LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16037, 30 January 1920, Page 9

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Wellington' telegram state® that Mr and Mrs C. H. Hol’d have given, .£SOO worth of war loan bonds te the Wellington College Board of Governors te found a scholarship in. memory of their son Keith, who was at one time a student there. Some of the war brides are warlike. One new arrival, whose brother lives near Palmerston North, was visited by him just at dusk. When he arrived she was posting a letter, but he sallied forth Upon her trail, and confidently “bowled up.” Unfortunately she resented the familiarity, and gave her erring brother an unexpected literal “smack in the eye” before he persuaded her he was not a stranger.—Times. Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the arrival at the Bay of Islands of Captain Hobson, New Zealand’s first Governor. It was on the following Jay that Captain Hobson landed and read Die proclamation declaring that the boundaries of the colony of New South Wales had been extended to include New Zealand, and that he had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor. Formerly Anniversary Day was celebrated on January 30th, but one year when that date fell on a Sunday the holiday was observed on the previous day. When the following year came round the reason for this alteration apparently was overlooked, and January 29th ever since has been observed as Anniversary Day. The British flag was first hoisted at Auckland on September 18th, 1840, on Captain Hobson deciding to remove the seat of Government from Russell.

The unrest which has been apparent in the freezing industry during the past fortnight in the North Island, has spread to some of the Canterbury works, and during the past few days “stop work” meetings have been held of the employees of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, of Islington, of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company at Belfast, of the North Canterbury Co-operative Freezing Works at Kaiapoi, and at Messrs T. Borthwick and Sons at Kaiapoi. All classes _of employees in the Canterbury Freezing Works and Related Trades Union, were represented at the meetings. The main cause of the unrest is the question of wages, the men stating that since their Federation made the Dominion agree,ment in April last the cost of necessaries has gone up to an extent which makes an increase in wages necessary. Since this Dominion agreement was made, the Arbitration Court has made its pronouncement with regard to the extra “clothing” bonus, which the men do not get under the agreement, and this has accentuated the position. In some cases conditions of certain of the works are complained of, and it is alleged that the proper and agreed upon accommodation in the way of dressing rooms, drying rooms, and overalls has not been complied with.