LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

R. G. Hosking, who has oeen visiting Australia, arrived in Auckland this morning and expects to return to Whangarei by train to-riiorrow. After burning since the beginning of February, a peat fire in a swamp on ] the property of the Pukekohc Tepfhnica! j High .School is still snvoking (states an exchange). j Members of the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce were to have visited the cement works at Portland to-morrow, but the wet weather has necessitated j a change of plans. The trip will be made next Tuesday. The Nelson Automobile Association (states the "Nelson Evening Mail") is offering a reward of £5 for information leading to the conviction of a callous motorist who collided with and badly injured a girl cyclist in Trafalgar Square, Nelson, last Saturday evening, and who proceeded on his way without stopping to assist the girl. i Rainfall records taken by Mr 0. Piggott, manager of the experimental farm at Puwera, for the 24 hours proceeding 9 o'clock this morning, showed that I.Bin. had fallen, equal to ISO tons j of water per acre. The record reported by Mr L. Hanlon, Government meteorological observer at Mairtown, shovrecl that 2.13 in. or 213 tons to the acre, fell there between 8 o'clock yesterday morning and the same hour to-day. After trying a Saturday half-holi-day for four months Timaru found it so disastrous that a most unusual attempt was the result; it endeavoured to induce Parliament to interfere. Their mcmiber, Mr Craigie, must have been greatly impressed by the seriousness of the condition of things when he took the impressive step he did. Owing to the serious loss to the town he asked Government cither to make provision for the taking of another poll or to anake .Saturday the universal halfholiday, and he strongly urged the importance of the matter. The Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister of Labour, replied that the Government had no intention of bringing down legislation to make the Saturday half-holiday universal. The selection of a day for the halfholiday was in the hands of the peoplo themselves, and if they chose Saturday they must bear the consequences. He knew of other cases where the Saturday halif-holiday had caused a great deal of hardship. He believed that it was a good arrangement for the big concerns and a calaimitous arrangement, for the small concerns in any town. Some country towns would face Tuin if they adopted the Saturday half-holi-day; but that was a matter for the people themselves to decide, and the J Government did not intend to propose ( an alteration of the law. That is then 1 what we have to face. If we make a 1 mistake we must suffer its consequences j for two An ill look out, sirs, with such an example and such a statement before us. Thursday is our safe j day, so Thursday lot it be. 367 1