VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1921, Page 4

VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

[BV TELEGRAPH—i*ER PREBB ASSOCIATION] | FARMER DROWNED. j HAMILTON, June 27. ] Joseph Mathers, aged about forty, t j well known farmer of Terapa, was washed off a punt in Waikato river when returning from a shooting on Saturday evening. The body has not been recovered. OBITUARY. WAIROA, June 27. Obituary—James Miller Dickson, Government caretaker of Hake House, Waikanemoana, aged 45. He was « leading athlete, specially wrestling.. At the outbreak of the war lie joined the Samoan force, and when -erring there contracted Malaria, which undermined his health from which he never recovered. CHARGE AGAINST ESCAPED PRISONER, INVERCARGILL, June 23. William Henry Grant, who was charged before the Court to-day with violently assaulting a Chinaman and stealing ,£(52 and a watch, was remanded for a wick. The Chinaman, who was attacked in the street at night, is still in hospital, Imt liis condition is improving. Accused was also charged with escaping from Point Halswtll Prsiou and stealing property valued at £2O at Lower Mutt. SALE OF OPOSSUM SKINS. WELLINGTON, June 24. After a close season of three years, the taking of opossums lias been in progress in the Wellington district this month, with extraordinary results. About 30 men have been engaged, and it- is estimated that about 15,000 skins will he offered for sale. The quality of the skins is remarkably good. ALLEGED THEFT. DUNEDIN, June 23. Sebastian Samuel Crawford Yallis. a clerk in the Magistrate’s Court, was charged in the Police Court to-day with the theft of £ls 7s, the property of the Government, and was remanded until Saturday. Other charges ate pending. LOYALTY OF TEACHERS. OATH UNDER CONSIDERATION. WELLINGTON, June 24 Several school committees, Mr Pan savs, have expressed great satislactioii with the regulation regarding the saluting of the llag by school children in some schools the flag is saluted daily. The committees have also been suggesting to Mr Parr that employees in the Education Department, teachers, and others, should take the oath ol allegia nee. Discussing this question to-day, the .Minister said he was inclined to think this would he a good idea, especially in those days when there was so much propaganda that was deliberately auti-ISriti-h and disloyal. I might he well to sec> that all connected with education were loyal citizens, lie intended, he said, to submit the suggestion ol thi'.'c school committee., to the < abinet. ||o also expressed the opinion that tor the future one of the conditions ol receiving a teacher’s eortilicate should be that, the recipient should lake the oath of allegiance.

A JUDGE’S COMAJENT,

IN PERJURY CASE

GISBORNE, June 23,

Summing \i|> in the case m which John Humid Kane, was charged with forgery, Mr Justice tteod said then' were certain matters which it was his duty to refer to. In the first place the accused had not the faintest claim on the girl. She was Hot his client, and, as lie had been admitted, his attempts to obtain money from her were entirclv reprehensible. Kspie, the interpreter, was also lacking in his dut\ in bo in" a party to the effort, which was made worse hy the fact that. us. sinning that neeiised's story of the free gift of Cloo was correct. the accused had taken receipts for CffOO. The interpreter was also wrong in certifying to her receipts of the money, New Zealand was naturally proud of the manner in which the rights of the Natives were conserved, and one of the ways in which these were safeguarded was hy tlm Native Land Court’s supervision of financial transactions of the Natives. The Court, to make sure that no bogus receipts should lie put in, had ruled that the receipts should he certified to hy a. solicitor and an interpreter, both amenable to a penalty for nonfulfilment of fluty. The form of the receipt contained a certificate that the contents had been explained in .Maori to the signatory, and that the Natives actually received the cash. The certificate in this case was obviously incorrect. No eamoiiflnjgc of a pencilled clio(|iio or a promise of further payment could conceal the fact that this was reprehensible to the last degree, fiueli actions would soon undermine the whole works of the Courts. Tie had spoken strongly on this point, hut that, lie had pointed out, was no reason why the jury should assume that the accused had gone further and committed the actual crime, hut they were entitled lo consider the merits-of the ease in consider the whole atmosphere. SUPREME COURT. ‘ WELLINGTON, June 27 At the Supreme Court yesterday, the hearing was commenced of a claim for ,£1550 damages against the Wellington Education Board. Two years ago a girl, now 17, was a pupil at the Technical College, and while she was receiving instruction in shorthand, the form on which she was seated collapsed, and as a result of the fall, she sustained grievous injuries to the spine, necessitating lengthy medical treatment, provision of special appliances for treatment, and a change of air. Further it was claimed that the father of plaintiff suffered the loss of the domestic services of his daughter.