Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 16823, 27 August 1918, Page 4

Members of the executive of the Sew Zealand Coal Owners’ Association will meet in Wellington to-morrow to consider the demand of the federated miners for a 20 per cent, increase in hewing rates and shift wages. It is anticipated locally that a majority of the executive meeting will favor a conference with the Miners’ federation with a view to reaching an amicable agreement over the dispute, which at sever'd West Coast collieries has developed into embarrassing strikes, involving about a thousand miners, representing a large daily output. If the executive decide on that course it is very likely that substantial concessions will be made to the men, whoso case, it is admitted 1 , is being handled with considerable skill. _ In the event of “ a win ” for the federation-, it is practically certain that nothing would be done in the direction of setting up an elaborate Royal Commission —the favorite

remedy of ©mbmtiniasod politicians—which could only take voluminous ovklenco in questions with which both sides are familiar, and accomplish nothing. The present dispute is entirely oven- the question of money, and very probably the burden of | decision' will in the end fa'll upon coal ( consumers. ■ A largo quantity of English and American mail matter is expected to reach Dun-1 edin on Thursday night or Friday night. - An Australian mail will probably arrive j hero to-morrow night by the express from' the north. At the Port Chalmers Council meeting I last night the Gas Committee reported that the relaying of the Wickliffo terrace , main with larger jip-cs had been completed, with very satisfactory results. The I cost, exclusive of the pines and other material on Land, amounted to £67. lha report, which was adopted, recommended . that the stoker at tlm gasworks bo paid 11a per shift, including Sunday, also .that > tiro 2ih piping removed" from WCdcliffo ter- ; race bo laid from tho Square up Mount i street at the first opportunity to do the I work. In the Cilv Police Court this morning, before Mr 11. -V. Youug, S.M., James Frank William Poole was convicted on a | charge of drunkenness, and ordered to pay ; medical expenses incurred (£2 6s ocl). De- ; fon-daiiw was a returned soldier with three ■ vears' service, and his nervous condition was such that the j-olico surgeon recommended that his friends should take charge of Idm and have him admitted to a hospital for further treatment. Defendant attributed bis condition to his war ex- j jMjrienc.es, and admitted that veiy li • c , drink affected him. ! When tho Otago Harbor lorcshor© in- | vestment Act was passed, giving tho con- i trol of the foreshore to the Otago Harbor , Board, an area of 10 acres now under , water, was set aside for the Bay . own ; Board. -The Bay” is now pat ot the. City, and it is said that tho City CorjJoia- , tion have a mind to use this area as a j dumping ground for refuse. If this pro- , posal is serious, the Harbor Board aio ; likely to object to it, in pursuance of | their action m previously refusing to at- j low tho corporation to have a ftp on tno foreshore. In tho meantime tho _ board have appointed a sub-committee to inspect the Anderson Bay site and report. The same sub-committee are also instructed to i look at the Pelichet Bay tip ana say what they think of it. A third duty assigned to the sub-committee is to report a;-T to the condition of affairs at Hake Logan. Tho Albany Street School Comrnittes want a iive-acro site there, and this application, which seems to find favor with members, may bo advanced if the subcommittee say where this site should be. Then the sub-committee will probably have a report to make as to the dredging results at Loire Logan. This dredging has now ceased, the dredge having been occupied of lute on work in tho Upper Harbor and at Port Chalmers, and as the spoil from Port Chalmers is discharged at Harrington Point (since it would bo costly to bring it up to Dunedin)^ it looks as if the Lake Logan reclamation is over till may be the end of the war. -ill these things call for investigation and report, and they come within tho functions of tho subcommittee.

At an Efficiency Campaign meeting nt the Bluff Mr J. S. Baxter mentioned that. Mr W. D. Hunt, of Invercargill, had given £I,OOO towards the National Prohibition campaign, his partner (Mr J. A Johnstone, of Dunedin) had given a similar amount. Wright, Stephenson, and Co., had given £2,000, and two Auckland firms £5,000 each. The question of war allowances to employees of the Otago Harbor Board who aro on active service is to come up for consideration at a special meeting of tae Standing Committee to be held shortly. Mr Paulin’s forecast: —S.E. to S.W. winds, with light rain showers. There were eight vessels berthed at the Xhin-eclin wharves vestcr-day, <uid although only light ruin showers Ml at intervals, work was carried out on five of these s essels only. The two American sailing ships and the steamer Calm wore worked, the labor fer these vessels having been cmgaged on Saturday, but owing to the light, showers which fell in the early part of tho morning the men did not commence work on the Calm until 10 a. in. It was raining slightly at 9.45 a.m., which is one of tho stipulated hours for engaging labor, and an endeavor was made to secure sufficient gangs to discharge the Kotare, but it is stated" that tho men declined to commence work until the weather cleared. Tho Kotare’s representative tried again at 12.45 p.m. to engage labor, and was informed that a stop-work meeting of the union had been hold during the moaning, ami that it had; teen decided not to start work on the Kotare and the Union steamers Oorhma and Kartimu until 8 a.m. today. Tho shipowners resent the action of the men in ’refusing to start work, as it was conaklered that as the rain had caused at- 1 p.m., there was nothing to prevent them making a start at that hour. The Stella was worked with one or two gangs, bat the delay means that most of the vessels named would not complete discharging and loading operations to-day, as was intended by the owners and agents. Tho Calm was worked until a late hour hist night, and then trailed for way ports and Vvaaiganui.

Complaint is made by fishermen in Otago Harbor Unit empty tins foul and damage their nets, and as this has become a common nuisance the board propose to offer a reward far information as to the persons who thus annoy the fishermen and disfigure the foreshore. Tho Courtenay Agricultm-al and Pastoral Association have decided not to have a publican’s booth at their annual allow in November (wires our Christchurch correspondent).

The Otago Harbor Board’s freezing plant at Port Chalmers is giving signs of age, and it is said that a new condenser is a necessity. Messrs Wilkinson, Larnach. Galbraith, and Walker have been asked by the board to go into this matter and make a recommendation as to some arrangement between the board and tho lessee (Mr Watson),

Tho application oi the South Island Dairy Association for further cool storage accommodation in one of tho Harbor Board’s sheds, and for the insulating of tho rest of R shed, will bo the subject of a report to the board by a sub-committee appointed for that purpose. An inquiry lias been made on behalf of a Sydney film as to whether the tug Dunedin is for sale as she stands. The Standing Committee of the 01 ago Harbor Board recommend the sending of a. reply to the effect that the tug is not in the market, but that an offer for her would bo considered.

It was stated at the annual meotiug of the Forburv Trotting Club last night that the coat oi erecting the new totalisatorhouse in brick is very little more than it would have been in wood. Wo believe the difference was less than £SO. Wood and Comrade have the contract, the price being £1,470. Tho foundations aro laid, and Iho building is to be finished in time for the first of the club’s race meetings this season.

Tlie employment of enemy aliens on tho waterfront was one of the subjects that came in for discussion at the Port Chalmers Council meeting last night. The discussion, cropped up in connection with a letter from the Hastings Council, soliciting co-operation in the matter of prohibiting alien labor on tho waterfront, in view of the recent 'loss of the steamer Wimmera. The pound! were divided on tho question, but on being put to the vote it was decided by a large majoi’ity merely to “ receive ” the remit, an amendment to support it being lost.