DEPUTATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4676, 21 June 1893, Page 3

DEPUTATIONS.

TO THE HON W. P. REEVES. The Hon W. F. Beevea was at the Public Works Office yesterday, and from ten o'clock until 2 p.m. he met a number of deputations on matters of public interest, and also saw many persons on purely local matters. THE APPRENTICES ACT. A member of the Tailors' Union attended, and pointed out the hardship inflicted upon journeymen by boya being brought into shops and taught the trade without being apprenticed. He said that during the last two years twenty men had been pushed out of one shop in Christchurch in this manner. He asked if some amendment could not be made in the Act to make apprenticeship compulsory. Mr Beeveß promised to try and get the Act amended in this direction. CANTERBURY LIBERAL ASSOCIATION. A deputation from the Canterbury Liberal Association was introduced. Mr Ensom (the President) said that they had taken the opportunity of the Minister being in town to lay one or two matters before him. Tbe first matter was the question of the unemployed. A large number of men were out of work, and though many were being sent away by the Labour Bureau, ib was thought some means should be taken to get the men on to land within easy distance of Christchurch. Could not some land be purchased ? Mr Beeves said in order to purchase land near town they would have to revert to the compulsory clauses in the Lands for Settlement Act. The unemployed difficulty was one of great dimensions and required care in dealing with. Mr Ballinger asked if nothing could be done in the way of subsidising local bodies, who might utilise Borne of the surplus labour. Mr Beeves replied that that would open up a large question. If Government subsidised one body it would have applications ! from all parts of New Zealand. The State ', farm at Waverley, which would be ready i for occupation in a few days, would take a ; number of married men who were past the prime of life, and a large number of men ', had gone to Cheviot. ■ I Mr G. W. Busßell eaid the Cheviot work could only be looked upon as temporary. What was wanted was something per<na- : nent. As soon as the road work was j completed the men would drift back into j the town. Under the Land for Settlement i Act land might be acquired near Christ- j church and made reproductive. If they ■ went further out for land they could use . the railways to get the produce to market. ' That -was the kind of work they wanted . the Government to undertake. j After further discussion, the Minister ; said he would do his best to get the com- ! pulsory clauses re-introduced into the Act ; Mr Ballinger asked if anything could be \ done to find work for those men who, by ■ ; reason of age, were unable to obtain < employment with private individuals and contractors. : Mr Beeves said it was possible that some men of this class might be sent to the Waverley State Farm. His idea was to send there men who were over fifty years of age, and not fit for heavy work. In other countries local bodies did something for thiß class of men, bat here they did nothing. . Mr Ballinger referred to the question of . the Addington Barracks being used to house some of the old men. Mr Beevea said the idea was a good one, and he asked them to communicate any suggestions on the subject to Mr Lomae, who was looking after the matter. After some further conversation the deputation withdrew. IMFRIBONMENT FOR DRUNKENNESS. The Bey J. O'Bryen Hoare and Mr C. H. Bridge waited on the Minister and handed him a resolution passed by a meeting of the St Saviour's Guild, the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Prison Gate Mission :— " That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable in \ the intereßta of the community that magistrates should have power to commit persons who have been repeatedly convicted of drunkenness to inebriate homes or to gaol for long terms, and that alterations be made in the law to that effect." They pointed out that at present a great deal of harm was being done to young girls by elderly women who were habitual drunkards. These characters under the present laws could only be sent to gaol for short terms, and were a curse to the community. They asked that something might be done in the matter. Mr Beeveß said the deputation had his entire sympathy, and he would draw the attention of the Minister for Justice to the matter. SHOP HODES BILL. Messrs Forrester, Harriß, Knight and Tutton waited on the Minister on behalf of the Master Butchers' Association and asked j what their position would be under the ; new Shop Hours Bill, as it would entail ! great loss on them to close on Saturday afternoon?. Mr Beeves replied that the Act would not interfere with butchers, as they came under the perishable goods clause. Besides power would be given to local bodieß in various localities to fix the half-holiday. The members of the deputation expressed themselves as thoroughly satisfied. EDUCATION. A deputation of lady teachers, consisting of Mesdames Foster and Bowmaker, and Misses Gibson and Kitchingman, represented that an alteration in the syllabus was desirable. The girls in the public schools had to learn geometrical and model drawing, and this pressed heavily on them, as they had also to attend to needlework. Mr Beeveß asked if the 10 per cent allowed to girls in his syllabus did not meet the matter. The deputation pointed out that the result of getting girls through standards with 10 per cent less work than boys was to unfit them to compete with the boys when they passed into a higher standard. The Minister promised to give the matter his earnest consideration. He was anxious to do nothing that would in any way interfere with the attention of the girls to their needlework. Several other deputations also saw the Minister on semi-private business.