TELEGRAMS .

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1922, Page 4

TELEGRAMS .

[by TELEGRAPH PER TRESS ASSOCIATION] BANKRUPT EMBEZZLER. DUNEDIN, July 27. An unusual bankruptcy came before the Official Assignee to-day, when Edward Hedley Kitchener Hughes, clerk at present awaiting sentence by the Supreme Court for embezzlement, apparecl at a. meeting of creditors in' the custody of a detective. Bankrupt, in a written statement, said he attributed bis bankruptcy to the fact that he embezzled £IOOO from the Post Office on March Ist., 1922. Of the above amount he invested £790 in the purchase of a. storekeeping business at Berwick. That business was carried on by a Mr Wood and himself, in partnership, until he was arrested upon the charge of embezzlement. Messrs Carr (of the Post Office) and Gedcles (of the Lands Department) had investigated the affairs of the partnership, and had prepared a statement of accounts showing the present value of his interest therein to be £516. From that statement it would seem that the business had been carried on at a. loss, but as he had been in custody he had been unable to investigate the position or the reason for the deficiency. Tjie Assignee said the only one interested was the Postmaster. Mr Adams, Crown Prosecutor (appearing for the Postmaster), said it wa s unnecessary for him to ask questions at this stage. He moved that matters be left in the hands of the Asignce, with a view to realisation. The motion was agreed to.

TR E NT! rA .11 HOSPI 'l' AT,. WELLINGTON, July 27. A letter from the Director-General of Health, Dr Valintine, read at today’s meeting of the Hospital Board, referred to the determination to dose the Trentham Hospital at an early date, probably October 14th. Me considered that Wellington Hospital should develop the" orthopaedic and other work which had been carried out at Trentham, and asked for a conference with the Hospital Board to discuss details of the development of the different special departments, and settlo the nature and amount of the accommodation required at Wellington Hospital to receive and treat the patients from Trentham. The Chairman said 20 or 30 serviie men and the same number of children wei-e being treated', in addition to 30 outpatients. There would he no difficulty in accommodating these, hut it won jd be necessary to provide for physioo-therapoutic treatment, and to develop this branch. A conference will he held next week.

WAR FUNDS’ 'COUNCIL. WELLINGTON. July 27

At a meeting of the National War Funds Council. 217 claims were inquired into, and assistance provided where necessary. Grants were made to 109 Imperial and Australian soldiers totalling 6510. 'lwent.v-five bursaries were renewed for one year, representing £lll7. loans and relief v.eie granted to soldiers to the extent- ,)| nearly £F!')O. Securities to the value of £5500 were purchased from district societies not provided with eradv cash in exchange for them. The committee were congratulated on the splendid condition of the council’s investments. It was reported that thirty societies had turned in their balances, leaving 105 then in operrttioh. Applications lor assistance from societies whose funds were not sufficiently liquid were considered, ami £20.000 was allocated for the purpose. Direction was given to call in various funds, not now required for their original purposes, the amount involved being L* L .500. A scheme for the centralisation and uniform disbursement of Maori funds was approved. The question of the use ol war funds to meet distress among unemployed soldiers was discussed, and a deeison was arived at, lint was not made public. The financial statement to June 30th was discussed and will be circulated.

ANZAC DAY WAGES. WELLINGTON, July 28

A case, said to he of Dominion importance, was brought hv the Inspector of Awards against a factory owner loi not paying wages to certain employees on Anzac Day. It was contended it was a holy day, not a holiday, and both employers and employees must go without profit on that day. The Magistrate said lu* was of the Opinion the case must he dismissed, hut would give a written decision.

R. AND T. SERVICE

WELLINGTON, July 28

Im reference £o tin* possibility of further retrenchment in the Post anil Telegraph Service, the Association s officials have- suggested to the Post-master-General not to replace officers who resign or leave, and so let this wastage effect the reduction of staff. It is estimated that last year 600 officers voluntarily left, and it is urged that if recruiting is stopped for six months, the present surplusage, stated to he about 280, would disappear.

W TNDOW-SM ASH MRS GAOL ED

WELLINGTON, July 28. Two window-smashers, Jas Smith and Daniel Borinian, received six months’ imprisonment to-day. They went into a shop and demanded money. Upon being refused, one of them assaulted the occupant and they were ejected, and Smith smashed a window. Herimnn told the police that lie was concerned in it, hut as they did not believe him ho returned to the shop and finished off his comrade’s work.

royal sanitary institute. WELLINGTON, July 29. Advice has been received from the Royal Sanitary Institute of the result of the examinations held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin on April sth for inspector of nuisances and sanitary science certificates. The successful candidates are as follows: — Auckland—Philip Alexander Milne. Palmerston North—James Penkcth. Wanganui—James Russel Richardson, jun. Christchurch —Herbert Haworth. Dunedin—James Albert Freeman. Sanitary Science—Charles W. Jones (Christchurch), Albert George Fischer (Oamaru). The rest of the examinatidn will he held in November. FOUND DROWNED. WELLINGTON, July 31. The body of an elderly man, supposed to be that of Tliomns Judd, aged G 8 years, missing from Petone for some weeks, was found in the harbour about 4 p.m. to-day.

SAVINGS BANK RETURNS

WELLINGTON, July 27

The. following are the savings banks returns for the quarter ended June 30th, 1922, and for tile corresponding quarter of last year:— June June quarter, quarter, 1922 1921 £ £ Deposits 6,742,625 8,220,843 Withdrawals ... 7,170,649 7,945,158 Money ordcMts issued (number) 1,015,159 1,218,429 Money orders paid 939,077 1,126,918 There were 832 savings banks open at the end of Inst quarter, compared with 824 at the end of the June quarter of 1921.

SUPREME COURT.

WELLINGTON SENTENCES

WELLINGTON, July 31

At tlio Supreme Court to-day, the following sentences were passed: Ralph Emery Smell, an ex-Civil Servant, for theft of Government moneys totalling £34, was admitted to probation for two years. Andrew Ernest Ncilson, for forgery and attempted uttering, reformative detention not exceeding three yeais. .Joseph Peters, a Syrian hov, for breaking, entering and theft at Eketaliuna while on probation for a previous offence. . The Judge said that the hoy had been badly treated on the farin' where lie had been working like a slave and poorly fed. lie would he placed on two years’ probation. David Davies, who was caught redhanded burglarising Chief-Detective Kemp’s residence admitted this and 13 other charges of burglary, lie was ordered reformative detention for five

David Broughton, a Maori lad, lor breaking and entering at Palmerston North, received two years’ reformative detention.

William Parker, who deliberately smashed plate-glass windows at Stewart Dawson’s shop and who is now serving a month’s imprisonment for making a seditious utterance was ordered three vears’ reformative detention.

COMMERCIAL. WELLINGTON. July 31. The National Dairy Association lias received a cable from its London office dated July 29th., as follows:—“The butter market is inactive. There is nothing doing. The Scottish and the Northern markets have become lost to us through forcing prices too high.” “To-day’s price for Danish butter is 2(l;is per ewt. New Zealand butter is the same. There is no business doing. “The cheese market shows a better enquiry, at a reduction in price as follows;—White diese. 86s to 88s; coloured, 84s.

DEFENCE SYSTEM. CHRISTCHURCH. July 31. During a. war memorial ceremony at Springs ton, Hon Sir Heaton Rhodes, tin- .Minister of Detente, said that while great things might be hoped lor from the League of Nations and the Washington Conference, the day of the world’s peace was not here yet. The Dominion’s own defence system had been tile means of laying tinfoundation of tin- troops who lei t for Samoa and Egypt in the early stages of the war. Unfortunately, the defence scheme had had to he curtailed at present, owing to the financial situation. It was gratifying to know that the employers were still willing to meet the Defence Department in the direction of allowing their employees to he trained. The Defence system would he a. necessity until the world’s peace was brought about.

CAT KILLS CHILD. ASHBURTON, July 31. The four months’ old male child of Mr A. A.. Looks was suffocated by a cat lying across its face, when lying asleep in a perambulator, this afternoon.

ARBITRATION COURT. WANGANUI, July 28. An application was made l>v the Taranaki Dairy Workers’ Union to the Arbitration Court to-day for an aulard This is the- first application made hv the Union Tlu* wages asked were £5 weekly. Mr Lyons, for the union, said the Southland and Otago awards would h e acceptable as a basis for the award. He rejected the employers’ counter-claims entirely. Mr Bishop, for the employers, point ed out that if the Southland and Otago awards were accepted the union would he accepting less than tlio men were now receiving. Air Justice Frazer, after hearing argument, said the Court would not eiitertaiiitniu the application for an award in view of the absence of information regarding Taranaki conditions. . ,

WELLINGTON, July 31. The Arbitration Court has fixtures beginning to-morrow that will occupy it in Wellington for the best part of two months.

Trade Wit-li Germany.

OFFER TO SUPPLY ARMS

ACTION TAKEN IIY GOVERNMENT

AUCKLAND, July 28,

It was made clear in a letter from the Minister received by the Chamber of Commerce that a German trading firm which recently made an offer to an Auckland firm of importers to supply small anus ami ammunition will have little opportunity to do business in New Zealand. Sir Heaton Rhodes stated that lie hnd referred the German firm’s letter to the Minister for Customs, who had replied that as far as tho Dominion is concerned there was no fear of Germany being able to obtain admission lor such goods ns importation from Germany of all goods was prohibited. After consultation with tho Attorney-General it had been suggested to the Minister of Defenco that he should bring tho question, whether the German offer was in contravention of tho Peace Treaty under the notice of tho Foreign Office. The necessary stops to do that were being taken through tho High Commissioner, who is also New Zealand’s representative on the League of Nations.