TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 August 1922, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

bv telkqhai‘ll —paras assn., copyright. * IMPORTS. I WELLINGTON, August 3 i The return of the value of New Zor land imports for the quarter ended June 30th amounted to £7,486,653, as compared with £12,532,365 for the corresponding quarter of last year. The amounts for the chief centres are: —- . Auckland, £2.485,794; Wellington, i £2,295,866; Lyttelton, £1,290,525; Dunedin, £775,682. LAKE COLERIDGE. ’ WELLINGTON, August 3 Replying to a Christchurch deputation to-d.i.v. the Hon .1. G. Coates said: "'1 think the time is ri|ie for me ( to s: ;-, a.though 1 won’t absolutely guarantee it, that we are going to call tenders for the work of duplicating the tunnel of the Lake Coleridge Electric Power Station.” It is estimated that the work will cost £IIO,OOO. G ENERAL ELECTION. WELLINGTON, August 3 The electoral districts in which the pull shall close at 7 o’clock, according to the Gazette, arc:— Auckland West, East, and Central; Avon. Buller, Chalmers, Christchurch North, East, and South; Dunedin North, Central. "South and West; Eden, Grey Lynn. Hamilton, Hutt, Invercargill, Lyttelton, Manak.au, Motueka, Napier, Nelson, Oamaru, Palmerston, Parnell. Riecarton. Roskill, Thames. Timnru, Wnitaki, Waitemata, Wanganui, Wellington North, Central, East, South and Suburbs. Westland. N.Z. BAKERS’ WAGES. WELLINGTON, August 3 linkers and pastrycook employers submitted an nmnded demand to the Arbitration Court to-day. A dosiro was expressed' for an award to lie made a Dominion award. The ease was adjourned to allow both parties to confer. The employers ask that the starting hour be ten p.m. instead of four a.m. with earlier starting hour for holidays, and the payment of one shilling a day extra if work is started before two a.m. The. employers propose the wage:of a foreman linker shall be £1 Lis, and journeymen £1 3s.

RACING CLUB'S LIABILITY. WELLINGTON, -August 3

In the Magistrate’s Court to-day, judgment was given against the Wellington Racing Club for £3O, with costs £9 13s. in the case in which a woman claimed £ls for the loss ot a fur .stoh" deposited with the attendant at the'ladies’ cloak room during the recent race meeting. The stole him been wrapped in a bundle of coats, but when the bundle was opened later it

was missing. The Magistrate held that want ot care was shown by the attendant, ami t|,c ( Inb was liable for the loss

ROADS AND FINANCE. WELLINGTON, August 3 \ meeting' of the Municipal Association of New Zealand to-day, approached the principle of the mam highways legislation being placed on t„o Statute Book, and endorsed the ri-_ solution of last conference providing tbat local bodies should be allowed to t.,|;e a portion of the motor taxation t„ maintain highways passing within their own boundaries. The Association approved the suggested ndw provision „f the Local Bodies’ Finance Act to enable monevs to be borrowed tor tmr<llit,f of unemployment. Hie provision to expire on December 31. 1923.

117 RY FAIL TO AGREE. AUCKLAND. August 3. Th,. jurv failed to agree in the- caseagainst Philip Te-ie-nce- English, who was charges! with manslaughter of Lucy Agnes Ford, who received fatal injuries in a collision between a bicycle 1,,,,! cuse-el's motor ear at Mange-re on Apiil 19. Th t . Crown e-onti-nde-el that ace-used was negligent, lie-cause he* was driving at an excessive .speed and was not keeping" a proper look-out. The defen'-e- was that accused acted as an ordinary reasonable man would do. It was a very dark night and tlie- tires had made a dark bark-ground for deceased, who wore- dark clothes anel had no light on her cycle-.

His Honour, in summing up, said the evidence for the Crown that the ae-e-ns-e-el was travelling at an unreasonable speed was not satisfactory, as it. consisted mainly of estimates by persons not qualified to judge. Tile best judge was a witness who put the speeel at about 20 miles an hour, and it was for llu- jury to consider whether that was e-xce-ssive in all the- e-ire-umstam-es. The lace that the e-ar travelled for thirty-five*'yards after the collision was a very unreliable basis on which to postulate speed previously, because they elieln’t know bow long ae-cused’s miliel might take to respond after the e-eil-lisiou in the action of applying the brakes. A more- important part of the* case (or the Crown was whether accused ki-’h reasonable look-out. It certainly see me-el reasonable- that he- tailed to sty the young woman. If the '.Jury thought that this failure was elue to lack of reasonable e-are accused should be- found guilty, but the- law eliel not expect higher of care hut simp. Iv reasonable, rare. The jury deliberated for four hours. The re-trial lias been fixed for next week. Bail of £2OO was renewed. GOLD PRODUCERS. DEPUTATION TO PREMIER. WELLINGTON. August 2. A gold-producers’ deputation, representing both the quartz and alluvial miners of New Zealand waited on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Mines to-day. They set forth tile dilfienlty in which gold miners wore plnc- • od on account of the embargo on the export of gold during the war period. It was stated that men and small companies were unable to export gold, i They had perforce to sell it to tlie hanks. They received ony C 3 17s 9d per ounce, plus 2s 6d cost. The gold was then exported, under a license, at prices valued at from £5 to £< an ounce. • The deputation asked to share the 1 profit, say 10s an ounce, 1 Rt. Hon. Mr Massey said that wliat they were asking for was an inquiry. , but they were one of dozens of depiu j tations that were earning to him and ligkt-beortwUy taking; him to throw

£1,000,000 at thorn. “It cannot bo dope.. It; is imposaibjle.” Increased taxation was out of 'the question. People were borrowing money to pay taxes. Tlioro was a very unsatisfactory state of affairs. He was afraid they must not look to tbe State for anything. He would bo very glad to make an inquiry so far as the selling of gold and the profits obtained on gold wore concerned . Replying to Mr Seddon, he said that the Committee would havo power to call the bankers to give audience. Tt would be useless otherwise. Mr Sedrlon : —“Because it was alleged that some of .the hankers did not send the gold Home, but kept it hero.” ATr Massey: —“I know of the difficulty vou had. They are similar to those of many fanners in the country. The cost of production generally •went up. I will see. that you have the enquiry that you have asked for, and T hope that it will he satisfactory.”

A VAGRANT. CHRISTCHURCH, August 4. Monty Victor Winders, a 22-year old American, with many aliases, was sentenced to six months reformative detention on three charges, of vagrancy, in connection with obtaining taxi rides by false pretences.

PREFERENCE CLAUSE. CHRISTCHURCH. Aug. 4. Employers in the freezing industry bnv,. applied to the Arbitration Court to delete the preference clause in Canterbury " freezing award. The reasons given for the application are that the workers have failed to observe the provisions of the award, liy striking. Application is made under the clause in winch the Court reserves power to delete or varv the preference clause. ENCOURAGING LAWLESSNESS. WELLINGTON, August I. James Move pleaded guilty at Court to-dav. to distributing a document encouraging lawlessness. Defendant is a watorsi le worker, a member of the local Communist Club. He had served sentences for breaches of military discipline. .Move was sentenced to a month hard labour.

MINE ACCIDENT. W HANGAR El, Aug 4. A line of skips broke away at six o’clock this morning in Hikurangi mine, as the men were changing shift and dashed into David \ eitch (married), John Craig (single), killing the latter and seriously crushing the former, who was liospitalled.

ANOTHER. DEATH. WIIANGAREI, Aug 4. Witch, the second victim of the H|Uiirangi accident succumbed to his minifies at Whan'garei Hospital at 12.39. PRISONERS' APPEAL. WELLIN'H'ON- Aug L The Court of Appeal this morning dismissed an application for leave to appeal against sentence,, m eases ot the following prisoners :— Joseph Crook IVrcy. Martin Carmichael, William \n,os'.Millies, Walter William Knox, sivdncy Herbert .rill, Henry Grill.