Page 6 Advertisements Column 5

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 146, 17 December 1913, Page 6

Notwithstanding that there is a luxurious growth of grass in the country around Mastertou, stock are not doing so well as in former years, and lambß are very backward. Ihis is due to the fact that the grass contains too much moisture, writes Wairarapa Times. " Wharf labourers are peculiar people to deal with," remarked a witness at the Magistrate's Court in Auckland this week, when describing how a certain shipment of salt had been unloaded (says the Herald). He stated that while superintending discharging operations, he iiad requested the workers to adopt a particular method of unloading the bags, a great many of which were broken, but his request had been ignored. "If the men wouldn't do as you wished, why didn't you discharge them?" enquired Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M. " Oh, your Worship, if you wore to put them off you would cause a strike, replied the witness. " You have to be very careful in dealing with them."' Two strike pickets were in the Longbush district last weok collecting funds. The flaxmill hands proved '* very close," and not a cent was forthcoming, reports the Wairarapa Times. However, some of the settlors have given a £1 hero and there, and a number of Natives have helped, and the pickets Bay they have not done bo badly. Tho question of a bod at Longbush was a bit of ft puzzle for them, for the flaxmill hands refused to have anything to do with thorn, while all tho settlers had "visitors Btaying with them," and the bams were not habitable. At last, by tho strange working of fate, they wore accommodated at tho residence of a man who has lately returned from acting as a "special." i Unobtrusively, but systematically, the members of tho Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals go their way doing good work. This body is kept alive by the earnestness of its committee, and by the monetary assistance of sympathisers, which rarely averages more than £3 weekly. On this amount the society practically exists, and as there is a largo field for its work in Wellington, its area is somewhat restricted by the lack of funds. A wolcomo announcement at yesterday's meeting of the committee was a notification by the Public Trustee that the Macarthy Board of Trustees had granted the Bociety the sum of £100 as a contribution in aid of the general purposes of the, society. Members, in voicing their gratification at the trustees' action, also expressed a hopo that the society's work would receive a fillip by some public-spirited members of the community " going and doing likewise." A large deputation representing owners of property, residents and ratepayers in Charlotte-avenue, Bruce-avenue, and Reuben-avenue, Brooklyn, waited on the Outlying Districts Committee of , the City Council last evening. Councillor Fitzgerald, chairman of the committee, jiresided. The object of the deputation was to secure certain improvements in these streets towards which they had been asked to contribute half the cost. They pbjected to this amount, but expressed their willingness to contribute a quarter of the cost, and after hearing argument the 1 committee decided to recommend the council to carry out the necessary work on that basis. Ijj Bruceavenue the total cost of the work is estiSated by the engineer at £450. in harlotte-avenue at £360, and in Reuben-aveiiuo at £420— * total cost of £1230. The proposed improvements lie chiefly ih the construction of footways, street widening, kerbing and channelling, and stormwater drainage. Arrangements are being made to collect in Christchurch large numbers of pictures by Petreus Van der Velden, the famous Dutch artist, who died a few weeks ago, and to place ■ them on exhibition (says the Lyttelton Times). The scheme has been taken in hand by Mr. j J Van der Volden, the artist's son, who resides in Christchurch, and the Canterbury Art Society has consented to give the use of its gallery. Specimens of .work will be brought from other centres of Now Zealand, and also from Australia. It is expected that several hundred will be collected, sufficient, perhaps, to fill the walls of the ballroom at the gallery. In the collection there will be the first works Van der Velden did. Some will bo completed pictures, others sketches, and others merely fragments, done in the artist's odd moments. All of Ihem, apart from their artistic value, will have a sentimental value, as Van der Velden was a man who was much loved, and who was endeared to people by even his eccentricities. The debate between the Minister for Marine (Hon. Mr. Fisher) and Mr. W. T. Mills at Lyttelton on Monday evening did not open very auspiciously. The Club Hall was packed to the point of suffocation, ( and when the Minister did not arrive to time, the* unruly element in the building gave vent to its impatience in the usual way. When at last Mr. Fisher arrived, he was greeted with a mingled storm of cheers and hoots. According to the Press account, the Red Fed. section, which comprised nearly half the audience^ did its best to howl the cheering portion down, but without success. When the Minister had been formally introduced by the Chairman, a diversion was created by the arrival of Mr. Mills, and after preliminaries for the debate had been arranged, the Minister led off. As he rose to speak, he was greeted with prolonged cheering by a majority in the audience, but the militant Socialists set up a counter demonstration by hooting wildly. It was only after his opponent had quieted the noisy section, and threatened not to speak until the Minister had had his say. that I Mr. Fisher was allowed to proceed. ] Hours of grocers assistants arc- regulated by the Shops and Offices Act, but holidays are prescribed by the trade award. During the Christmas season the award compels tli« observance ot Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, and the day following as full holidays. Mr. E. J. Carey, secretary of the Grocers' Union, has been in communication with several of the leading grocers of the city with & view to bring aboub a general closing of shops on Saturday, 27th December (following Boxing Day), and has offered in return for that concession to arrange for an extension o! hours on Saturday next (20th December). The proposal received the support of a, majority of the larger shops, but a few grocers failed to agree, and now the secretary of the Master Grocers' Association has written to the union intimating that because of the want of unanimity on the part of master grocers the suggestion of the union could not bo accepted. The position is therefore that grocers' shoos will remain open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and ordinary hours will be worked on Saturday next. Baggage ! Baggage ! To avoid trouble witli it during holidays, check through us. We collect it, check, and deliver. Inexpensive, The N.Z. Express Co., Ltd., 87-91, Customhouse-quay. — Advt. Among the numerous lists and catalogues issued at this time of the year, we consider that the duo oh page 4 of the Evening Post for Fridtiy last, 12th December, is tho best list of speoiul Christmas gifts on record, and it will no doubt be preserved and looked to many times by all keon shoppors during: the next few week*. The particular Christmas list wo refer to is one belonging to tho well-known firm of C. Smith, Ltd., of 96, Cuba-street. If you ha-vo not takon particular notice of that list, do so, and see what thoir tidvertieing manager offore to all careful roodors. Wo notice, too, that their shop is looking parwculajly wnart for this ChrictuiM.— Advb.