VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1921, Page 1

VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

[BY TELEGRAPH —PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION] SMALL SHOPKEEPERS. AUCKLAND, April 20. The Magistrate’s Court to-day was tlu-cifigrt! with small shopteepefS, who applied for #£eiUp tionS froiO being compelled to close at 6 o’clotA. Exemptions were granted in 70 cases where the Labour Department raised no objections. One application was refused as the applicant had a day assistant, and several were’ adjourned. SUPREME COURT. WELLINGTON, April, 21, At the Supreme Court the following prisoners eamo up for sentence: —Roland Oscar Reeves, breaking, entering, theft and forgery, was sentenced to two years’ reformative treatment; Charles Richards CouttA, 1 breaking and entering theft, two years’ hard labour, to be followed by one year’s detention for reformative treatment; Evelyn Winifred Harris, theft, reformative treatment for a period not exceeding two years; Rungi Ellers, theft, was admitted to probation on special terms; Tope Ti Nare, forgery, two years’ hard labour; Martin Henry Christensen, breaking and entering and theft, sentence deferred; John Douglas Scobie, theft, six months’ imprisonment. At the Supreme Court, Charles Richmond Coutts aged 22, a labourer, charged with breaking, entering and theft at Fielding, got two years. Justice Salmond said the accused waa a had character and had preciously beeii convicted of serious crimes. In addition to imprisonment tho prisoner was ordered one year reformative treatment, , tn the case of Evelyn Harris Young, a woman guilty of theft in Wanganui, His Honour said her last offence' was treated leniently. She had gone then into another district and stolen diamonds and money. She was sent to Point HalSivell for 2 years reformatory. A Maori, Hape Tonarti, got two years hard labour for forging and utteHflg at Grcytown. His Honour said it was hopeless to expect any reformation The only remedy was a sharp lesson.

IL Reid, charged with breaking and entering at Wanganui, made a futile pjea for probation, and was sentenced to two years detention for reformatory purposes. John Scobie, a first offender, was charged with theft at Palmerston North. Leniency waa asked. His Honour said tho offence was that of a than of mature years. He sentenced him to six months’ gaol. EIRE AT WOODVTLLE. WOODVILLF; April 18. By a lire early on Sunday the shops of McGullagh (cabinetmaker) and Gibson (bootmaker) were gutted. Nothing was saved. The premises of Chant (draper) and Coulter (hairdresser) suffered damage. Splendid work was done by the brigade. A good water supply prevented a disastrous fire. The building was owned bv Air R. H. Rhodes. The insurances on the building were C4OO and on the stock £3OO. WELLINGTON REV ALU ED. OLD BUILDINGS WORTH MORE. WELLINGTON, April 19. Objections to thq recent revaluations in Wellington City are not so numerous as might have been expected, hut a fair number have come from business firms, who consider the recent values not justified in light of the present and the future economic position.

One important phase of revaluing is the recognition of the fact that old buildings are worth more than when they wore erected, depreciation having been more than counter-balanced by higher building costs. The value of a building is ascertained from the cost of replacement, lpss depreciation lor age at a rate varying with the class oi material used and the general condition of building at the time of valuation. Careful calculations show that for every £IOO put into a building in 1905 a sum of £340 would now require to be spent to give similar results. Taking £IOO as the base figure for 1905, 0 f if 1913 is taken as the starting point, the percentage of increase is 188. Valuations have not been raised to this extent in Wellington as valuers always aim to eliminate that portion of the increase which is due to disturbed economic conditions end likely to disappear in a- comparatively short period. TENDERS ACCEPTED. WELLINGTON, April 19. The Public Works Department has accepted the following tenders: Waikato liydro-electric power scheme for supply of hoop iron, telephone wire wire cable and coach screws, Duthie and Co., Wellington; for clout nails Carry, Wright and Salmon; for copped cable S. Green, Limited, Sydney, £26,377. For high tension telephones, the National Electrical Company, £617, at an exchange rate of four dollars to £l.