NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8122, 16 May 1912, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Maunganui, Moeraki, Corinthic, and Victoria are expected to be within wireless range of tho Wellington G.P.O. this evening.

A deputation will wait upon the Minister for Education (Hon. J. A. Hanan) at 10 o’clock this morning to place before him the resolutions carried at the recent libraries conference held in Wellington.

Lost night the Wellington branch of the Eugenic Education Society held :te annual mooting at the Town HaU. Professor Kirk was in tho chair. The report and balance-sheet were adopted, and the following were elected members of the council:—Dr Agnes Bennett, Sir Robert Stout, Sir John Findlay, Messrs E. Kennedy, C. B. Morieon, F. W. Frankland, D. McLaren, and. C. Tennant. The annual subscription was reduced to 10s 6d, which will include subscription to the “Eugenics Review/

For the time of year the Arawa. which arrived yesterday, brought a large number of passengers to New Zealand. Iter company numbered 257, of whom all but 30 travelled third-class. Of the total 06 *vere booked to Wellington, the numbers cooked for other destinations being;— Auckland 103. Lyttelton 31. Dunedin 13. Bluff 11. Napier 9, Timaru 6, Nelson 5. dreymouth 5, Westport 2, Gisborne. Wa.iganui and New Plymouth one each. The male immigrants included a considerable proportion of farmers and artisans. There were 57 assisted immigrants, of whom IT were children. The adults among the number were all women, either wives coming out to rejoin their husbands or domestics. There were 23 of the latter, who travelled in charge of a matron, Mrs E. J. Williams,

Two rather sharp earthquakes were felt m Wellington yesterday at 11.10 a.m. A Press Association message from Gisborne states that a shock was felt there at 10.10 a.m.

Judgment will be delivered in the Supreme Court at 10 o’clock this morning by Mr Justice Chapman in the case of George T. P. Williams v. Albert Edward Webb and Arthur Percival Masters, an action for alleged breach of agreement.

Members of the Students’ Christian Union are this winter conducting the night school at the Wellington Boys’ Institute. All boys wbo have not passed the fifth or sixth standards are invited to join, and they will be prepared for examinations. Basket ball, harriers, gymnasium, and boxing classes are held under competent instructors. The demands made by the Wellington Performing Musicians’ Union have brought on them a certain amount of criticism regarding the effect their action is likely to have on amateur societies. The president of the union (Mr H. B. Oakes) denies that the union has endeavoured to damp the art or to injure amateur societies. Nothing, he states, was further from their thoughts.

A branch of the Sports Protection League was formed at Te Kuiti on Tuesday night. The organising secretary (Mr Paape) delivered an address on the aims and objects of the league. The Mayor presided. Considerable interest was shown, and a largo membership promised. Referring to the Auckland League, Mr Paape said that if possible they would work together; they had no desire id conflict.

Complaint has been made about the manner in which bills and posters have been plastered in unauthorised places about the city, to the disfigurement of buildings, fences and other structures. The council intends taking action against ■offenders in this respect, and the Mayor is in favour of a stricter enforcement of the by-law relating to hoardings. He agrees that the practice is objectionable from the aesthetic point of view.

When the divorce case Paulsen v. Paulsen was called on for hearing before Mr Justioe Chapman yesterday Mr W. Perry, counsel for petitioner (Florence Hay Paulsen) applied to have tho suit heard on Friday' next before a judge alone. Respondent filed an answer to the petition, but his solicitors had not heard from him since, and apparently the case was not going to be defended. His Honor agreed to make the order, but said that if the respondent should appear to defend the suit it would have to go before a jury.

There was a fairly good attendance at the opening meeting of the Sydney street and Northland Primitive Methodist Mutual Improvement Society. The annual report, giving a survey of the past year's work, and the treasurer’s report, were received, and officers and committee elected. The subject for tho evening was “Question Box,” the majority of the members submitting and answering questions which were of a diversified character. A pianoforte solo was given by Miss J. Nicholas, and recitations by Messrs Cable and Goad.

When about a week out from London on the voyage which ended yesterday, two Steerage passengers on the Arawa—-a married woman and a young man—developed acute mania and had to be placed under restraint. The man was very violent, and had to be constantly watched lest he should do himself an injury. On the arrival of the vessel at Wellington yesterday the port health officer refused to allow the two unfortunate people to be landed, and ordered them to be sent back to England- They will bo placed on board the Corimthic, which leaves for London to-day. A Mr W. J, Bell, of Auckland, writes to the "Mnoriland Worker" a letter in which the following characteristic sentences occur.—When the Federation of Labour adopts Industrials Workers. of the World machinery and tactics we will be the better able to get to grips with Christian hell-hounds, hired thugs, mastor-olasa tyrants, and such others who comprise Professor Mills’ "useful people." We are taking things too tame- | ly— too many "resolutions," too much . hot air, make us look exceedingly ridi- ! culous whilst cutting no ice. Don’t lose eight of the fact that the slimy wowser class who found such joy in the tortures of the Inquisition, the thumbscrew, etc., «re still on earth. —Yours for the fight. ! Tho Mayor (Mr D. McLaren) submitted I a remit at yesterday's meeting of the legislation and leaseholds committee of tho city council:— "That an amendment be made ih the Municipal Corporations Act. 1908, empowering boroughs to make by-laws for the future regulation of cinematograph and other picture shows and exhibitions." The remit, which is intended for the Municipal Association’s Conference in July. may. be discussed at to-day’s meeting of the council. The proprietors of certain picture theatres have put their views before the committee, and the Mayor desires it to be understood that ho is not advocating a general censorship of picture displays. His immediate object is to see that films of a gruesome or brutal character are not displayed before young children. The Presbyterian Orphanage and Social Service Association is holding its third annual meeting this evening in St. John's Hall, Dixon street. : The Rev. Dr Gibb, who is to preside, will submit a very interesting ’ report of the year’s work. A heavy financial - burden has been undertaken in the erection ■ of a new orphanage building, to bo completed in July, which has taxed the resources of the association during the period. The financial statement to bo made by the 1 hon. treasurer, Mr W. M, Hauuay, will, however, bo a satisfactory one. The meeting will also be addressed by the Rev. J. Gibson Smith, and Mr T, P. Mills, the association’s secretary. The children of the orphanage are contributing to a musical programme, and .the ladies’ auxiliary committee are responsible for. the refreshments to be proyided. Over two thousand persons attended the Town Hall last evening when a moving picture entertainment, headed by "Dante’s Inferno," was given in aid of tho club-house fund of the Maranui Surf Life-saving Club. The programme was provided by the International Pictures under the direction of Mr Lister. "Dante’s Inferno,” quaintly described by the club’s circulars as a "divine comedy,” disclosed a vivid version of Dante’s vision of hell. The various compartments of tho "thermal regions” were well populated with innumerable historic notabilities. Among some of tho “comic incidents" one depicted an enthusiastic individual playfully hacking at all and sundry with a darge-aized sword. Tho supporting programme was of first-class quality, projected clearly with the latest Power’s machine. The takings exceeded Xl2O. Eighty-eight employers have been cited as parties to a dispute with the Wellington Retail Soft Goods Employees’ Industrial Union of Workers. A week of forty-three hours is asked for. The wages rate filed is as follows ment managers, JB3 10s; window-dreesere, £5 10s; seniors, £i; shop assistants, entering the trade between the ages of IS and 16 years, first six months of service, < 15s; second six months of service 17s 6d; third six months of service, JEI 2s 8d; fourth six months of service, -£1 7s 6d; third year of service. £1 15s; fourth year of service, £2 ss; fifth year of service, £2 17s 6d; sixth year of service, .£3 10s; seventh year of service (senior year), £i ; head storeman or, only storeman, £3 los; general storeman, £3 ss. Shop assistant porters shall be paid not less than is shown in the following scale: Sixteen years or under, Xss; seventeen, .£1 2s fid; eighteen, .£1 7s fid; nineteen, £1 15s; twenty. .£2 ss; twentyone, £2 10s; twenty-two, £3 ss. Casual hands, it is asked, shall-be paid 25 peri cent, increase on the rates shown. Anyone employed for less than a month j shall be deemed to be a casual. The case will shortly come before the Conciliation Council* •