A SMALL STRIKE.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 532, 27 March 1908, Page 3

A SMALL STRIKE.

! Dunedin, March 26. ! Something in tho nature of a strike ' occurred at Port Chalmers last evening. Just at the Uiiniaroa was about to leave for Sydney, a disturbance arose among the firemen owing, it is said, to three of them having been paid off and to a, refusal to pay off a few others. It appears that the steamer had [three firemen in excess of tho required number on arrival. About a quarto* of an hour before tlie time of departure the firemen, numbering about 20, informed the captain that the work was too hard, and, after some conversation, the whole number j went ashore. Tha*eo men were then secured to fill the places of those paid otf, and after some persuasion the others returned on board. Just Ws the vessel was leaving two of the men jumped ashore. It is understood some of tho steerago passengers wero prepared to assist the firemen in thenwork if necessary. The veftel was delayed about 40 minutes. THE SHEARERS DISPUTE. Wellington, March 26. !<.ie Wellington shearers' dispute has been formally referred to tlie Arbitration Court by the Shearers' Union. Tlie Court at Palmerston North, on 2nd April, is to be requested by representatives from the shearers and the employers to have embodied as an award the conditions of labour in the recommendations whicli were agreed to by both parties when in conference some time ago. AN UNREGISTERED DIARY. Stratford, March 27. John Gilbert was fined £1, and costs, for selling milk to a Stratford resident, the same not being obtained from a registered dairy, ior failing to register a dairy Irom which the milk was sold the same defendant was fined £5 and costs. TE ARAI BALLOT. Gisborne, March 27. The ballot for sections of land in the Te Arai estate, lately acquired by the Crown, was held to-day. There were fifty-five sections disposed of, and applicants came from all parts of the dominion, 684 applications in all being recoived. The following sections were* drawn by outside applicants: — Section la, 280 acres, W. G. Leland, East Clive ; section 3, 213 acres, Miss Mary Mac Donald, Wellington; jsection 9a, 266 acres, Mrs C. H. sullen, Waipawa ; section 11, 417 acres, D. J. Larnach, Wellington ; section 12, 171 acres, Mrs Angus Mac Donald, Auckland ; section 7. 302 acres, D. A. Lees, Wairoa; section 8, 260 acres, Mrs C. G. Lees, Napier ; section 9, 272 aores, C. Frickner, Hastings;, .section, 11, 502 acres, F. Griffiths, Christchurch; section 12, 392 acres, Thomas Ward, Wairarapa; section 4, Turanganui, J. Sistcrson, Rangiwahia : section 7, Turanganui, do* acres. E. Metcalfe, Wellington ; sec- , tion 26, 340 acres, Winifred Knapman, Sonthbrook, Canterbury ; section 1, block 9, 130 acres, G. T. q Sherwood, Havelock: part section 8, od» acres, T. G. Macalister, Canterbury, j DIED FROM TETANUS. j Auckland, March 27. Irene Graydown, aged 2J years, daughter of a Onehunga resident, died of tetanuso in the Auckland hospital last night. The little one waa walking bare foot, when she picked up a splinter, which, apparently, was only partially removed. J ' Hastings, March 27. The growth of feed subsequent on the raiu has had the effect of easing off work at the freezing works, as the sheep are not being rushed in. A meeting of tho Hawke's Bay Fruit Growers' Association, called to discuss paragraphs recently appearin^ in the papers which, briefly summarised, state: "(1) The codlin moth cannot be controlled with profit to the grower by methods advised by the Agricultural Department ; (2) that the Orchard and Garden Pest Act caused everyone to suffer, since fruit was so enormously dear, and the department itself failed to keep orchards clear of codlin moth, and until the remedy was discovered the legislation was worse than useless." The Growers' Association is satisfied with the present Act, and the meeting will consider what steps are advisable to combat any organised effort made to relay the present methods of enforcing its provisions. Wm. Rumney Robbins, suffering from delirium tremens, took a dose of chloride of mercury last night. Dr Nairn arrived on the scene in time to save the man's life. Robbins appeared at the Police Court this morn, ing, and was remanded for eight days. In the meantime he is to be sent to Napier for curative treatment.