WESTPORT NOTES.

Grey River Argus, 8 December 1928, Page 7

WESTPORT NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) WESTPOBT. December /. Mi:s Doreen Marshall, of the clerical •staff of Bowater and Bryan. Ltd, was successful in passing the Public Ser vise Commissioners examination for shorthand tvpists. Tile death took .place in the district hospital at Westport on Thursday of the 12 months old boy of Mr and Mrs A- G. Smith, of Denniston. Mr and Mr: Smith have had ill fortune, as they lost another laddie at Denniston through, his being run fever by a coal tub. At the sitting of the Borough Council on Wednesday, a communication was received from’ Dannovirke Borough Council, making inquiry into the meth ods adopted by this Council in regard to subsidising a Sifek Benefit ’ Society for its employees. Evidently th e kindred body in the North Island has awoke to the necessity of doing some thing generous for their employees, and is making inquiries. Let us hope their good, intentions do not fizzle out, as di<l those of Westport’s B.C. Some time back, an agent, of the National Provident Society gave an address up on that Society’s methods in regard to superannuation schemes, and a start was made amongst, the municipal employees with a view-of putting them on a par with County Council and HoS pital Board qmw'oyees. both of which, have established funds for the purpose But it was only a start, .and although the Borough Council has employees up to perhaps 25 years’ service, they ar? in the position of the most casual employee. liablei*to a month’s or a week’s notice to qliit. It might have been thought that'when the-Town Clerk reported that Westport Borough Council had no suelmthing as a sick benefitsociety, some Councillor might have queried, "‘‘Why not?” 'This might ■have brought up .the superannuation scheme project, which would have got another airing.

From conclusions arrived at from the preceding note, and from the fact that few local bodies exist which <lo not make some provision for their employees, it appears that the nexx move lies with the Legislature. A move meat should be made to get compulsory superannuation schemes established. Wo have had 15 years of Tory legislation; what about a trial of an other sort'? News was received on Thursday morning of the death of Captain Sol lers late of the Westport </>al Com nanv’s collie,- Canopus. Captain cClleys had been such a well known figure rn Westport, that his loss will be as evident as'tlmt of one of our own ciLzellß It was realised for some t me that'he was not enjoying the best of health . nn d evidently he kept his han 1 to the helm longer than was g ood i 0 him The sympathy of the comm _ ty will be extended to his relatives i». Iho-r bereavement. Thn Social Committee of the > port Branch of the Labour Forty are to be congratulated the " i-esults Of the Victory Ball A £l5 has been forwarded to the JNa tional office, Wellington, towards th. Campaign Fund. The next function which these .ladies are to engag'd ■ " social at. the Friendly Societies

Hall on Boxing Night. These are pleasant methods of raising the wind fo • campaign fund--, and in the present state of politics if is hard to predict how soon this may be wanted. A brother and a sister of the lat-° Mr William Rennie arrived in West port on Wednesday, unfortunately too late to attend the funeral. His Worship the Mayor, when the project of lighting up the Square w«iiintroduced: “It would be far better lit up than locked up.” The Westport-Stockton Coal Coy appear to be keeping well up to the mark, in their sales, and it is ‘ quite possible that shares in that company *lll soon be at par. It is stated that there is a project of this company undertaking the building of cottages for their employees in the near future.