NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 841, 13 June 1910, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

USy Telegraph—Press Association.) -« FIRE IN BLENHEIM. Blenhoim, June 12. At midnight of Saturday a fire broke out in St. Patrick's Hall, one of' a group of Roman Catholic buildings, resulting iu the complete destruction of _t-ho hall and tho Catholic ilea's Club rooms attached to the hail. A twostoried residence adjoining, formerly used as a convent, was almost wholly destroyed, and a house in the vicinity owned by Air. Burgess was badly scorched. At times St. Mary's Church was in danger, but was not damaged. The billiard table in the club rooms and the furniture were lost. Full particulars of tho insurance are not.available, but it is understood that all tho buildings were insured, the hall for i'soo. The origin of the lire, which started in the kitchen room behind the hall, is not known, but a suspicious circumstance is that one of the doors of the hall was found open when the' alarm was given.

DERRETT V. DERRETT. Ghristchurcii, June 11. In the case of Amelia Dorrett v. Robert Derrett, a claim for judicial separation on the ground of cruelty, ilr. Justice Sim, in giving judgment to- j day, said ho had come to tho conclusion that the story told by the peti.tioner was substantially true, and he thought she was entitled to a decree. Respondent would be ordered to pay petitioner's costs on the highest scale, and an allowance of £10 10s. would be made for the second day. TROUBLE WITH A GREW. Westport, June 11. The captain of the Norwegian barque Odd had protracted trouble and litigation with the crew at Westport sonic months ago, when, after considerable difficulty, a crew was shipped and tho vessel sailed for Gap, Caroline Islands, and Europe. It is now learnt that the crow- left the vessel at Gap and refused to proceed to Europe. The Odd lies at anchor in Gap Harbour. The barque Norma, leaving here on Thursday, has been instructed to take the Odd's cargo of copra from Gap to Europe. DISCONTINUED. Palmarston North, June 11. In view of the verdict for defendant in the Braund v. Hoben libel action, the case Braund v. Warner has been discontinued, being based on the same words. NEW FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. Ghristchurcii, June 11. A new fire alarm system will be brought into operation in Christchurch next week. Under the present system alarms arc recorded in dots and dashes on a tape machine. Tho new apparatus has lettered shutters corresponding with particular streets, the actual number of the box from which the alarm is given being shown on the dial. RANCIORA'S CASWORKS. Christchurch, June 11. Tho Rangiora municipal gasworks aro proving a boon to tho borough, and extensions aro contemplated. The present storage capacity at the works is only 125,000 feet, and the consumption is io,ooo feet a day,-so that if a breakdown occurred the town would soon bo in. darkness. A new holder with 200,000 feet capacity will probably be erected.