead of ponderous literature." A member of the deputation hastened to l'emai'k : "But we do not think Shukespeavo ponderous." However, tho Lord Mayor went further. With all the diunity appropriatei to lub v high office, lie said : "All works of great authors are more or less ponderous. ' Tho publication of th© Lord Mayor's utterance's has induced a revival ot controversy as to the measure of truth in such assertions. Mr. James Dryce has promptly been asked by interviewers to contribute to tho ShakoBpeare discussion, and they, have succeeded in obtaining (from him an expression of the opinion', that thero, ought to bo an amiutfl discussion, with the obj'ecfc of « arousing public interest in Shakespeaio and Ins works, apart from th* work doiie,by"the Shakespeavo sooietie*. For chronio chest cbinplwute, 'Wood»*' <