AUSTRALIAN.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1920, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. THE LABARTE TRAGEDY. (Received This Day at 12.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, Dee. 23. At the Labarte inquest, a police sergeant was called as witness, and gave evidence that when he spoke to Labarte over the phone, the latter, said: — “I want all the police sent out. I want to kill them all.” Labarte was stupidly drunk. The man employed by Labarte gave evidence that after Mrs Labarte was shot ho saddled a horse intending to fetch the police. As he mounted Labarte shot the horse dead and fired several shots at him as he ran to cover.

SYDNEY,. Dec. 23. j Evidence at the Labarte inquest show ed Labarte had been drinking heavily. Sixteen bullet wounds were found in. his wife’s body. Labarte was com- 1 .mitted for trial on a charge of mur j der. WEATHER PROPHESYING. j (Received This Day at 10.10 a.m.) . SYDNEY, December 23. i Giving evidence before the Agricultural Committee, Eather Piggot, the ] Astronomical Observer at Riverviow College, explained the time was coming ( -when rain would, be forecasted a fort- ] night ahead, in consequence of a recent discovery that the sun’s radiation was I not constant and that there was a cor- , raspondence between its variations and the weather. He suggested that Australia should participate -in observations being taken in North and South America, and Egypt, completing the parallelogram. It is proposed to utilise Piggott and the Observatory and obtain the services of an expert from Washington. I

‘ CYCLE RACE. SYDNEY, December 23. Wells, the New Zealand cyclist, won the five miles scratch race from Grendn, Clark and Ohrt, paced by a tandem. MAHON DEFEATED. PERTH, Dec. 23. Foley, (a Nationalist) defeated Mahon a t Kalgoorlie election.