NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12772, 19 April 1910, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Retailers' Association has resolved to close premises at 11.30 tomorrow forenoon for the races.

r An instruction meeting in connection i with the Southern Star Masonic • Lodgo will he held this evening. r ~ The s.s. Wairoa was reported at the • Post Office late yesterday afternoon ? as having broken down while on the 3 way from Collingwood to Waitapu, and she was towed back to Collingwood. '' ■ \ A meeting of the Albion Football Club will be hold at Mr- Snow's room this evening. > The deer-stalking in Wairarapa district this year is. not altogether sa.-is- - factory, because very, few excei'.v.t - heads nave been secured. ■ .-.The Government offices throughout the .Dominion will be closed on Satur- • day next/ April 23rd, being St. . George's Day. Pollard's Opera 'Company has been disbanded. Most of the members left for Sydney on Friday evening. Mr Tom Pollard will remain iii Christchurch, Mr A.' Moss,' manager and ' proprietor, -haa-returned to Dunedin, and Mir- Fred. W. Duval, advance ro- ' presentative, is at present in Wellington. Tho food -law of Moses reduced tho danger, of ptomaine poisoning to about nothing for the Jews of old, and a similar regard for cleanliness and freshness in the food now-a-days will valuably serve to protect people.. — Wellington "Post." New Zealand was a oountry i ree from pests oince, unless the san My and tho mosquito were excepted. Today it has . stoats, weasels,, the Norway rat, rabbits, foxes (in places) i «,t liy, penny royal, blackberry, briars, Californian thistle, codlin moth, diamond black moth, and a wMo'e devilish range of fruit blights and farmers' curses, all introduce! . - Palme-rston "Times." A total of 3557" men were cniploj-ed during February on various railway works in the Dominion, consisting of 328 artisans and 3229 labourers. On the Stratford-Ongarue line 515 labourers wero engaged, 457 on the North Auckland lino, 401 at Kawakawa--Gra-hamtown, 317 at Gisborne-llotorua, and 177 on the Nelson-Inangahua line. During the same period, 1057 men were engaged on different road works, Taranaki having tho largest share with 305, Auckland being next with 258, and Wellington third with 103. . ' 7 Speaking at Auckland the other day, ! Mr Sedgewick, who is on a visit to New Zealand in connection with a scheme ' to place Home lads in the colonies, said -the 'working, lads in the great ' .cities at Home. might be described as '' •the backbone of the : Empire. If some :Of these lads could be got on to. farms ' ,out in the dominions overseas it would ! ;be. a great blessing to the Old Coun- ' -try. i Population was what the youag j .countries wanted, but, at the samo ' time, it was no use their coming out ' .unless the" countries to which they ' came were prepared to offer . them ! land; It had been said by some peo- ' .pie: that j this class of labour wou.d ' have a- depressing influence onthe rato ; ofi wages prevailing ih the Dominion. ! He flatly denied that. This was illustrated in New South Wales, which received 12,000 immigrants last year, whereas the whole of the rest of the . Commonwealth received only. 6000, but in spite of (that wages went' up con- ■' siderably ; in .. Next South Wales . It would be a very good thing if the Government ofvthis "country v oould -.under- ] stand thatiiHe farmers pi certain districts were prepared to try these lads, and. find out which were the most suit- 1 able, so that: they could profit by the result of the experience.