THE Waihi Daily Telegraph. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1904

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1146, 16 November 1904, Page 2

THE Waihi Daily Telegraph. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1904

Hero shall the Pross tho I'ooplo'a Right maintain Uunnwl by influonoo and unbribwl bj f«i» | Hiiro patriot Truth her glorious proflopts drnv. PleitKodtoßdlijioD Liberty, anil I,w

Up to the end of last week there were strong complaints in all parts of the colony that the session had been barren of results. There is now a different opinion, People are beginning to think that the session was not so barren after all. On this point there is hardly any doubt after hearing tho protest from the four centres of tho colony against the Shops and Offices Bill. Nothing has been heard like it since the passing of the Factories Act, The calamities that are going to happen now were going to happen then, We were told that business would go lo ruin, that hundreds of hands would be thrown into idleness, that tho credit of the colony would sulle} 1 , that trade would fall off lamentably, and that we would all be i>t sixes and sevens. But it is alwayfl the unexpected that happens. Nothing has gono to ruin, work has increased instead of other wise, the credit of the colony ii as good as ever, and we aie a prosperous people. It is now a good many years since the passing of the Acl, and wo doubt if there is one per cent, of the tradesmen—we Hpeatr of fair tradesman—who would care to go back to the old system. We also doubt if one per cent, of those now complaining will in a year's time say that tho law has been hard on them. Eight hours a day is the recognised time for labour. The

principle has worked well in tliii colony, which fought hard anil long to obtain it, None are any thi worse for its operation, and from \ a health point of view it cannot have failed to benefit many. What is now sought U to make the eight hours apply as far as possible to all •mployees, or at any rate to all working in the larger centres. It is unfair to »xpect that one class of workers should be protected while another class is left to the mercy of employers, The Act sweeps the un • fairness away, so there is nothing seriously wrong with it. Another thing is that evasions of the Factories Act were one of the reasons for the introduction of the present Act. In the discussion in the House it was shown that just prior to closing time diliviry men were frequently sent out with orders that would take an hour, perhaps longer, to deliver, the employer thcis gaining an undue advantage by an evasion of the law. This is now a thing of the past, The cry against the Act is chiefly from chemists, and we are sure that bona fide objections from dispensaries will be favourably considered by the Government. As it is, prescriptions may' be made up as usual, but the sale of toothbrushes, scented soap?, and other things not urgently needed for the saving of life is not permitted, The hairdtessers consider that they also are harshly dealt with ; but it seems to bo the intention of the Act that the barber may cut hair and shave and shampoo after the closing hour as long as he keeps from selling, His grievance seems hardly reasonable. At any rate, the protest is premature, There is no bar to the sale of refreshments, so that restaurants are not affected. It is a fault with many of us that we do not know a boon when we see it. The shopkeeper who opens at eight in the morning and lives behind the counter till nine, ten, and sometimes

eleven at night is wearing away his life sooner than he ought, and the despised Act will do some good in stopping him. For this he ought to be thankful, and will be as soon as he knows the benefit. Where the shopß close early the people shop early, and no bubiness suffers materially. It is asserted by some of our contemporaries that the Shops and Offices Act is the work of the Government and they are smiting the Premier and his colleagnes hip and thigh on the strength of the erroneous idea that they forced the measure on the country. But as a matter of fact tho Bill was put through by the unanimous vote of tho House, both sides vieing with each other to produce an Act as perfect as possible.

Al ost epecitaen pendant which was advertised in our paper on Monday was found and handed in at Mr. Shandley's shop for the owner to claim,

_ Mr E. Haszard, who roturned to-day, from a six months' stay in tho Waikato diclares that wind and weather genorully iB a good many degroes worso than it is in Waihi,

Tho Waihi Horticultural Society's social and danco takes place in the Aoailemv of Music to-night. Tho enorgetic secretary, Mr. H, Hntohings, oasistcd byacommittf'o of ladies and gentlemen has complotod the «mngmontj.in connection with the function, ensuring aqenjoyablo evoni ng, Mr Nathan Phillips, tho woll-known jeweller, intimates to tho public of Waihi that ho is at prosenl on « visit to Waihi with n large stock of jewellery, of latest designs, which he is offering at a vory low price, Mr Phillips has secured temporary rooms at the Sterling Hotel, to which address he oxtends a cordial invitation to the public to come and inspoot his goods, We note that Mr fl. Nelson, of the wellknown firm of Nelson, Moato, and Co. (Ltd,), has juit returned from an extended trip to the Old, Country, Ceylon, eto. In connection with the firm's over oxtending business, Mr Nelson, whilst in Ceylon opoenod a branch offico there for tho purpose of facilitating tho purchase and shipping of teas. Mr Nelson also spent a considerable time in the principal teagrowing dißtriota,

All imported medicine imported into or sold or oflered for sale in the colony after tho 80ih June next, must have the contents with their exact proportions legibly set out in Engli«h upon a label affixed on tho bottle, boi, or container. In addition to Buch information, where medioines eontain one or more of the poisons scheduled under" Tho Sale of Poisons Act, 1871," and its amondinonts, tho words:" This contains poison " must be raarkod in clear medium-sized block type upon tbo label.

"Whether the Maori war was right or whethor it was wrong mutters littlo," said the Bishop of Auckland at Ohristchurch the other night. " 'You may spend as long a time debating that question, if you like, as tho Now Zoaland Parliament sponds over the Estimates, Ono thing is certain. It bequeathed a legacy of hatred to the pakoha and his religion whioh will take a long timo to dio out,"

A curious domestic caio came before tho Wellington Magistrate, a blacksmith appearing to have his young and prepossessing wife bound over to keep the peace against bim. It appoars the husband is suing for a divorco, and the wife, whj has been living in Dunedin, citmo tip ostensibly to see hor ohild, It is allogod sho threatened to shoot her husband befo'o sho would faoo tho Divorce Court, and that sho also said that sho would puUpill into tho magistrate who Bat to hear tho application for sureties of tho peace, Dr MoArthur said ho would let the woman go if sho would return south.

Tho horo of a tal) story has been fishing in Florida,. On his return he was asked what kind of sport ho had, By his own account his success had boon phenomenal, " On tho boat day,'' ho said, thoughtfully, " thore woro three of ua, and we oaoh had throe rods. All day long ne pullod In lish as fast as wo could throw out our lines, It is no good you nsking mo what kind of fiih tbcro wore, because thore woro tco many for mo to remember," "At least you can tell us if there wore any whales among them." " Whales ?" he replied soornfully. " Why, man olive, wo were baiting with whales. 1.

Spurred on by the press, the Melbonrno police ha/e unccoeded in ridding tho whole of one of ihe metropolitan polico divisions ofloto" shops, The suburbs so clonnsed are Prnhran, Si Kilila. South Molbourno, Port Melbourne Footscray, and Williamstown, ttaids woro not resorted to this year They havo always in the past proved lo bo a clumsy and inoffco'ivo means of chocking tho evil. Instead, a section of tho Polico Offences Act wbb taken ndvantngo of, ■ This provides that when an ownor or agont of a plnco wilfully permits it to bo uiorl for gambling he is liable to a ponalty of £2OO, Tho polico no'ified tho owners and agonts of their liability, with the result that in a remarkably short time all the undesirable tenants were rambled out into the street, '