NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 37

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The retirement of Judge Cooper will not take place till the end of next month.. The new judge, Mr J. R. Reed, will, it is understood, take over Mr Justice Chapman’s circuit, including Gisborne, with headquarters at Wellington. The Hon. E. P. Lee states that a further thousand tons of sugar have been purchased from Australia to relieve the shortage here. Early shipment is being arranged. The Hon. E. P. Lee (President of the Board of Trade) states that Cabinet has decided that, in view of the reduced prices now quoted for imported cement, the remission of duty on cement will be cancelled from April 1. ‘ In view of the employers’ determination to reduce the wages of carpenters from 5s to 2s 9d per hour, which reductioft came into force in Wellington on the 25th, many men declined to accept work to-day, and left the jorvs they were employed at. The Immigration Department is advised that the Ruapehu, with assisted immigrants aboard, will at Wellington on the morning of March 6. She will disembark the North Island passengers and 6ail for Lyttelton, where she is due on the 7th prox. Joseph Henry Pike, who was arrested just before the departure of the Sydney boat, pleaded guilty to embezzling £423 from his employers, Ferguson and Osborne. It was stated by the police that gambling had caused the downfall of the prisoner. He was committed for sentence. At the Christchurch Court Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., imposed fines of £ls on Stacey and Hawker, and £lO on. John Gilmore, bakers, for selling underweight loaves. The magistrate said that loaves were seldom found to be over-weight, but frequently under-weight. Consumers were paying a high price for bread, and must be protected. A conference held on the 23rd between representatives of employers and men concerning the decision of builders to reduce carpenters’ wages from 3s to 2s 9d per hour, proved abortive, and further proceedings before the Conciliation Council will take place at Wellington, prior to the matter going before the Arbitration Court. The Hon. G. .T. Anderson has announced that Mr H. T. B. Drew, of the Wellington Evening Post reporting staff, has been appointed publicity agent under the Interna) Affairs Department, which intends publishing, for advertising purposes outside the dominion, booklets and pamphlets on New Zealand from scenic, commercial, and agricultural standpoints. The Waipaoa Freezing Works dispute, which caused the go-slow policy of the mutton butchers, which commenced on the 17th, was settled on the 22nd. After a conference between the directors of the company and the men’s representatives, the men were granted an increase of Is 6d per 100, making the present scale £2 5s 4d. The dispute affected over 200 men. Fines of £SO eadh for sly grog-selling were imposed by Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Auckland Court on Thos. Clark, whe sold a bottle of whisky to a constable on the street on Sunday, and Adam Davis, -who sold beer to a constable in a house. The constable stated that accused said he usually received about 12 dozen every Saturday, and was generally sold out by breakfast time next morning. The Arbitration Court refused an application by the grocers’ assistants for a reduction of hours to 44 per week. In its memorandum the court states that, as a reduction from 52 to 48 hours weekly came into operation on January 1, it w-as undesirable to order a further reduction until the 43-hour week 1 ad had a fair trial snd the parties had been given an opportunity of conferring fully on the matter. There was a keen demand for the highpowered motor car in which the Prince of Wales rode extensively during his visit to Victoria. The commercial value of the car would be about £2OOO, but a wealthy squatter paid £SOOO for it, thus giving a handsome profit to the Defence Department. Three thousand pounds extra is a high price for the privilege of being able to say that it is the car the Prince used. The following were elected without opposition as members of the recentlycreated Taieri River Trust: —Messrs Ninian Thomas Reid (West Taieri subdivision), Donald Ford (Motnona). For the snow' sub division Messrs George M'Leod and James Miller we re nominated; for Lee Creek subdivision. Messrs Alexander P. Fleming and John Matheson; and for Lakes subdivision, Messrs William John Marshall and William Garden Reid. On receiving the news of the result of the South African elections, Mr Masseytelegraphed to General Smuts: “New Zealand heartily congratulates you upon the splendid result of the» South African elections, which was not only a personal triumph, hut an emphatic endorsement of the United Empire policy.” General Smuts has replied: “I am verv grateful for your kind congratulatic ns. The dominant, issue in tic l elections was the secession from .the Empire, and the result, therefore, is of general Imperial significance.” At the annual meeting of the Otagc branch of the Superannuated Public Servants Association, the report submitted showed a. membership of 150. It- was resolved to ask the Government to continue the payment of the bonus granted to the lower-paid annuitants, widows, and children, as there was no immediate prospect of a reduction in the cost of livin'-- j j essentials. Mr G. B. Node having forwarded his resignation as president, it wa< decided to elect Mr T. B. Ley-land a? pros! dent, with Mr R. Farrant as secretary anc Mr J. C. W ilson as treasurer. In connection w-ith the two photograrih; of the collision between the steamers Vic toria and Atlienic while passing through th< Panama Canal, it should have been men tinned that, they were taken by the son o Mr and Mrs Knight, of the Masonic Private Hotel, Dunedin, the young man displaying great coolness in taking a snap while th< vessel he was on (the Athenic) was beini rammed bv the Victoria. In a letter to hi. parents. Mr Knight, inn., says the Vie toria swerved towards the Athenic to avofi n, collision with an American oil vessel Had that collision taken place, in all pro bability an explosion would have followed with a likelihood of all three vessels beinj blown to pieces. The annual meeting of the New Zealanc branch of the Empire Press Union was bel< in Wellington last week under the presi dency of Sir George Fenwick. Eulogistii references were mad© to the success of tin second conference of the union recently hel< in Canada, and to the way in which thi Colonial delegatee were treated, bolb jj

Canada and London. Lord Burnham had said that if an invitation came from Australia the next conference would _be held there in three and a-half years’ time. Sir George Fenwick, in the course of an address, said the main concern of the Empire Press Union was not to look closely after the interests of members, but the noble ideal of serving the national interests, in which the future welfare of our people rests. Sir George Fenwick, in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, delvered an- address on the W'ork of the union. Mr P. Selig (Christchurch) seconded the motion. He spoke in high of the way in which the delegates to the Empire Press Conference were treated, both in Canada and London. At the annual meeting at Wellington of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of New Zealand. Mr P. Selig, of Christchurch, presiding, feeling reference was made to the loss by death of the Hon. G. Jones, M.L.C., Messrs R. J- G wynne (Waikato Times). Hepry Weston (Taranaki Herald), and W. A. Parkinson (Haw-era Star). The president offered the congratulations of the association to the Hon. G. J. Anderson, one of the proprietors of the Mataura Ensign. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr C. Earle; Management Committee —Messrs P. Selig, H. Horton, C. S. Smith, W. J. Blundell, J. Coombe, E. Abbey Jones, and F. Pirani; Paper Committee —Messrs P. Selig, L. Blundell, Robert Bell, "R, J. Gilmour, and F. Pirani; Advertising Committee —Messrs A. D. Seabrook, W. Easton, G. C. Odlin, J. C. Coombe. and F. Pirani; Labour and Awards Committee —A. Sando, G. C. Odlin, A. G. Anderson, W. C. Weston, and F. Pirani.—A motion was passed expressing grateful appreciation of the valuable services rendered by Mr Selig as president.