NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 16 March 1912, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By Teleiraph—Press Association.) 4 GOVERNMENT BUYS CLAREMONT ESTATE. Tlmaru, March 15. Information has been received that tli« Government has purchased tho Claremtmt Estato, 3000 acres, for settlement.' Th# liomestead is a largo mansion erected by Mr. J. 11. Rhodes, and was ouco taken for tho sunimor by Lord llaufurly. Tho property is from 9 to 11 miles from Tiinaru. INFORMAL VOTES. Christchurch, March 15. Of the 5100 voters who recorded theif votes at tho Christchurch licensing election on Tuesday, 893 delivered informal papers. Tho Temperanco party contcnd that tho intention of these voters was plain—that they desired to vote for tha Temperance ticlcet, but omitted to eras* tho first namo on tho list, which was printed closo to the top of the ballot paper.. If theso 893 votes had been allow, ed, all thoso on tho Temperanco ticket would liavo been returned. Attention was drawn to tho matter by tho No-Liccns# party, but it is understood it is unlikely tho party will tako any action. DEATH FROM LOCKJAW. Christchurch. March 15. At the inquest on Win. Gifford, who diei in tho hospital yesterday from injuriet received on March 4 at Lyttelton, a vcr« diet was returned that death resulted from lockjaw, tho result of injuries received in an attempt to alight from a moving train. RELIABILITY TRIALS. n „ „ , Hanmer Springs, March 15. In© Canterbury Automobilo Association*! annual reliability trial commenced to-day, tho run being from Christchurch to Han. mor Springs, via East Oxford, a distant* of 141 miles. Twenty.four cars stajted. Seventeen have mad" non-stop runs so far. To-morrow's run will be from TTanmer Springs back to Christchurch, via Cheviot, a distance of 162 miles. A petrol eon- ' sumption test is also being held in connection with tho trials. SUICIDE AT LEVIN. Levin, March 15. At an inquest oonoerning th# death of Bignell, custodian of the public schools, who was found hanging in a building, th« verdict was that ho committed, suicid* while temporarily insane. The evidenc* showed that ho had been struck severely on tho head by flying timber at a sawmill a few years ago, and thereafter had been moody in his habits and given to wandering abroad. STUDY OF HISTORY. Gisborne, March 15. A deputation from the Gisborne TligK School Hoard waited on Sir Kobsrt Stout, Chancellor of the Xew Zealand University, requesting that tho marks obtainable for history should bo raised, with a view to encouraging the study of that subject. Sir ' Robert Stout said he thought that in- a democratic country such as this tho study of history should bo encouraged; Ho on* mised to represent the matter to tho Senate. PRIBONERS SENTENCED. Gisborne, Maroh 15. At the Supreme Court tho Chief Justic« passed sentences as follow:—James Glendining, per jury, six months' imprisonment; James Patterson, cattle stealing, one year; .Tames Ross, alias Matthews, horw stealing, one rear and declared a habitual criminal; Thomas Keedly, aliai •Tone*,, alias Barry, theft from ' persaa, fifteen months; James Christmas Lang, theft, twelve months' probation, on condition that ho should not attend eporti meetings during the period. BLENHEIM CRIMINAL SESSIONS. Blenheim, March 15. The Supreme Court sessions opened toi. • day beforo Mr. Justice Chapman. In his address to tho Grand Jury, the Judee said their work would not be severe. He congratulated tho; district on 1 the alinbst 'en. tire absence of crime. There was practioally only one case to consider. True bills wore returned against William Stenhenson, William Kennedy, and James Itaydon. on a charge of breaking and entering Clonston's Bond on December 24 last, and stealing tobacco, spirits, ale, 'and cigarettes; also against James Richardson Brimor, Frank Campbell,.and James Haydon, on a charge of receiving . tho same goods, knowing them to hav» been stolen. . _ DUNEDIN LICENSING COMMITTEE. ' Dunedin, March 15. _ As a result of tho official count of the licensing votes, Mr. Isnac Green (moderate) displaces Mr. Calder on tho Dunedin Committee. This means that tho city committco consists of four moderates and on« temperanco, representative. ALLEGED FRAUD CONSPIRACY. _ Blenheim, Maroh 15. John Vernon Binloy, telegraphist, anj Edmund John Walsh, storekeeper, before tho Magistrate's Court to-day, were charged with conspiring to defraud the' firms of Scott and Martindale and Hoss and Bradshaw. The case was adjourned for % week. Bail was allowed. " AUCKLAND MAYORALTY. , Auckland, March 15. Mr. Parr, Mayor of Auckland, in agreeu ing to a request from a deputation to again contest the Mayoralty, said future works included n street running parallel with Queen Street, to relieve congested traffic, and that a thoroughfare schema had been entered on under which this would bo dono at bare oost of constructiop. tt was also promised that the City Council endowment at Richmond be leased under the Glasgow system, tho council advnncing money to tho tenants for building, repayments to be mado in weekly in« stalmbpts.