LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2320, 26 March 1914, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

THE CATHOLIC FEDERATION

An advertisement appears in today's issue drawing attention to an important lecture on the aims and objects of Catholic Federation, which will bo delivered in the Catholic Church, Derby Street, ou Sunday next at 7.30 p.m. by Mr George Gir-ling-Butcher, of AVellington.

Rev. A. Anstice has been called to AVellington suddenly to-day owing to the illness of a relative.

The salary of Mr AY. H. Morton, City Engineer of AVellington, is to be raised as 'from April 1, from £1000 to £1300 a year.

This morning Mr M. Alderman, of the Port street Strawberry gardens, orought some lucsious samples of his fruit to this office. They were fine.

The sum of £90 was taken at tbe gates for the Australian's cricket match in Pal'mtfi-stoii. The Msnatvatu Association secures £36 of this amount to pay incidental local expenses.

Mr G. A. Lundie, M.A., has appealed to the Teachers' Appeal Board against his dismissal from tho position of assistant master at the High School by the Board of Governors. Two Government officers purchased 1600 acres of the Tiratu block from Maori owners last week.

The project to establish co-operative freezing works in the district has not met with much success. Mr J. Balsillie, one of the prune movers in the matter, informed a Standard reporter that be was afraid the scheme would fall through. He had been steadily bringing it before farmers, but he could not arouse the enthusiasm necessary to bring the proposal to fruition.

"Tho lad is acutely homesick.." Such was the statement made, by Commander Hooper, of th» Almojsura, to an Otago Daily Times reporter at Dunedin on Monday last, ,>y way of explanation of the conduct of a cadet who tried to desert the Amokura by swimming ashore on Saturday whilst the vesssel lay at anchor at Port Chalmers. Th, c lad received some unduly alarming niformation regarding ins mother's illness and he apparently conceived the notion that the best way to get back w Auckland was to slip over the side and swim ashore.

A saa siory was told in the Juvenile Court in Auckland. A little ooy of 4. years appeared before Mr •£. C. Cuttcn, S.M., on a charge that he was not being properly cared for. .Lt was stated tuat the mother, who .s now only 21 years old, had been married at th e age of 10. She had obtained a separation order fom her Husband, but she had received noth.iiiiig under a maintenance orderagainst her husband.' She worked tor about a year, and then she came co Auckland, where, ultimately, it was found that she was living with a man in a tent. Evidcnc c was given by the police that the child nad been twice discovered wandering about ■ the*streets in a neglected condition, and on one occasion he was hungry. The-'mother consented to the clniu being sent to the Takapuna Industrial School!

Speaking at Hokitika, Premier Massey threw an interesting sidc.lght on the Strike Conference, which railed to seeiuv a settlement of the recent difficulty in its early stages. ,l \Ye held our conferences," he said, 'over which I presided, but we could not secure any agreement, and you would not be surprised that we failed if you had heard some of the diings thatwwere. c said to me in that conference. I was told that if I did not secure a settlement within two or three days, then the streets of AA'elliugton woidd run red with olood; that the red flag of Socialism would fly over Parliament Buildings, and that New Zealand would be the rirst Socialistic Republic in the world. Of course," added the Prnie Minister, "'this was all 'hot air,' and no attention was paid to it. It shows, however, how impossible it Had been to complete satisfactory arrangements.'' Mr. Massey comic ninth© "vanity, stupidity, and obstinacy" of tho strike leaders, who .*adiy misled their men, and said chat the worst enemies of Nevy Zca r land were men who .were trying to ferment difficulties between employer and employee.

Messrs David M. Parry, of Indianapolis, John Kirby, junr., of Dayton, Ohio, and Albert A. Snowdon, of New York, who constitute the Amor-, ican Trade Commission of the National Association ot Manufatcurers of th c United States, aro in AVellington. They stated that a number of American meat firms were adopting a policy of setting up branch establishments abroad. The movement owes its origin from the fact that the United States lias reached its limit in meat production and is looking more and more to foreign countries for supplies. Messrs Swift and Co. an American firm, are putting up a. branch plant in Brisbane, and others may possibly follow suit in different parts of Australasia. It was mentioned to the Commissioners that iv some- quarters in Australia and Now Zeau'and an invasion of Amcri can Beef Trust was regarded with a certain amount of apprehension. They stated unhesitatingly that such apprehension was groundless, aud that the only result of the enterprise of the American meat firms in this part of the world would be to provide a better market for producers. In America, th c Commissioners added, some trougle had been experienced, whore, as was somofimes tho caso. the meat companies controlled tlie railroads over which stock had to be transported, but the State ownership of railways in Australia and New Zealand was a sufficient guarantee against any like trouble arising in these countries.