TELEGRAPHIC

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4412, 19 July 1901, Page 5

TELEGRAPHIC

PRESS ASSOCIATION. TIMARU, July 18. All the bant officers in Timaru have signed; a formal protest against tb® Shops and Offices Bill as unnecessary, unworkable and calculated to injuriously affect bank employees. The protest is to be forwarded to Parliament. AUCKLAND, July 18. The Governor arrived from Wellington to-day by the Tutanekai, He will remain a few days, and during that time will inspect the new auxiliary scrqiv schooner Countess of Banfurly, which has beep built for the Cook Islands trade to the Government’s order. MANGAWEKA, July 18. At the Magistrate’s Court to-day, before Mr Greenfield, S.M., H. JI Woodard. the holder of a new license recently granted at Taihape. was fined £lO and costs fpr selling liquor on Sunday. The license was not endorsed.

DUNEDIN, July 18. The chairman of the Dunedin Stock Exchange explains, with) reference to the proposed amendment of the Stamp Act. that as the outcome of prosecutions two years ago of persons who signed blank transfers, the Exchange represented to Sir Joseph Ward the desirability of amending the law to provide for the issue of stamped contract notes, as in London and Melbourne. Sir Joseph Ward agreed to take the matter up but nothing further was heard of it until lately, when the Exchange was requested by the Stamp Department to have a Bill framed. The draft Bill prepared by the Exchange’s solicitors was set aside by the Government and a fresh Bill was drafted by the Crown Solicitor in Dunedin.

INVERCARGILL, July 18. A meeting of delegates from the Jn« vercargill and suburban. Borough Councils was held to-night to discuss amalgamation, but the representatives of the outlying municipalities generally did not favour the idea. As a matter of fact. South Invercargill is the largest borough in the colony (some 1720 acres), and much of it is in a state of nature, while the main borough is only 650 acres in extent. The meeting adjourned without passing resolutions..