TELEGRAMS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1920, Page 4

TELEGRAMS

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.- COPYRIGHT.]

INFLUENZA IN NORTH

GISBORNE, This Day

The “Herald’s” Tokomaru Bay correspondent reports influenza is becoming serious on the Coast. The Native Land Court was closed at Tikitiki, there being three deaths there. Tokomaru school was closed for one week. A largo number of natives left yesterday by the Monowai for the camp at Rotorua.

DIGGERS SAWMILL CO

LOAN TO WEST COASTERS. WELLINGTON, March 16

The Hons. Sir William Fraser, D. H. Guthrie, and J. G. Coates were present at a meeting of the Ministerial Repatriation 'Board to-day. A great deal of business was transacted, including the passing of 137 loans to returned soldiers totalling £33,00. One outstanding case which received a kindly hearing was the proposal from a dozen men to form a Diggers’ Sawmilling Company to operate on the West Coast. It was decided to grant each of the men.a loan of £3OO, and to arrange with the Forestry Department for the issue of a license to the compnay to out timber over 6:30 acres of laud about five miles from Hokitika. This block, which contains from 9 to 12 million feet of good white pine timber has been eagerly sought by other millers, but the returned soldiers have ■been given preference. The necessary plant will cost the Company £4OOO. An interesting fact in connection with the Diggers’ Coy. is that the men all belong to Hokitika and have known each other from boyhood and upwards. The proosition is one which had the hearty recommendation of the Hokitika Repatriation Committee.

MAORI IN TROUBLE. THAMES, March 16. A young Maori, a returned soldier,

was to-day committed for sentence on seven charges of forging, uttering and theft, the sum involved being £53, being portion of the gratuity of another returned Maori. The accused admitted he used the absent man’s savings bank hook to withdraw money.

RATLWAYMEN’S GRIEVANCE

PREMIER TO BE INTERVIEWED

WELLINGTON, March 16.

The Executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants sat again to-day and reached certain decisions regarding the demand of the railwaymon for hotter'conditions than are proposed in the report of the Railway Commission. It was decicifd upon a course of action to be followed in the event of the Government failing to make the con cessions considered by the railwaymen to be essential. The first- move to he made by the Executive of the 5.11.5. is to interview Mr Massey in his capacity ns Minister of Railways. Mr Massey will not be sufficiently recovered from his operation to receive the deputation this week and the officers of the A.5.11.S have indicated that they will wait his recovery before pressing the matter further.

The officers of the Locomotive Men’s Organisation have reached a similar decision. They wish to interview Mr Massey before taking further action, and they will wait until he is able to see them.

STRATFORD ELECTION CASE. . STRATFORD, March 16. Up to luncheon the Court was occupied with tho examination of persons whose naturalisation was assailed. Sir John Findlay said the time had come when there should be uniformity in tho respect of the proceedings for naturalisatioi. One witness who claimed British nationality said he had been.two years in the Kansas legislature, without being formally registered an American citizen, and without question of his naturalisation.

One worman was convinced that her husband had gained his naturalisation through his having served with the settlers who took up arms at the time of the Parihaka Raid.