ANOTHER CONFERENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19504, 3 February 1926, Page 8

ANOTHER CONFERENCE

SIGNWRITERS AND PAINTERS FUTURE OF THE TRADE [Per Press Association.! DI'NED LN, Feb. 2. The New Zealand Master Painters, Decorators, and Signwriters' conference opened this morning. The delegates were welcomed by the Mayor. The. president, Air Polson, of Christchurch, said the time was not far distant when employers would have to get together and do some plain speaking regarding the future of the industry. Practically the bulk of the legislation passed had discouraged employers. First, was the amended Scaffolding Act, with many unnecessary clauses, which only burdened employers with extra expense, without conferring on workers that measure of increased protection which the extra expense would warrant them, while the Lead Bill was more burden than benefit. The Court had fixed apprentices' wages so high that it was practically impossible to train boys. Employers, instead of filling vacancies for boys so as to keep up the supply of tradesmen for the future, were marking time, as they could not pay the wages and train the boys properly.

success, being beaten by a narrow margin of two wickets on the latter occasion. It was later in 1920 that WaDarapa created a surprise by defeating Poverty Bay, and they in turn succumbed in a match which was marked by a brilliant century by D. Cameron, of Turnkina, at that time a Collegiate School student. Rangitikei, in the following week, lost the Cup to Nelson, the match being played at Marton in bad ‘weather conditions. Back To Wanganui. It was in March, 1921, that Wanganui sent its first team to Nelson, and they brought the trophy back with them, winning by six wickets. The principal players responsible for that victory were Holland, who scored 91; Tronson, who took six wickets for nine runs; and Bernau, four wickets for ten runs. Wanganui had a wonderful run with the Cup for the next three seasons, -winning eleven challenges on end, all by substantial margins. A change came in February, 1924, when Nelson succeeded in beating Wanganui by six wickets. The pitch for this match was in a bad state, and the visitors did extremely well to win. Last year Wanganui went after the trophy once more, but owing to lack of playing facilities here (Cook’s Gardens had been dug up) the team was sorely out of practice and Nelson won by eight wickets on the third day of the match. Another attempt was made, and on Thursday last, after strenuous endeavours to get a team away, the representatives left for Nelson, with the happy result reported in these columns today. With the Hawke Cup once more in Wanganui, serious attention will have to be paid to getting Cook’s Gardens or Peat Park in order for the big matches to come. In the meantime, fitting arrangements will no doubt be made to greet the team on their arrival home, after having accomplished a splendid performance.