LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 8 October 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr J. Pringle, railway business ;v»ent‘ was present at the last meeting / 'T the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, and in reply to a question by tlie chairman, he 'Stated that the General Manager of Railways would pay a. visit to Taranaki after the election. Mr Sterling would not be leaving the position he now held until .some timem N a vembor. —“Post. ’ ’ The stationmaster, Mr, Fowke, advises that the usual Sunday tram, Jiawera to New Plymouth breakwater, will commence to run as from December This will enable residents ot boutn Taranaki to spend a day in any_ P 2 of the province, and also afford excursionists an opportunity of spending a few hours on the Moturoa beach. Particulars will be published at a later date.

The Port Craig sawmill, controlled by the Marlborough Timber Company, of O.hriskcliurch, dosed down for a period indefinite on Saturday. the mill employed a large number of hands and the tug Southland lias been chartered to bring out the employees and their families. The cause of the closure is not known at Invercargill.

After a sitting in committee at Christchurch on Saturday, on the dispute between the- motor mechanics and their employers, the Conciliation Council announced that an agreement had been reached on almost all the disputed clauses in the claims. Wages,_ hours, and piecework are among the items an-reed to. Journeymen’s wages and hours are the same as have been observed during the past two years. Arrested in High Street on Saturday evening, Archibald Oalqulioun Thomas, 24 years of age, was charged with drunkenness at the Hawera Court this morning for the second time within six months, it being shown he had been convicted for an offence at Kaponga on May 25. Accused did not appear and was fined £l, the amount- of his bail, by Mr L. A. Bone, J.P. The Waimakariri River, which has been on the verge of flooding for a whole week, and which did actually Hood on Friday, is now in still heavier Hood. Heavy rain has fallen on the watershed, and a serious Hood is feared (states a Christchurch message). Mr \V. L. Ken lied v told the Strahova chamber of Commerce meeting the otae.' night that when he was recently in the Hast country ho heard rumours that forty men had' been put on tine railway work and that there was a danger ot'there being trouble with the rest of t..-e men on the job. However, on making inquires from responsible people, he found that, only eight men had been dismissed. The iixst public appearance of the combined orchestra from the Hawera High and Main St-hools will take place to-morrow (Tuesday; evening in the Opera House. The members are playing remarkably well, and will give a list of selections that should appeal to all tastes. They will have the assistance of several able and __ popular artists from Hawera and New Flymouth. Rations are asked to make a point of being in their seats early, so as to enable a prompt start to be made.

Speculation has arisen as to the next appointment to the Supreme Court. Bench. Various names are mentioned in connection with the vacancy caused ■tty the dentil of Sir William Sum, and it ~j expo.-ted that an official announcement regarding his successor will be i:stsided short y. Among names quoted in this connection iis that of the wellkno.vn Auckland barrister, Mr H. P. Richmond, ex-president of the Auckland Law Society. It is understood, however, that if an offer of an appointment wa-s made, iM.r Richmond would find himself tumble to- accept the post at the pre-yent juncture. A heavy nor’-west gale durijig the night wrecked a large wood store in course of erection for the Shaw, Savill Co at Lyttelton. The framework' had been completed and the roof was in place. The wind blew the roof off and a large part of the framing was also brought down. It was not easy to estimate the extent ol the damage, hut it would probably exceed £IOOO.

The manufacturers of Dunedin are at present considering the question of dispatching a representative to Samoa, to investigate the possibilities of opening up trade with the island by means of return cargo shipped on the- Maui Poinare. ft is felt that, as .strong representations were made to get the vessel to visit Dunedin, there is a certain obligation to provide a. return loading, as is now done from Auckland. A special committee has been formed to canvass local manufacturers to obtain sufficient funds to send a representative to Samoa at the earliest possible date. Miss Grace Houlder will address a public; meeting in the Baptist church this evening at 8 o’clock on the prohibition question. Miss Houlder has been in the U.S.A., where she lias had wide experience in public speaking. She has visited all parts of the .States, lias made personal contact with all classes of the community, and carries with her some very convincing evidence. She has had particularly valuable experiences in [connection with universities and 1 colleges in the U.-S.A., where she has addressed many gatherings of young people. She has been in Canada, where t>v personal observation, she has acquired first-hand information on the so-called Government control now in' force in a number of the provinces.