LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19409, 18 November 1926, Page 11

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The annpal conference of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation was opened in Napier. A welcome was extended to the delegates by the mayor (Mr J. B. Andrews) and Mr J. Mason, M.P.„ and acknowledged by Mr L. Glover (president of the federation). Committees were appointed to bring down reports. The conference will commence its official business today. ' A young married man named Robert Basil Story, of Piopio, was charged in the Magistrate’s Court, Hamilton, with making a false declaration to the registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, saying that his wife was twenty-one years of age when he was married to her, whereas she was seventeen years of age. His motive for doing so was that he thought the marriage might not be approved. The police were impressed with the frank admissions of defendant. Defendant, who pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The Conciliation Council held a sitting at Blenheim, and heard a dispute regarding the wages of musterers, packers, and drovers. The drovers claimed £5 weekly, or 25s a day; mnsterers, £4 2s 6d, or £1 per day; packers, £1 10s per day. Expenses for drovers were also claimed. This is a considerable increase over the old award rates. The employers counterclaimed for lower rates,. The parties failed to reach an agreement; except on one or two formal matters in reference to the conditions and scope of the award. The dispute was 'therefore referred to the Arbitration Court. The Westport Borough Council last evening decided to ask the Government to appoint a resident marine engineer to Westport owing to the amount of protective work now necessary to control the Buller River and the port,, the council being of the opinion that thousands of pounds annually would be saved to the dominion if an engineer wore in charge to watch the many changes taking place in the river. It was decided to ask the Government to approve of the appointment of at least one local resident to the Advisory Board controlling the port to represent the Buller district on that body, as at present the comraunitv is ox what is being done in the matter of improving the port generally, such local representative to he elected by the representatives of the district. The arrest has been _ effected at Timaru of Reginald Phillips, who disappeared on bail in Auckland on February 18. Phillips was one of the three men who were alleged to have stolen some benzine at Taupo. He was admitted to bail in Auckland in two sureties of £250, pending a remand to Rotorua. His companions were kept in custody. When the case was called in the Auckland Police Conrt_ on February 18 it was stated that Phillips had left for Wanganui, and _ had not returned. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and proceedings to estreat the bail were taken. A motor truck formed portion of the securities. The other two men were eventually acquitted on the charge of theft, after one of them ■had caused a sensation by jumping from a train, in the Newmarket tunnel while under escort. 'Phillips has appeared in the Timaru Police Court, and has been remanded to Auckland.