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Evening Star, Issue 16995, 18 March 1919, Page 4

The evidence taken by the Parliamentary Industries Commission, who have been visiting the South Island, lias shown (wires our Christchurch correspondent) that the majority of witnesses are in favor of a protective tariff; but they almost unanimously agree that prices should be regulated by the State. Mr Sidey, M.P. for Dunedin South, before leaving Christchurch for Dunedin, stated that the committee had had a satisfactory tour, but he considered it would bo necessary for some of the members to pay another visit to Otago Central, as the committee had not yet been able to take sufficient evidence regarding the fruit industry and the matter of irrigation. It had been hoped that when the members visited- Dunedin sufficient witnesses from all over the provinces would have come forward ; but, in view of the fact that the committee had been disappointed in their expectations, it would not be fair to give a report on the South Island without getting further important evidence from Otago Central district.

j The negotiations which the waterside I workers throughout the Dominion have I conducted' with the employers appear to j have reached a deadlock. The workers ! applied some time ago for a revision of ! wages, bnt. the employers refused to nego- | tinto, holding that, ns the men worked ; under an award, they should go to the i Arbitration Court for relief. Up to now, i despite .some correspondence, the water- | sudors have refused to invoke the aid of the Court, and the employers have been ! just as determined in their attitude. How- ; ever, in view of the attitude taken up by the Arbitration Court that wages must increase in proportion to the increased cost ett living, it is now expected (wires our Christchurch correspondent) that the executive of the Waterside Workers’ Union will depart from their previous position, and go to the Court. Developments in this respect are expected at any time. Tho Ministcr of Defence states that there is no intention on the part of the Government to give a war medal for home service, but the Impin’ii',l Government are giving an Empire medal for very special service daring the war, and for this there will be a civil as well as a military division.—Wellington telegram. The only case occupying the attention of Mr Widdowson, S.M., in the Police Court this morning was an application by Francis Pringle for some reduction of an order of 30s a week made against him 6i years ago for the support of his wife and children. After hearing, application was refused, with £2 2s costs against applicant. Mr A. G. -Neill appeared for applicant and Mr B. S. Irwin for the wife. A Juvenile Court caso dating back to March, 1818, recurred at this morning’s sitting of the Court. The case was that of_ a lad charged at the date mentioned with theft of 4s from the City Corporation. and with damaging a meior belonging to them. An adjournment of i2 months’ duration had been made to ace now the offender behaved under the supervision of the Rev. Mr Axelscn. The latter was able to report this morning that the lad had not riven a minute’s concern to him during the period, and Mr Widdowson, SAL, terminated the proceedings by admonishing and discharging him. Hie action George Aitchison. v. the Bruce County Couticil, a claim for £6OO damages caused by flood water and for an injunction, was mentioned in the Supremo Court tins morning, and was allowed to stand over until the Mnv siftings of the court. The Acting Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) ridicules the notion that there will bo no session this year. “I In tow nothing j of any such movement, *’ be said at WeP linglon last week. “It exists—if it exists at all—only in the imagination of a !ew.” Mr C. Hold.',worth, managing director of the Union Steam Ship Company, returned to Dunedin last night after an absence of two years, during which time ho was on the. company’s business, mostly in the Old Country. Waited on by a ‘Star reporter this morning, Mr lloldsworth said that the company were doing all that was possible to bo done in keeping their fleet up to the highest point of efficiency, and, although particulars as to the proposals for building cargo carriers cannot yet bo disclosed, since business affairs at the ship yards are not. normal, he felt satisfied that the interests of the company, which are the interests of the public, would be well attended to without delay when things settle down. Lieutenant M'Carthy, who has gone to Wellington to look after reltiming soldiers, advises the Dunedin office of (be Defence Department that the Atkenic is expected to reach Wellington at daybreak to-inor-row, and her Southern troops to get to Dunedin on Thursday night. She brings 702, of whom 255 arc for Otago. The adjourned court martial to try Private Frank Hall on a. charge of faring I to appear for medical examination is fixed for the 21st inst. at the Central Battery. Mr Irwin appears for the accused.

It ia stated in last week’s • Gazette' that the Government have decided to observe Anzac Day (Friday, April 3) as a public holiday. “I shall be glad.” says tho Acting Prime Minister, in making the announcement, “if tlie mayors of all cities and boroughs, tho chairman of county councils and town boards, ns well ns other local bodies, ns far ns their districts ■ye concerned, will similarly observe ’the day in remembrance or ho notable deeds performed by the Australians and our brave New Zealand soldiers on that memorable and historical occasion. It is specially fitting that ou this occasion special services of public worship be hold by all religious denominations, and 1 therefore appeal to all ministers of religion and all congregations to hold such services on behalf of Ike people of tho Dominion at such hours during the forenoon or afternoon as arc found convenient, Tho Now Zealand Ensign will be displayed on all public buildings from sunrise to sunset. It is requested that the managers and representatives of shipping companies should direct that all ships in the various harbors display their flags during the day. It- is considered that the. occasion is particularly one upon which opportunity should be taken to arrange patriotic meetings during the day, and especially in the evening, to commemorate thp anniversary, t-hc question of how this may best be done being left to tho discretion of the mayors of the various boroughs and tho chairmen of other local bodies.” During the recent visit of the .Minister of Marino (the Hon. T. 9,1. Wiirord) to tho West Coast, a deputation representing some 178 waterside workers waited on Jhun with regard to wharf matters. The deputation would not allow Mr IT. Holland, M.P. for Grey, to introduce them to the Minister, but secured the services of tho Mavor in that connection. Mr Holland was present, and listened to the representations made, and at the conclusion could not contain his resentment at the course taken to exclude him from exercising tho customary duty of a parliamentary representative in regard to deputations. He complained that he had been overlooked, and stated that in future he intended to exercise his rights and introduce all deputations to Ministers. The fact that the president of the union, who had been reelected within tho last few weeks, had lost a son at the front may have had soma relation to the evident, aversion to accept Mr Holland’s introduction to the Minister. According- to tho latest figures of the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Fraser) it tpok £1 11a 7d during the final quarter of last year to purchase what could have been bought for £1 in 1913-14-—a rise of over 50 per cent, hi the cost of food, clothes, and material generally. “ There is -a lot of hard common senses in the old idea of our grandmothers that an annual spring cleaning was essential,” said tho Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of Public Health) while speaking to the residents of Miramar, Wellington, on Wednesday night. “T wish to God wo had had a clean-up in every town similar to that recently carried out in New Plymouth before the epidemic broke out. ” Thn,M mister then outlined the scheme carried out by the New Plymouth Borough Council, whereby on a certain day some months ago residents were requested to gather-together all thenunwanted accumulations, without consideration of what those accumulations were. Eighty loads (40 tons' had been gathered in that one day, and the result was a very much cleaner and healthier town. The department would shortly issue a circular to all public bodies of New Zealand, asking that similar clean-ups should be organised. Frequent reference is made in English literature to the expression “ Dead Sea fruit,” by which term is meant somethingbarren, tasteless, worthless, unprofitable", or ungrateful. It may not be generally known that there actually ia such a product as Dead Sea fruit, and doubtless it is from that fruit which the saying is derived. A trooper writing from Palestine says;—“ Round the shores of the Dead Sea was to be found a fruit tree bearing a fruit called by us Dead Sea apples. It was a small fruit with a large stone inside, and we sometimes used to see the Turks gathering them. At last I understood the expression ‘Dead Sea fruit,’ meaning disappointing or not up to expectations. The apples were all stone. Another sort of ‘Dead Sea fruit’ was the bathing. True, one cannot sink; but who wants to float in a brine tub? It is. too unpleasant. I only bathed once in the Dead Sea. That ■yvas quite suflicieiit for mot**

I Mr Octavius Bca-lc, a passenger to Sydney by tho - Ninearu. stated at Auckland that ho was in England connected with tho British Empire Producers’ Organisation, representing manufacturers and producers, and formed to defend the industries of the Empire no a whole against foreign penetration. It was well known that a combine) of Chicago meat packers bad ob j tabled an overmastering -control over the i products and herds of Australia, and had 1 already extended its Icntaclea into Now Zealand. There wore oilier (rusts cquainactive, if not so -frequently .seen on tho surface. It behoved tho manufacturers ! and predu ers of New Zealand to get to- : gether and. prole t themselves against external control, which would hob! them in a net from which eventually there would be no escape. “The history of all epidemics,” rqid theMinister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell) to a meeting of residents of Miramar, Wellington, "on Wednesday, “shows that they are most likely to break out in cold weather, and therefore, if there is to ha a recrudescence of the influenza epidemic—wiiicin God lorbid ! —it may he expected during tha next three or four months. It is to be hoped that your organisation will bo kept" intact, and will thns at a. moment’s notice be ready to reestablish its hospital, and to again take up tho fight boldly and nobly.” Tho Otago Harbor Board leases that wore offered by auction by Park, Reynolds. Ltd., to-day were pm-chased by tho tenants at the upset. The tenants are Mrs K. Duncan, tho executors of Catherine Carroll, Mrs M. Mill, Mr Henry Barton, tho executors of George Morgan, and Mr A. Palmer. Watson’s No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.— [Aclvt.] The monthly mooting of the Dunedin Burns Club will hr- hold in tho Art Gallery Hail to-nio'-row ovouinj. ' The lav/ • of success is opera tine wonderfully m favor of “ Guidon Rule ” Soap and “No Rubbing ” Laundry Help. —[Aclvt.] Passenger train loaves Clinton at 8.50 on Friday morning in connection with Baiclu-tha A. and P. Show, The annual meeting of tho High School Old Boys’ Association Football Club will bo held in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms to-morrow (Wednesday) evening. Influenza.—Doctors at Homo recommend spirits. Wat-oii's No. 10 whisky is purest, bosi. —[Advi.] All friend-.- of the Dunedin City Mission are invited to attend the annual meeting to be held in T-vvii Hall on Friday firrt, at 4.15. The meeting will last -about one hour. The president (lion. Q. M. Thomson), Mr C. E, Platlnim, M.P., IDs Worship tho Ma yor, Air J. Rennie, and Revs. Whyte and ; Davies will take part. K.) lady Simula bo without. Martin’s Apiol »nd Steel Pilh. Sold by all chemists and stores through rut Australasia. —f Advt.l