NEWS AND NOTES

Grey River Argus, 8 May 1912, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES

An agreement . has been arrived at between the Federation of Labor and die Wes:port Qoal .Company : and the Stockton Coal Company, for a period of 'twelve ' month's and the agreement is signed up. • .... Members of the Civil- Service are wondering- whether the Minister's in-; teresting departmental methods is only a .... case of hew brooms sweeping-, clea-n, or whetheir a 'jceiieral 4 v 'erhaul of ihe adininistfa'rive^.ma,cliiiie' r is hot contemplated. Departmental expend icure, notably in regard to agxicuiwire, and education, lias reached" a veryhigh point, and .souie means! of prunuig may -be planned by the" new- Mini-' sters, or a capable man appointed to advise them.. So far this is only suggested, as a possibility, bu: there, is undoubtedly an. .-impression that •the Civil Service. .is to have an overhaul and that theJ'ißailwayi' Departmenv will be considerabl. yshakeiiVup in the. process. .. .? v . ; / „ /" _ ■•.■- :;

Touching- ihat okble rumour about ihe. Union Comp.auy selling out to the P. and 6., the ' "Bulletin^, says : — "The threatened sale of the. Union S. ! S. Co., of Maoriland io the- P^and 0. is albout as 'blacn.u sha^do,w asjlias ever loomed up over, ih© Maoriland^hordzonAs : ■companies .^o 3 .the Union (combing is a piHJtty .•decent <me ; ', and\.if|certain ly spends^ lot of cash in wakes and work in itfi© country which'^prbvides. v its sharehoi dors; with a crust.'- ■ A)®<y it : is clean White^iihrough ancj^th rough. The P. and O.- ..concern is ■m.o.stly nigger infested,, and eniireiv fprfeijgn own ed- and MaorilaJ.id/s plig-ht' >vould be bad i ndeed 'ii it. found it'Sei|;/ in the grip of a huge ; aff air which O^ad abso-' iutely no sympathy- with an^ of the things for wftjidi.v.the shakj^. place, stahdw, in spite -of ; alii its . faults, really stands. Competition of sm'ajler companies would :b6 ! lidpeless'; valid the new boss wouldV;be practically.*o\vningj the place fdie breezeSv'blow over lands forgojten^ of,\ liquid- -'joy;; Tom; Mackenzie, ;tkeV^new,:;J?remieCjiJ seems; vo have a chance here to show wha'f he is made; of.- .If ■ theJiMaoriland Govemmeint' ever : , intends ;^to). have, iti own 'shipping .service Connecting; its own ports, -the . t'ilme- to .'.act would appear to .be .no\v, or/as much, earlier as the new Ministry jean- <get to work. ; Mr. G. Lansbufy, M.P., has introduced in fhe British iHouse of Commons a Bill ...which provides that all workpeople shall be entitled by law to one day's rest in severe, seven days' annual holiday, and full pay. for public holidays. ' It further provides that Ist May (or when that days falls on a Sunday. 2nd May) 'Shall be a bank holiday. Employees will become-en-titled to annual leave on completing- , a year's service, arid contracts "to work I on compulsory holidays, or to accept j other than the uSual working" day wages in respect of such holidays-, are i expressly prohibited. Failure to comply with these provisions will render the employer or his agent liable to a penalty. ',<■.. .?'. _.- :