TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1920, Page 1

TELEGRAMS.

I’ItKSH ASSOC* »TWN —OOCVHIOIIT. • HILLIARD CHAMPIONSHIP. WELLINGTON, July 17. The final of the Now Zealand Ama- j teur billiard championship was played last night between Fredatovitch and Warren, both of Auckland. Warren had the best of the game right through. The final scores were Warren, 1,500; Fredatovitch 1,233. KILLED WHITE PIG-HUNTING. TAUSIARUNUI, July 16. To-day a married man named Henry oc, a returned soldier, aged (36 years, formerly bailiff of the Taumarunui Court, was accidentally killed while pig .'uniting. The dogs had hailed up a pig, and Coe proceeded to heat them off with Ihe butt-end of a pea-riile, which exploded, the bullet wounding him in the groin. He died almost immediately. The fatality happened at AVaituhi. SHOT WITH PEA-RIFLE. BLENFIEIAJ, July 16. Alfred George Mills, a carpenter, 33, single, fatally shot himself in the head with a pea-rifle, while lie was out rab-bit-shooting at Renwick. The rifle apparently went off when Mills was getting through a wire fence. CIVIL SERVANTS AND PROMOTION WITAKATANE, July 15. The loss of Mr J. D. Holmes, District Public Works Engineer in charge of the Bay of Plenty railway construction, who enters into private business, •as aroused a strong protest. At the \Yhakataue Chamber of Commerce last night, speakers declared that Air Holm's was a young and aide engineer, who. during his three months in charge, accomplished a wonderful change in the progress of construction. A resolution 'was carried protesting respectfully, but 'irnilv, Lu the Prime Minister against the system of the Public Service Commissioners under which promotion by seniority throttled the advancement of able and young men, and drove them into private work. A resolution was also carried urging Mr Holmes’s retention.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER. WHAKATANK July 16. The Rangitaike waterfalls at Galatea 35 miles inland from Whakatane, are deceiving prominent attention as a source of electric power for tile Bay of Plenty. At a conference of the Chamber of Commerce with iicnl bodies a statement was made on tlie authority jnf a Caiwtetrlmry engineer that the power available would bo equal to that of Lake Coleridge. It was resolved ! ; ask tho Government to obtain an expert report, with a view to forming an electric board. TO ECOXOAIISE IN WHEAT. TIAIARU, July 17. Some produce merchants here in view of the plentiful supplies of cheap pote toes and a. certain shortage of wheat before the next harvest reaches tin* mills, suggest that people should at once begin eating more potatoes and less bread, in order to economise in wheat.

PI A NO-P LAY ING RECOR T). CHRISTCHURCH, July 18. At Lyttelton at midnight on Saturday, Albert Steel, of Auckland, completed one hundred hours’ continuous piano-playing, thus breaking the world’s record made by Albert Rakcu at Sydney recently bv one hour. SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. CHRISTCHURCH, July 17. Sir Francis Bell, Commissioner of State Forests, said to-day that the Government has under consideration the establishment of a school of forestry for the Dominon at Canterbury College.

PRISONER COMMITS SUICIDE. NEW PLYMOUTH, July 17. A prisoner at the New Plymouth Gaol, named Allan Talbert, aged 65. serving a sentence of reformative detention on a second conviction of indecent assualt, committed suicide. When entering the gaol from work he suddenly said “ Good-bye, friend,” to the warder and leaped over the bank fifty feet into a quarry, falling on the rails used for trucks, and expiring an hour later. At the inquest to-day a verdict of suicide was returned, there being no neglect bv the officials.

SOLDIERS’ OBLIGATIONS. CHRISTCHURCH, July 17. “ I am not boasting of what New Zealand has done for its men; but I want to boast about the way the men of New Zealand are standing by their contracts with the Government of the .Dominion,” said Sir Francis Bell at a banquet given to Amberley returned soldiers. After giving the details of repatriation to date, Sir Francis Bell said that over 95 per cent of the men with obligations to the Government were meeting them to the day, and the monthly collection by the repatriation authorities were coming in at the rate of £420,000 per annum. Five per cent only were not paying their obligations to the day, and of them many failures were due .to death and to most of the others there was at least reasonable explanation. In regard to land advances, payments were being made with astonishing regularity.. While lie was Acting-Minister of Lands it was tlio most "ratifying . and most pleasant experience of bis life to see the way the men were meeting their obligations. Very few, indeed, bad claimed an extension of time or remission which ordinary settlers were sometimes prone to do.