WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10214, 7 December 1893, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

[Special to Press Association. I LONDON. Dec. '6. Mr Gladstone haa declined to agree to a temporary application of the eight hours principle in Government departments in the interests of the unemployed. He says it is impossible to have a uniform rate of working hours in the Government service. The Scotch miners who struck some days ago for an advance in wages have asked Mr Gladstone to intervene with the colliery owners. (Tb® Peebs Association.! A HOSTILE DEMONSTRATION. WELLINGTON, Deo. 6. For some weeks past all the local retail drapers have kept to the agreement to close at one o’clock on Wednesdays, but the agreement was broken through this afternoon by a diaper in Willis street, acd to-night a hostile demonstration waa made against him. A crowd collected in front of bis premises, and a considerable amount of hooting was indulged in. The demonstration to-night outside the premises of & retail draper in Willis street, who bad broken the agreement to observe a Wednesday half-holidaj*, culminated in the arrest of three lads, one for striking the Sergeant-Major of Police on the back with hia fiat, one for throwing a rotten egg, and one for inciting others to commit a breach of the peace. As tho crowd increased in size the,police had considerable difficulty in l keeping the thoroughfare clear, but it was not until rotten egga and sticks began to fly about that they took extrema measures to preserve order. The crowd, numbering several hundreds, principally lads and young mea, followed the constables and their prisoners to the police station, keeping up a continual chorus of hoots, groans and yells. Outside the police station they kept up the hostile demonstration for a short time, but soon afterwards quietly dispersed. In tho meantime the draper who was the cause of the trouble had closed hia premises. The accused were admitted to bail, and will appear before the Resident Magistrate in the ihornica%