TELEGRAMS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1920, Page 4

TELEGRAMS

[PEII Pit ESS ASSOCIATION.- COPYRIGHT.]

ANTI-BETTING REGULATIONS

WELLINGTON, April 8,

Regulations designed to prevent the use of the Post Office for betting purposes are published in the Gazette. They increase the severity of the old regulations. All telegrams relating to betting, including money order telegrams to secretaries and servants of racing clubs, and code telegrams believed to relate to betting, are prohibited. The use of the telephones for betting purposes is prohibited. Telephones may be disconnected without notice if used for such purpose.

Persons engaged in betting may be refused telephones* and may also bo refused the use of the post office boxes. The regulations come into force at once.

BIG GALE N STRAITS. WELLINGTON, April 8 A south-westerly gale has raged throughout to-day. It has disorganised the shipping at this port. There was only one sailing to-day, namely, the Moeralri for Sydney. The vessels held up here on account of the weather include the Mararoa which will pick up her running on Saturday, the Nikau for Nelson; tho City of Agra for Sydney. J At Picton the Pateena is held up. The Port Napier is hove to in the Straits. The Kaitangatn is sheltering at Long Island. The Suffolk is at sea, hound from Napier to Lyttelton. The gale is freshening.

ROYAL RACE MEETING. CHRISTCHURCH, April 8. At the request of the owners and trainers of trotters, the Mayor is wirelessing to the Prince of Wales, inviting him to witness an exhibition of trotting at the Metropolitan Trotting Club’s grounds on Saturday, May 15, at 3 p.m. This is the afternoon for which tho Royal race meeting has been arranged at Riccarton. Mr Cotter the Acting-Secretary of tlie Canterbury Jockey Club, expressed astonishment when the Mayor’s action was brought under his notice. The Canterbury Jockey Club’s Meeting has nothing whatever to do with the Mayor, he said. Wc have received a special permit from tho Government. AYe have made the matter public, and our programme will be out next week. That is all there is about it.

PAYMENT TO AVITNESSES. AVELLINGTON, April 8 In the “Gazette” appear new regulations over the signature of Hon Mr Coates, increasing the scale of payments to witnesses in criminal eases. The amount is increased from 6s to 10s a day. AVitnesses at coroner’s inquests will also be paid tlie same sum. The fee for a. coroner or a justice, other than a Stipendiary Magistrate holding an inquest is raised from one guinea to two guineas, and the mileage from Is to Is 6d. The fees were reduced many years ago, during the time of retrenchment, and are now restored to the maximum amount allowed by the Act. The Act, it is understood, does not permit it increasing the fee to medical witnesses without further legislation. The new scale of payments takes effect from to-day.

HOUSING ACT. WELLINGTON, This Day. A proclamation gazetted, makes Part 111 of the Housing Act 1919, applicable to the coal mining industry. Part 111 of the Act provides that the Minister for Finance may grant loans to employers for the purpose of providing dwellings for their employers, ? nd empowers the Minister to borrow a quarter of a million annually for 'Fis purpose.

PROTESTANT ALLIANCE. DNEDIN.Ap ril 7. The 39th session of the New Zealand Grand Council of the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society for Australasia opened to-day. There were 21 delegates from all parts of the Dominion. The secretary stated that the total amount to the credit of the lodges for 1919 was £16,063, an increase for the year of £4OO. Forty-four new members had been admitted, and 23 had gone out. The total membership of the lodge in Australasia, was 30,000. The accumulated funds were £485,461. It was rcisolved that the headquarters of the society be moved to the South Island, and that the headquarters of the Grand Executive bo Dunedin.

SAMOA AND INDENTURED LABOUR. STR .TAMES ALLEN’S REPLY. WELLINGTON April 7. Sir James Allen to-day offered a few comments to a “Dominion” reporter on the statement, made on behalf of the Labour Party by Mr H. E. Holland. M.P., regarding the Government’s policy in Samoa. “ Mr Holland’s statement amounts to this,” said the Minister: “That he would prefer to see the islands revolt to a state of nature rather than that indentured labour should be brought into the islands.. He is face to face then with the fact that the lessening of cultivation in these islands will shorten the supplies of food and other necessities for very many people who now draw their supplies from these islands, and for very many people more who who will do so if tlio land is more intensely cultivated. If the islands aro allowed to revert to a. state of nature, it must affect the cost- of living. Does Mr Holland want the cost of living to he increased, as it must inevitably be increased if we are going to cut down the world’s supplies of such commoditics us margarine, oil-cake, rubbei, cocoa, kapoc, sugar, tea, coffee, cotton, and soap? If wo are to allow' tlieso and other tropical lands to relapse into nature and go out of cultivation, this will he the inevitable result. Is the world to stand still or to go back That is my answer to Mr Holland s points.”