TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1922, Page 4

TELEGRAMS.

f BY TUr.KGIt.U'II —PER PKEBB ASSOCIATION; AIOERAKI’S CREW. STATEMENT AND REPLY. WELLINGTON, Dec 28. Tho Assistant Secretary of the Seamen’s Union (F. C. Howell) makes a statement that the seamen and firemen on tho Moeraki nro not competent. 110 states that according to J. Neill, a passenger by the Moeraki, there was only one competent fireman and on Sunday 10th. December, between 4 a.m. and 8 a.in. the ship only steamed 1> knots, there being only two men in the stokehold. Also, a majority of the men employed, as seamen could not stc«r the ship, and were driven in to the stokehold and assist firing the furnaces. The passengers were appealed to and members of the English cricket triam responded.Union officials also published a signed statement made by two other passengers, to a similar effect. On being shown the statements this morning Capt Clift of tho Moeraki, said the. men in the deck department and stokehold were all qualified. Home had not been to sea for some time, but one deck band bold a master’s certificate and another a second mate s ticket, while some had been able seamen in the Royal Navy. With regard to the allegations that some seamen,could not steer, Capt Clift declared they wore excellent men at the wheel, and made better courses with the* ship than members of the regular crew. The men were not “driven into the stokehold. The position was that two extra men were lieiug carried on deck and as they wore not required, they wcio sent into the stokehold. It was absolutely false to sav that the passengets were appealed to, and that members of the English cricket team responded. The cricketers were not asked to go into the stokehold. Capt. Clift also stated that during the trip to Auckland. the ship averaged the. fun J 1 knots per hour.

ELECTION OE COUNCILLORS. DARGAVTLLE, Dec. 27. As a result of the rejection at the polls of the recent loan proposals six councillors have resigned their seats. Nominations closed today for fiosh elections. Only six camlidatse offered ami were declared elected:—C. L. Bngncll, A. S. M’Naughlon, A. C. Paul, T. ('. Webb, R. C. Bowman, and D. CL Galloway. The first four were members of the old 'Council.

CARNIVAL AT TtMARU. ■ TIMAEU, Dee. 27. ' A monster carnival was opened at : Caroline Ray to-day on the lines of a . Mardi Gras. Thousands of people from j all parts of South Canterbury attended during the afternoon and evening. ohe j attractions embrace a pantomime, piorI rot entertainments, masked hall, sandj building competitions, and an endless j variety -of side-shows. The whole effort ! was organised to provide funds, for the i improvement and beautification of the i Bay. The carnival continues to-morrow ' and on Wednesday and Thursday ol j next week, and concludes on two days during the week of the swimming chain- ; pie.nships, which arc being held at , Tim am at the end (if January. I | BUILDING TRADE ACTIVITY. I | AUCKLAND, Dec. 27. \ ! One of the most satisfactory phases, of business activity during 1022 has j been the building boom which has been > experienced throughout Auckland. Ihe j 1 various local bodies responsible for the j ; granting of permits practically all re- > port a big increase in the amount of . construction work sanctioned in their ' respective areas. As is usually the ! ease, the major portion of the work has Loon for residences, and this is ' quite satisfactory, in view of the housI 1,,,. ui,,,..im im which lias been acutely 1

■ * ••■l*'* n ! ; felt for the past few years. That the ; scarcity id' accommodation is still very great is, of course, undoubted, and only the fringe of the problem lias been tackled. The very fact that there 1 remains so much to ho done ensures another prosperous year for the building and allied trades, and if prices ’ i become at all reasonable there is every , prospect of the record of 1022 being exceeded by a large figure. In Auckland ! City new buildings have been mainly ’ j for business purposes. In tho suburbs j 1 and across tlio North Shore boroughs houses have been appearing with ali most mush-room-liko rapidity. There [' is no doubt that very many people are i' still waiting for a fall in prices before • they launch out oil a building project. If there is any reasonable decline in ’ the prices of timber, ironware, and I other goods necessary for building purposes, there is not the least doubt that the trade will have a rush of work • that has never before been experienced. There certainly may be some justifica--1 lion for the “ ca-ennny ” attitude of | the public, a fact which doubtless will | lie taken into consideration by those t concerned with tlio best interests of ■ the building and allied trades.

SEAMEN’S STRIKE. CHRISTCHURCH, Dec. 27. A meeting of seamen was hold at Lyttelton to-day. The business was not divulged. It was slated unofficially the scamon are hopeful ot returning to the ships.

FATALITIES. TAIHAPE, Dec 26. Maurice. Morgan, of Napier, was killed,7n a motor-car accident between Tailiapo and Moawbnngo yesterday. The ear went over a steep bank init> j the river, and Morgan was pinned im- . dor the car and drowned. There were j five others in the car, which was driv- | en by Mr H. E. Davis, manager of the j Tailiapo Freezing Works, including Airs Davis, Mr and Airs Morgan. Airs Aljnn, and a small boy mimed Davis, who wore thrown on to the bank of. the river. Afrs Minn was knocked about, and is now in hospital. The others were not seriously injured. .Morgan’s body has not yet been recovered. The ear is a complete wreck. ROTORUA, Dec. 26. A prisoner named Morris Scott died in hospital on Christmas Eve lrom natural causes, aged 50 years. He was undergoing three years’ reformative detention. OAAI.ARU. Dec 26. David Angus, a settler, aged 28, was killed yesterday while driving a gig near Papakiao. Angus, accompanied l,v his brother-in-law, was going to see his wife in a maternity home in Oamaru.. Tho horse boiled, throwing both tho occupants out. Angus was caught between the shaft and the body of tho gig and dragged three miles before the horso was stopped by residents in the vicinity. Angus was then dead. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned.