TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1920, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

[per PRESS ASSOCIATION. —COPYRIGHT.] FIRE IN GRAND JUNCTION MINE WAIHI, March 15. Owing, presumably, to a lighted candle being left m the drive at No. 6 level, in the Grand Junction mine when tlie men knocked off on Saturday afternoon, a fire broke out and although it took till daylight on Sunday to extinguish it, no material damage was done to the mine.

The presence of monoxide gas rendered the task somewhat difficult and dan gerous, and seven or eight were overcome and had to be medically attended to.

Two miners, Broomfield and Pennell, had to be conveyed to their .home on stretchers, but are recovering, and the mine manager, W. -McConachie, was also attacked, and had rather a. bad time.

PRISONERS FOR SENTENCE. WELLINGTON, March 12. James Harold OVBrien, ex-sergeant n -the 2nd Canterbury Regiment, who »vas awarded the D.C.M. at Messines j and received other decorations, came ■before the Chief Justice for sentence L to-day, on nine charges of stealing lug- . gage, to which lie had pleaded guilty. t Evidence was given ;by Dr Gilmer that . the prisoner was suffering from neurasthenia, as the. result of wounds and shell shock. The Judge adjourned the case for one month for medical observation. Charles Frederick Hodgson, who hadpleaded guilty to three charges of false pretences, relating to offences committed in 1915, also came up for sentence. It was stated that the accused served in the Australian New Guinea Force, and after discharge came to New Zealand and joined the Expeditionary Force, with which lie’ saw active service. He returned on January 28th and was arrested His Honour said the prisoner had had a had record, and if he came before the Court again be would be do-

dared an habitual criminal. A sentence of six months imprisonment was imposed on each charge, the terms to be concurrent. SAVINGS BANK INTEREST. INCREASED BY QUARTER PER CENT. Notice is given in last week’s Gazette that from April Ist, 1920, the rate of , interest on Post Office Savings Bank deposits will he increased by one-quarter nor cent. This will make the interest on deposits up to £3OO 4 per cent, and on deposits over £3OO and up to £IOOO, : H per cent. THE SAMOA JAUNT. tßereived this day at 12.25 p.m) SUVA, This Day. The Mokoia i trrived this morning. She goes to Lautoka for sugar this evening and sails for Auckland oil Saturday.

MEAT SUPPLY. CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. A meeting of representatives of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held to consider a letter from the Hoard of Agriculture concerndig the meat glut. A resolution was passed:—This meeting wishes to impress upon the Government, the necessity for supplying delegates to the proposed conference with full information as to the conditions which had resulted in the present congestion of the storage of meat and also the desirability of New Zealand being represented . oil- the Board of Control of Shipping.

RESOLUTIONS CARRIED . CHRISTCHURCH, This Day

The Agricultural and Pastoral Representatives resolutioned : (1) —That the Commandeer should continue until all the works in New Zealand are cleaned of the present stocks of meat; shipping to he under control, and the producer in a position to operate in the open markets. (2) —That all delegates at the Conference have a free hand in the conference deliberations on tlie shipping question. (3) —That G. D. Hall and J. O. Coop lie the delegates in regard to sending Home of a Commission. The meeting agreed that a man specially chosen from the Dominion because of bis knowledge of the subject should bo selected to act with the High Commissioner.

THE STRATFORD ELECTION. STRATFORD, This Day

On the Court resuming it was decided to proceed no further with the examination as regards Aliens, as it was hold there was nothing which could be proved which would affect the result. Mr Myers accepted the other side’s estimate of an actual majority of 16, If all the votes of the objected to were disallowed. The recount Showed 22 soldier’s votes had been found without the necessary applications in writing. Tlie main evidence for the respondent is now proceeding. McAllister, a member of the orchestra on October 3rd, stated he arranged for the music, and paid for it out of his own pocket. DAMAGES AGAINST FARMER. AUCKLAND, March 11. In the Supreme Court the jury awarded Arthur Lloyd Creiner £6OO general and £B3 special damages against William Hall, farmer, of Mangere, in a ease arising from plaintiff being kicked by a cow he was milking. The verdict was subject to a motion for a non-suit on the reserved point that there was no evidence of negligence on the defendant’s part.

AERJDAIL ORSIRRYAWTON. AN ENGINEER’S INSPECTION. YV FI AKA TANG, March 13. Mr Adams,-harbour engineer at YY’luikatanc, after an inspection of the harbour by seaplane, strongly reccotnmcnded aerial observation. He said he saw from a casual glance tilings 1 itherto he never dreamed of, such as sunken rocks and where rocks were unsuspected. With a proper aerial machine permitting vertical observation with a special aerial mapping camera, an enormous amount of splendid detailed work could be carried out in a very short lime, which ; would otherwise take many n ninths of arduous labour. TTe was satisfied that an aeroplane camera was a, most useful modern adjunct to engineering.