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Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 36

A Press Association message from Wellington states that tho Defence Expenditure Commission is to be open to the public. A Wellington Press. Association message states that tho Hon. A. L. Herdm-.n has sent his resignation to the_ Speaker, and Mr Justice Denniston has resigned. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that a Gazette Extraordinary contains an official notice of the Government's intention to buy butter and cheese for export on behalf of the Imperial authorities. The first prosecution under the Social Hygiene Act will be heard shortly, when a chemist will be proceeded against under tho provision which makes it unlawful for any person other than a registered medical practitioner to undertake for payment or reward the treatment or cure of social disease. The following are the vital statistics for Balclutha for January: —Births, 11 j marriages, 2; deaths, nil. The Union Steam Ship Company has issued a circular to its former shareholders who are now the holders of P. and O. Company's deferred stock notifying them that, as legal advice is to the effect that the P. and O. Company's charter will not permit of the creation of local registers, it is proposed that the stockholders in New Zealand and Australia should transfer their holdings to a trust company to be formed in Dunedin, which will issue its own trust certificates, transferable on the Dunedin register and on branch registers at Sydney and Hobart. This course is proposed in order that stockholders in New Zealand and Australia may not be placed at a disadvantage, as compared with English holders, in regard to dealing in their stock, and that they may be as free to deal in the dominions with their P. and 0. interests as they were with their original shares in the Union Company. Should a shareholder desire to sell his stock on the London register he may do so upon surrendering his trust certificate, but, otherwise, transfers to the trust company will be for a definite period of 20 years. Dividends will be remitted to the trust company by cable in a lump sum, and will be distributed by-the trust company to stockholders in New Zealand and Australia. If a sufficient number of the stockholders aro in favour of the adoption of the scheme tho necessary arrangements will at .once be made to give effect the proposal. The establishment of the scheme will be free of expense to the stockholders. The trust company will be created and managed by the Union Company in Dunedin. The matter was discussed privately by members of the Dunedin Stock Exchange yesterday, and it will come up again for further discussion to-day. A sitting of the Supreme Court, in Chambers, will be held on Friday, before Mr Justice Sim. For the criminal sittings, which are fixed for the 12th inst., there are four cases on the list, as follows: "Duncan Allison, discharging a at Milton with intent to do grievous bodily harm; James Stewart Sutherland, indecent assault; Donald Hay Campbell and John Healey, assault and robbery; David Henry Hill, theft at Oamaru. The civil sittings will follow on tho 18th inst., and the Oamaru sittings on the 25th. The Oamaru calendar consists at present of one civil case. It is understood that the Federated Miners' Union has presented a claim to the Mine Owners' Federation, in which they ask for an increase in wages of 20 per cent, and that a conference between the parties will be held in Wellington about the middle of the month. The owners do not look with any great favour on tho latest demand of the men, as the men agreed when they received an increase in wages about six months ago that they would not demand a further increase for a period of two years. Moreover, the owners cannot understand how nn increase in the cost of living requiring another advance in wages of 20 per cent, can have taken place in the space of six months. If tho increases aro granted it simply means that the employers will pass tho increase—cither a portion or the whole —on to the general public. A section of the workmen consequently benefit at the expense of their fellow workmen. In consequence of a statement made by the girl Annie Casey, of Centre Bush, who was " missing ■' for the earlier part of the week, but who turned up at a sister's place, a warrant was issued at Winton for tho arrest of Samuel Clark Muir, of South Hillend, and aged about 21, on a serious charge (says the Southland • Times). Muir was arrested in Dunedin late on Thursday night, and was to appear before the court at Invorcargill yesterday. According to the girl's story, she had got within half a mile of her employer's (Mr Stewart's) gate at Heddon Bush, on her ride back from her home on Sunday week, when she came up with a stranger, also mounted, who made use of force to attain his ends. The girl returned tho horse sho had been riding to the paddock and the saddle and bridle to the stable, her intention being to take her life, but, instead, sho went into the bush, where she remained two clays and nights during which time sho had nothing to eat. Then she proceeded to a sister's house, arriving in a state of exhaustion. An early session with a general- election before the end of .the year is predicted by Sir James Carroll, M.P., who is at present on a visit to the South Island in connection with tho Maori bye-elcc(.ion. In conversation with a Christchurch Press reporter on Sunday, Sir James stated that his reference at Tuahiwi tho other night to a general election being held six months hence was more a' figure of speech than anything else. It was, however, antici-

pated in political circles that the election | would be held before the end of the year. " I don't think the country will wait till the war is over," ho said. "The duration of the war may be extended, and it would not bo reasonable to expect the general election to be postponed till its end." In reply to a further question ho said it looked as though there would be an early session. The rights of users of the roadway was the subject of what ho termed a' oneminute sermon by Mr F. V. Frazer, iS.M., Auckland. " The motorist and the pedestrian," stated his Worship, "have equal rights to uso tho road, with the proviso that the motorist, being in charge of a speedy, heavy, and possibly dangerous machine, has cast on him the special duty of taking care that tho machine does not cause damage to anything or anybody. Tho motor horn is provided to sound a warning to others to look out, so that everybody concerned may take the precautions necessary to avoid a collision, not to hoot people out of the way in a clearout, tho road-belongs-to-me manner."