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Our Correspondents.

Trade dull generally, and many comps out of employment.

I am sorry to have to state that Mr W. V. Hamilton, editor of the Canterbury Times, has had to relinquish his position on that journal through ill-health.

Mr H. E. Muir, who was editor of the Timaru Evening Mail at the time it ceased publication, has been appointed to a similar position on the Ashburton Mail during Major Steward's absence in Wellington on Parliamentary duties.

Mr Rice, one of the Press comps, has been laid up for some considerable time, and as the result of a concert recently held on his behalf £54 4s 6d was the other day handed to him.

At a recent meeting of the Board of Management of the Canterbury Typographical Association, the sum of £5 was voted to the Petone Mill hands. It was also decided to send to the various unions, Friendly Societies, and public bodies, a list of offices working under the rules of the Association.

Mr Angus Turner has disposed of his job-printing office to Messrs Brown & Gates, late employes of Mr Weekes, and the new firm have joined the Master Printers' Association, and have also expressed their intention of recognising the rules of the Canterbury Typographical Association. Mr Turner has gone to Sydney, where it is his intention to enter into business if he can see a good opening.

It having been stated by the Typographical Association at a recent meeting of the Trades and Labor Parliamentary Committee, that the Christchurch City Council was likely to let the contract for printing its burgess roll at a ridiculously low price, which would preclude the tenderer paying Union wages, and be detrimental to the interests of those employers who did so, the following resolution was carried: — « That this Council greatly regrets that so important a body as the Christchurch City Council should entertain the idea of accepting any tender at a price which would render the payment of Union wages impossible. » I believe that a deputation from the Master Printers' Association also waited on the City Council, but I am not in a position to state with what result.

It was also resolved at the above Parliamentary Committee's meeting— « That a deputation wait on the Anglican Bishop, to request his influence in preventing the letting of the diocesan printing contract to any firm not paying Union wages. » The Bishop, in reply to the deputation, promised to enquire into the matter, and use his influence in the direction requested.

I stated in my last lettter that Mr J. Joyce, m.h.r., had taken up the question of uniformity of text-books in our public schools, and at the meeting of the Board of Education, held on May 29, he moved, according to notice:— « (1) That from and after the 1st January, 1892, there shall be a uniformity of reading-books and text-books in the North Canterbury district, in order to lessen the cost which parents are put to in purchasing new books when removing their children from one school district to another school district; and to show this Board by the Inspector's examination from one set of text-books and reading-books the relative progress of different schools. (2) That the Secretary and the Inspectors be requested to name in a report, to be furnished at the next meeting of this Board, such reading-books and text-books as will be most suitable for the use of the schools. » Mr Joyce presented a petition from ninety parents in favor of the proposal, and pointed out that the Otago Board of Education had passed a similar resolution and selected a list of books to be used in their schools. If they had a uniformity of books it would lessen the cost to parents. He gave as an illustration the case of a person who had come to reside at Lyttelton. He had had to pay 30s to provide a new set of books for his children. Work for 1000 hands in the colony would be provided if it were known that a certain list of books were required. The parents were put to enormous expense through the annual changes made. After considerable discussion, in the course of which it was suggested that the matter should be postponed for a time, Mr Joyce said he would substitute the following motion, which was agreed to unanimously:— « That a Committee of this Board, consisting of the Chairman, and Messrs Wright, Anson, Weston, and Meredith, be appointed to consider to what extent a uniformity of reading-books and text-books in the public schools of the North Canterbury district can be secured, in order to lessen the cost which parents are put to in purchasing new books when removing their children from one school district to another school district, and to report to this Board. » I mentioned last month that the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades and Labor Council had passed a resolution on the su bject.