NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1025, 14 January 1911, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By Tck-craph—Press Association.!'

COURT STATISTICS. □ unsciin, January 13. During last year the number of cases dealt with- in the City Police Court was 2375 (2038 males and 237 females), as against 2297 males and 200 females in ISOO. Tile number of cases discharged was 231, as against 255, dismissed 148 (135 in 1909;; committed for trial or sentence, 103 (46); summarily convicted, 1893 (2151); fined, 1109 (1294); imprisoned in lieu of fine, 181 (155); peremptorily imprisoned, 118 (176); whipped, 1. (7); released under First Offenders Probation Act, 2. Civil eases in the Magistrate's Court totalled 3820, and the aggregate amount of . money sued for was £33,318 14s. 9d. Thg aggregato amount recovered was £16,621 15s. Id. Distress warrants executed toalled 691; judgment summonses, 92; committal warrants, 22; writs of arrests, 2. Civil fees paid totalled £1875 lis. There wero 1601 cases heard and tho Court sat on 106 days. MR. SEMPLE IN IT. Whangaroi, -January 13. ; The impasse -.which has been brought about at the Whangarei coal mine is not of the serious character suggested by alarmist reports. Only sixteen men are affected. . The trouble relative to wages is easily capable of adjustment, and a movement m that direction is being made to-day, Mr. Semple, Labour organiser, using his influence towards effecting conciliation. Twenty-two men forming a gang on the drainage .works struck yesterday, in protest against the dismissal of their ganger. It is unlikely that the incident will be noticed by the contractors, aa fewer men are now needed.

A meeting addressed by Mr. Semple last night decided to form an industrial union of unskilled workers.

"THE BROTHERS QUARRELLED." Waimate, January 13. A young man named Thomas Scoti . was charged, at the. Magistrate's Court" with wounding his brother,. Allan Scott, with a bullet from a pea .rifle with in-;, tent to do grievous bodily, harm. Ha was remanded till the-18th, bail being' fixed at £200 and his own surety of . t £100.

Tho'brothers quarrelled at RcdclifF on f January 2, and accused. across, a,',', paddock at Allin and missed, him. Later he shot him at close quarters, the pellet entering his .breast.. The wound is not serious, but it is feared the bullet' lodged; in one ofthe lung. COMPdITTED FOR TRIAL. Dunedin, January 13. .> . At the Police Court to-day a- mafl • named James Doogue, residing at Se> cliff, was charged with stealing two. cows, valued at £11, the property of ; . James O'Connell, also of Seachff. The . evidence for tbe prosecution alleged.that shortlv after 3 a.m'. on December .28 O'Connell saw one heifer going along ; the road, and accused following it on . horseback. Subsequently two heifera •' were found in accused's paddock. . Ao . cused pleaded not guilty, and was com-.;. mitted for trial. AMICABLE SETTLEMENT. Cisborne, January 13. At a conference to-day between tha Harbour Board and the lessees of tha Tauwbareparae Block, an amicable settlement was arrived at. regarding, tha lease of the board's endowment land, ob- : viatin§ the.appeal to the Privy'Coun-. ,cil, rwliich bo rt hejird in.. Jtlarcb' next, and on which" case' the board's; solicitor is now. proceeding to London. ~ Barker- Bros.' have surrendered their*' lease of 25,000 acres, and the land will be immediately cut up and offered "uf. small areas. . '• . . ' }. BANKRUPTCY RETURNS. 1 Dunedin, January 13. ' The bankruptcy returns for last yea#; 1 are as follotf:—Dunedin 16-, as against: 32 in 1909; Oamaru, 1 (3 in 1909); Gore, * 9 (4); Invercargill, 2 (19). The as-)' sets, as per statements filed, were: —' Dunedin, £2152; Gore ; £2377 ; Invercargill, £2158: Liabilities: Dunedin, £9512; Gore, £3180; Invercargill, £10,570. Amounts paid in dividends: Dunedin, £1609; Gore, £254; Invercar" gill, £380; Oamaru, £383. • \ " IN A HEAVY FOO.

Dargavlllc, January 18. ' A couple of days ago'the s.s. luga.; bound- for Sydney with a . cargo . of; timber, was passing down the river in. a heavy fog when she got outside the deep-water channel, and grounded. Lighters were brought into use yester-. day, and the vessel was floated last night. To-day' sho cleared the heads for Australia. , ...

RAILWAY ROUTE. Dargaville, January 13. A very enthusiastic public, meeting was held last night, ana a strong committee formed to gather data to lay before the Royal Commission in respect) to the railway route question. LIQUOR TO MAORI WOMEN. , Hastings, January IS. • A man named George Crisp was fined. £10 and costs £2 95., for supplying liquor to Maori women. SCOW ZiNCARA STRANDED. Westpori, January 13. "While being towed out of KarameS this- morning "by the sieariier Manga* papa, the scow Zingara, timber-laden, and bound for Sydney, went ashore OB . the North Spit, where she now lies. HEAVY GALES. Wanganui, January 13. A storm occurred very suddenly aft mid-day and shows no signs of abatement. " A heavy gale is blowing and the temperature is low. ;