BUSINESS DISORGANISED.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17948, 15 November 1918, Page 5

BUSINESS DISORGANISED.

INROADS ON STAFFS. "Widespread indeed arc the ramifications of the complaint, and all sorts of sendees are suffering severe dislocation of their usual everyday schedule and routine. Inquiries made yesterday among the various hig industrial companies and factories went to show that while some were hard hit by serious depletion of their staffs, others were escaping comparatively lightly. Of the general office staff of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association, which in ordinary times numbers about one hundred, yesterday only thirty were at business. The auction department- has been pretty well denuded 1 of its usual busy occupants, and in the grocery and provision departments nearly 30 per cent of the employees were absent. Over all the business Jt was estimated that of the staffing of about one thousand, close upon one-third were prevented from taking up their duties owing to tho influenza. The assistant manager, Mr Jamieson, attended at his office yesterday morning, hut had to go home subsequently, being too unwell to continue. A disinfecting chamber has boon established on the association’s premises. Tho Kaiapoi Clothing Company reported that there were 160 employees absent from the various staffs in the factory yesterday morning. The chairman of directors informed a reporter that, the company intended erecting an inhalation chamber in Allen Street, alongside the factory, which would also be available for tho uso of tho general public, provided the necessary permission was granted by the authorities-

Inquiry at the Crown Clothing Manufacturing Company elicited the information that half of the hands were away yesterday, while tho Christchurch ' Clothing Company is carrying on with two-thirds of its ordinary complement throughout its manufacturing business. . The Inspector of Factories, acting in conjunction with the Public Health Office, has issued instructions that no overtime permits will be granted for the present. COURT OFFICES CLOSED. The Magistrate's Court office was closed yesterday' on' account' of tho in-' fluenza epidemic. The chief clerk Mr W. A D. Banks) and the second clerk (Mr W/Hart) are both laid asido with influenza. A sitting of tho Police Court was lipid but all persons charged were remanded until various dates next week. In the ordinary course of events a sitting of tho civil court would have been held yesterday, but all cases set down for hearing were adjourned until Monday next. Most of the clerks in the office are still fit for duty, and it is in accordance with orders from the Health Department that the office has been-closed and the civil court pendedBANKS CLOSED. The banks in the city closed at noon yesterday, in further honour of tho signing of the armistice. It had been intended to observe the whole of the day as a holiday in celebration of tho occasion, but the necessary advice on tho subject did not arrive from Wellington until ten o'clock this morning, after business had been commenced, -and it was. then decided to keep open until midday. A leading bank manager stated that some of the banks were very thankful to close on account of the greatly depleted staffs, caused by effects of influenza. The Bank of New Zealand has had over thirty of its staff away at various times with tho complaint, and this morning there were twelve absent. Another bank, with a ■very much smaller staff, opened With a shortage of seven of its employees, and to that institution the respite given by to-day's closing was very welcome. THE TRAMWAY SERVICE. Between eighty and ninety traffic employees of the Tramway Board wore absent yesterday through influenza, and a rearrangement of the timetable became inevitable. In the morning practically all normal timetable trips wero run, but all extra oars ami trailers had to bo cutoff. In the afternoon services were still further reduced, only 29 electric cars and seven trailers being used as against 51 cars and 44 trailers on the normal service at 5 p.m. Notwithstanding this reduction the service proved quite adequate to the traffic, the cars running practically empty after 7 p.m. To-night, late shopping night, the same curtailed service will have to be run, and the public are therefore advised either to do their shopping in the daytime or to be prepared to walk back home at night. THE TELEPHONE SERVICE. The Superintendent of Telegraphs appeals to the public to be reasonable in their telephone calls,' not to use the telephone for trivial matters. Thirty-five out of eighty attendants were away with influenza, yesterday. Work was carried on with the help of ex-attend-ants and volunteers from the girls in other branches of the Post and Telegraph Office who relinquished their holiday. Of course, the strain was very great, and it cannot be maintained. The only way in which a curtailment of hours of the service can be avoided is by the public refraining from making unimportant calls. The telegraph office is _ suffering severely, sixteen operators being ill, as well as'five out of eight dispatch clerks, and a large number of messengersRAILWAY SERVICE. STAFFS DEPLETED.. Mr F. A. Grant, railway traffic manager, reports that the epidemic has hit the department pretty gladly in all branches, both in the town and the country- Up to the present it has been possible to keep all the services going, withoirt any restrictions, but this has entailed "a heavy strain. A food number of the clerical staff are own with influenza, both at Chrispchurch and Lyttelton but tho epidemic

has Its greatest hold on the outside staff —P°^ er ®) shunters and guards—shout hair or whom are among the sufferers. ADDINGTON WORKSHOPS. The epidemic has hit the Government ; Railway workshops at Addington very hard. Many of the staff have been affected, and about a hundred of them were off. duty yesterday. THE HOTELS. BARS REOPENED. The hotel bars were reopened at the usual hour yesterday, under the condition imposed by the Health authorities that' no loitering should be allowed on the premises. “Do Not Loiter ” was the announcemen t to those who entered the portals, and a glance round the principal hotels in the early afternoon disclosed a scene of sedate calm, tho number of patrons who required attention being very few. The hotels in the town have been pet’lmps among the severest sufferers by reason of tho effects of the epidemic among their staffs. Guests in many cases have had to accept a restricted service, and cheerfully accept “what was going.” as tho saying has it. Many of the larger hotels have been practically hospitals since the beginning of Carnival Week, numbers of the visitors being compelled to stay inside with the prevailing sickness. Staffs all round have struggled with depleted forces. MILITARY FUNERALS STOPPED. On account of the sickness amongst soldiers, and of the fact that there is only one gun-carriage in Christchurch, the Defence Department, finds it impossible to comply with requests to provide military ceremonies at soldiers’ funerals. When the epidemic has subsided the Department Aviil do its best to meet the wishes-of next of kin. / MATRICULATION EXAMS. In view of the fact that matriculation examinations are held only once a year, and tliat it would bo a serious matter for rnanv students to miss them and bo put back in their university courses, special provision will be made for examinations. Dr Chesson stated that arrangements would have to be made to deal with students affected by influenza, but he did not supply details. * The examinations are controlled absolutely by the authorities of the New Zealand University in Wellington, and the authorities at Canterbury College, which lends a hall for the occasion, have not been informed whether t-h© examinations will be continued or whether they will bo stopped for tho prosent, to bo resumed later. EXAMINATIONS POSTPONED. [Per Prxbb Association.] WELLINGTON, November 14. It is officially announced that the Education Department’s examinations for Public Service entrance intermediate (senior free places) and junior and senior national scholarships, which were to have been held between November 20 and 29, are.postponed until a date to be notified later.