TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 July 1921, Page 4

TELEGRAMS.

VARIOUS DOMINION ITEMS.

[by TKLEQEAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION]

ASSAULT BY A SCHOOL TEACHER

DUNEDIN. July 18

Peter Johann Anderson, a school teacher at North-East Valley, was fined £4 and costs in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, on a charge of assaulting u pupil named Alexander Franklin (Inm'pbell. The accused had charge of the Fourth Standard. On July 5, the children had fallen into line in the usual manner, v. hen a-boy named McDonald came along on a cycle, and a boy named Stevens left the ranks to let him in. Accused smacked him on the face once, and was attempting to repeat the blow when Stevens ducked, with the result that Campbell was struck and knocked down, sustaining slight concussion.

The defence, while pleading guilty, affirmed that the boy was not- knocked down, but stumbled against a wall when walking away after the blow. Accused was twice wounded at the "nr and- had since suffered badly from nerves. He had only returned after si breakdown when the incident occuried,

NARROW ESC A IM-

AGED COUPLE IN DANGER

WELLINGTON, July 18

A fire, fraught with serious con so qiicnces to an old couple, occurred at Newtown yesterday morning. The out

break took place in a house occupied I,v 1 Icnrv Frederick Norris, a retiicil Government messenger, and his wife. They retired at seven o’clock on Saturday* evening, leaving a fire burning in the kitchen grate. At about 1 a.m Mrs Norris was awakened by lire. Tlx

.':ous? was then full of smoke, and ii lace of great danger she. rushed inti her husband’s room to arouse him They both escaped from the lnuniiif building, but Mr Norris, who made hiescape by jumping through a window was badly cut by broken glass. !h was also burned about the head am legs. Jlrs Norris escaped without in jury. Mr Norris, who is S(5 years o age, was admitted to hospital, and las night was reported to have taken ; favourable turn.

SUPREME (HURT

AUCKLAND. July '2O

In the Supreme Court, Albert Edgn Stout was sentenced to two years’ bar labour for three burglaries and te thefts in Waikato. The prisoner wsi probationed last April for two years It theft.

A Dalmatian, Jure Costanieh, wasfined £lO for making a false deelaralioi to secure naturalisation a ; a I’vitisl subject. The Crown Prosecutor sail tlu man declared that lie had resided in the Dominion for six years whereas he had been only one or two months, lb couldn’t speak Engli-h ami dnln t tea lise the scrious-iicss of the ofieme. lln Justice of the Peace, before whom tlu declaration was made, was a storei,,- . ,-r whom he saw daily. j-lis: Honor said that lie thought that probably the justices wcie a great deal to.) casual ami tailed to imprest the SVci that a solemn declaration was be

’i lie prosecutor said lie had reason t-,r believing ibe olletice was not iso filled. The question of what action action should hi* taken in regard to the was under consideration.

His Honor in imposing a fine took iiit., consideration the lad that the prisoner recently arrived from Australia and found the Justice poricetly icadv ami willing to make himself a party to fraud, and signed and transmitted to the Department, for the prisoner’s benefit, a declaration that, In had known prisoner for live years. .1 he authorities would, doubtless take action as tiiev thought lit in regard to justice.

BUILDING TRADES FEDERATION

WELLINGTON, July 18

At a conference .lioltl recently in Wellington it was agreed unanimously, ns the result ol' a remit from Otago, to establish a New Zealand National Build injr Trades Industrial Federation ol Workers, the constitution of which will be a departure from the majority cl t 'derations in the Dominion, inasmuch as it will provide for the establishment of local building trades council, similar to that in (treat Britain, with both employers ami employees represented. C will also provide for all the unions in the industry in any locality being nco, porated within one union. Ibis lattei provision is the outcome of a movement which is at present being > arritd out in Wellington. The result of the ballot mi the latter proposal should be known in about two months’ time. Ihe seat of the Federation for the first two years will he Wellington, with Mr F. Cornwall of the Wellington Building Trades Fe 1eration, as secretary. It is expected that the constitution of the National Federation will he placed before *]"' respective districts in the course of the next three weeks for their approval and if it is accepted, it should go a long way towards the solution of the many difficulties that confront the budding trades at the piesont time.

fraudulent applications

FOB OLD ACL PENSIONS

HASTINGS, .Inly 20

At the Magistrate’s Court here t.wo applicants for old age pensions were charged with attempting to obtain pension certificates by means of wilfully false statements, filling in wrong incomes on the forms. The Magistrate addressed them a severe reprimand, snyin« that he could fine them up to V> nr"impose three months’ hard labour. The accused were old men, and he would not be hard this time, but wanted those concerned to know that if they made false statements and wore convicted, ,he would have to consider sending thorn to gaol without the option. He mustput a stop to this sort of thing.