Sirty Years Ago

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21822, 27 November 1940, Page 4

Sirty Years Ago

“ The Timaru Herald ” November 27, 1880 Farmers’ Co-operative Association A very large number of shares in Farmers’ Co-operative Association have been applied for during the past few days, and there is now every prospect of the promoters’ most sanguine expectations being more than realised. Mayoral Elections Various mayoral elections resulted as follow: Wellington, Mr Hutchinson; Christchurch, Mr Gapes; Lyttelton, H. Allwright; Sydenham, J. T. Brown. Fighting at Samoa Intelligence has reached Apia, Samoa, states a message from Auckland, that a heavy battle has taken place between two inland villages, and that more had been killed and wounded than in any previous fight. Each side took three heroes, and the result is supposed to be a drawn fight for the present. Gangs of men are marching from the north-east side when more fighting will take place. Locomotive Foreman Dismissed “We regret to learn,” states a leader note, “that Mr W. Syms, formerly locomotive foreman at Timaru, has been dismissed from the service. Mr Syms was transferred to Oamaru some two years since, and very recently was promoted to the charge of the Invercargill division of the Locomotive Department. Hardly, however, had he entered on his duties there when he received notification that his services would be dispensed with. Mr Syms has been in the Department for 15 years, and during that time he has won the confidence of his superiors and the esteem of the public at large. In fact, it would be more difficult to find a more energetic, trustworthy and reliable officer in the service. This being the case, it seems an extraordinary and very ill-advised policy, to say the least of it, to shunt such men as him, when others, with only a few years experience, are promoted to responsible positions. Unless Mr Syms has committed some very grave fault quite recently, we must look upon his dismissal as a very unjust act, and one which can, by no manner of means, be justified on the plea of economy.’’