LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 16353, 20 February 1917, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Cook Strait cables have recently been giving a good deal of trouble, keeping the repair steamer Tutanekai busy. The cable between White's Bay and Lyall Bay has now parted, and it is expected that it will take a week to repair it. The Minister of Internal Affairs stated yesterday that the Government had received a further instruction from the Imperial authorities that no women were to be allowed, to leave New Zealand if they proposed to enter the danger zone. In consequence of this, the issue of passports would be still further restricted, and none whatever would be granted until further advice was received. A conference of shipowners and the Seamen's Union has been arranged for the 27th inst. to discuss the union's demands for a new agreement. At Wanganui yesterday the Labor Department proceeded against 15 slaughtermen employed at the Wanganui Meat Company's works as the sequel to a recent alleged strike. The defendants lefused to work with two men on the grounds that they were not members of the Wellington Slaughtermen's Union. and the result was that the management were compelled to dispense with the' services of the men objected to in order not to hold up operations at a busy period. For the defence it was argued that r.o strike was intended, and that the slaughtermen would have continued working had the request to put the non-union-ists off not been complied with. The cases against four of the defendants were dismissed, as they commenced work on the morning of the alleged strike. The Magistrate reserved his decision in the remaining. The Railway Rolling Stock Inquiry Commission sat at Wellington yesterday, when Mr Wilford, M.P., expressed gratification that what he had said in Parliament had been proved—that the engineers admitted that broken springs had been used. Ernest Gillon (chief locomotive engineer), George Pearson (chief mechanical engineer), and Richard Robertson (piigineev and brake expert) gave evidence of the steady improvement in the New Zealand' railway rolling stock. The inquiry is unfinished.

At a sitting of the, Military Service Board at Auckland yesterday Barton and Co. applied, on behalf of Robert M. Wilson, boot operator, for an extension of time. It was pointed out that Wilson, who was a provious voluntary recruit, was engaged on a machine in making military boots. His firm desired his retention for that reason, as it had several important military contracts on hand. Counsel said Wilson was the only expert man of his kind in the firm's factory. There were in his charge some machines which could be used by only a few men in New Zealand. If this man were taken away the factory would have to close down. Before the war there wore about 1.500 operators, and they were now reduced to about 1,100. B'ig military boot contracts had doubled the amount, of work. The position was the same throughout the country. The case was held over for two months, by which time further consideration might be given if the firm secured further military contracts. At the monthly meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children a large number of cases were brought under the notice of the society. One hundred and eighty visits had been paid to the office since January 4. After a discussion on several cases, principally connected with families where there was need of a mother's care, it was decided : " That it is this society's opinion that the well-being of the children is the fi'st and prime duty of this organisation, and every effort should be made to place them under proper care." The committee unanimously approved of the name of Mill. Brasch being added as an honorary solicitor to the society. The Publicity Committee of the Otago Expansion League met last evening. Mr J. Inglis Wright presiding. It was resolved to recommend the executive again to approach the Tourist Department to subsidise the publication of a further edition of the league's pamphlet ' Wondrous Wakatipu.' for which there has been a large demand. It was decided to recommend the Tourist and Amenities Committee to communicate with the Bailway Department regarding the lack of attention and want of cleanliness in lavatory arrangements in the express trains. Several other matters were discussed, and a list of speakers was arranged for the monthly luncheons.