NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 836, 7 June 1910, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By TeleEraDa.-Preaa ABaoclaUon.l

GOODWILL OF LEASES. THE ASHBURTON CASE. Christchurch, Juno 6. ih. F. W. Flanagan, Commissioner of Crown Lands, says -tho report from Ashburton concerning tho sale of th'o goodwill of a" leased settlement section at Highbank is misleading. The Ashburton report said that on a farm of 591 acres the unearned increment amounted to ,£SSGS, less the cost of improvements, and that tho buyer assessed the value at £22 per acre compared with £7 10s., which the Government paid in 189 G. Mr. .Flanagan says the transaction under notice was not the ordinary transfer. The outgoing lessee is a widow, who, owing to old age and inability to work the land, desired to get rid of it. She handed it over to her son-in-law at u nominal consideration, which is .£8865,' but tho new lessee pays only ,£SOO, the rest remaining on; mortgage indefinitely. The arrangement is purely a family one, and the Land Board did'not feel called on to interfere' with the transfer.

ESCAPED PRISONER TREMBATH. STILL AT LARGE.. Ashburton, June 6. Though over three days have elapsed since his escape,. Trembath was still enjoying liberty at S o'clock to-night. Thepursuit has been carried on by a large body of police, and has been, keen, but so far the escapee, who has been singularly favoured by the weather which continues foggy, has evaded recapture, and there seem." to be no very reliable inior-.-' mation as to his exact whereabouts. Latest advices point to his having got . across the Rangitata River, despite tie police guarding bridges. To do; this ho .must have forded the river which is a. heavy stream. A man answering his gen- : eral description, mounted oh a lady's bi- • cycle, was seen by a civilian on- the road between Arundel township, adjoining the Rangitata Traffic Bridge, and Geraldins,' but fog rendered identification incom». plcte.

SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZEN ARMY. MENTIONED BT LOKD PLUNKET. ' Auckland, June 6. Addressing the Grammar School Cadets on parade, the Governor said it was pleasing to note by recent cable messages that South A"frica was about to follow tha lead of New Zealand and Australia, and establish a citizen army under a echeme of compulsory training. When the New Zealand scheme was in operation there would be some complaining and grumbling, as was the case • with every neir scheme, particularly when there was an element of compulsion in it. He hoped the youths before him would set an example, and show that they were in accord with the country's new sy6tem. •

FOG DELAYS SHIPPING. Christchurch, June 6. The season so far has been exception ally foggy, and yesterday the fog-was so thick outside Xyttelton Heads .that coastal vessels could not make port. The morning was beautifully fine on shore,' but. just off the coast a heavy bank hung low. The Mararoa, from Wellington, got within a mile of the heads and anchored. Her smoke and the tops of hci masts could be seen from the signal station at times. By afternoon a dense fog! had settled over the land, and the vessels had perforce to stay outside till this morning. Nothing was seen yesterday of the Storm, from Wariganui, but the bell of a steamer, supposed to be-the' Mourn, from Westport," could be heard. All three vessels came inside between 8 and 7 o'clock this morning.

FLAXMILLERS FINED. ■ Palmerston North,: June 6. In the-S.M. Court this'mofning nearly' all the' flaxmiilers in '.the district' were each fined ;E1 and costs'for neglecting to send the secretary of the union a list oi; employees within ono month of the coming into operation of the new 1 award.