BREVITIES

Evening Star, Issue 11896, 26 May 1903, Page 8

BREVITIES

Receiving a deputation at Wanganui yesterday, the Premier promised to provide money for the most urgent claims for schools in newly-settled districts. • The contract price for the Victoria ward, opened at the Wanganui Hospital yesterday by the Premier, to perpetuate the name of the late Queen, was £2,193. The money was raised by public subscriptions. A cose presenting most extraordinary conduct on tbe part of a hotelkeeper was reported in New Plymouth last week. A hoi-1 proprietor had summarily dismissed a barmaid who had been in his employment l»r four days, alleging that she had been guilty of misconduct, and he declined to pay her any wages. The barmaid declined to leave, and on the following night, at the invitation of another barmaid, shared the latter’s room, as she was a stranger in the town and had no friends. The hotelkeeper called in a policeman, and the girl was forested on a charge of vagtancy and of being unlawfully on his premises. The defence sought to show that it was the practice of the hotelkeeper to engage servants for a time and then discharge them without payment. The case was dismissed, and defendant’s lawyer said that proceedings would immediately be instituted against the hotelkeeper for malicious prosecution.