DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 June 1923, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BY TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. RAILWAY INSTITUTE CONFERENCE. AUCKLAND, June 25 'The railway officers Institute Conference approved of the extra payment for work between 10 p.m. and 0 a.m. and appointed a committee to make recommendations in regard to penal rates between the hours mentioned. A remit urging that instead of time off. payment for overtime he pressed for was negatived hy thirteen to eighteen, being a reversal of the decisions of previous conferences. It was agreed that similar penal rates he paid for work performed on Labour Day and the Sovereign’s Birthday as at present obtained for Christmas Day. and Good Friday and that when any such holiday falls on a Sunday and is observed on a Monday special rates shall he paid for work performed on tiie latter day. It was also decided that captains, mates and engineers in Lake Wakatipu service should receive' payment for holidays similar to that received T,v all members of the first division of the railway service. That except where a mutual arrangement is made between the officers concerned the maximum time worked between recognised meal hours he five hours was another remit which received assent and it was also resolved that in connection with the question of departmental holidays granted during the week that eight hours he deducted for each holiday from an ordinary week’s work for the purpose of computing overtime. BOXING AT ELTHAAL KLTHAAI, June 25. Elthani Boxing Association held a tournament, on Saturday night. Seven bouts wore staged. The contests were willing and were fought out except in the welter-weight, wherein the referee stoppd the Tight in the first round, awarding the decision to O’Biion over Pearce to save a knock-out. Chief interest centred in a six roijnd challenge bout, featherweight division, between A. Humphries and C. Coulter (Taranaki) feather-weight champions. The fight went the full length and was strenuous. Humphries had a popular win on points.

Featherweight—Morgan heat Comnhe. Lightweight.—AlcAVhirter heat A Terror ; Cadmnn beat AVaterson; Clennerhnssett drew with Alonsor.

Welter-weight—O’Brien beat Poarse. Bantamweight—Childs heat Boeoelc. SILK HOSIERY STOLEN. AUCKLAND. .Tune 25. Burglars entered the premises of Archibald Clark, warehousemen, over the week-end. They evidently entered through a window at the rear and selected 9200’worth of the liest- silk hosierv. removing it in a suit- ease which was also part of the stock. CHURCHES PROTEST. CHRISTCHURCH, June 25 The desirability of suppressing the publication of the details in unclean criminal and divorce eases was discussed at a meeting of the local Council of Christian Congregations, and the billowing motion was passed: ‘‘ 1 tint this council deplores the disgusting fullness of detail with which unclean criminal and dicoree proceedings have* of late been reported in some of our daily papers. The council recognises that many of our newspapers exercise a commendable restraint, in spite' of the demand of a certain section ol the' public for silcli prurient details. It would point out that no public' interest is served hv publishing such details, hut that it, conduces to the contamination of the minds of the youthful readers of newspapers. It would appeal to the newspapers of this city to conserve the high standard of journalism in the main ebsorved in this Dominion. It would urge upon the Government the necessity of making police action possible against newspapers that descend to the level of becoming obscene publications under the guise of the liberty of the Brass. This council orders that a letter on this mailer he sent to the' Minister of Justice, urging action on the part of the Government. ’

INCENDIARY FIRES. TIM ARE. June 25 An inquiry into the cause of Giro:' (ires, v Inch recently occurred in the Orari district, which opened oil Thursday last, was resumed at the Courthouse at Timaru to-dav. before Mr Mosley, fi.AL, AIT Campbell appeared fur the South British ami National Insurance Companies, and Air S9.nl appeared for William R. Clarke, farmer, of Orari. The lire's wore oil the farms ol Clarke (wheat in hags), Allred Alufi (oats in hags), and G. Praltley (six sacks of wheat' l . After hearing evidence in the firsttwoeasos, the Coroner said to-day that it was unfortunate' for Clarke he should have to come before the Court, with a •record of three tiros in his crops. Clarke in the witness box had given his evidence very Inidly. Mrs Clarke, on the contrary, had given her evidence excellently, and almost too well to impress the Court favourably. Still it had impressed the Court. The Court had boon impressed with the evidence of Muff, and the evidence of Miss Anderson. Muff showed that the fires were not the result of spontaneous combustion. They w'ero caused by some outside influence. It was to he regretted that Afiss Anderson was not able to give a full description of the of the man she had seen at AlufT’s hags when they were burning. Ro lar as Clarke's wheat was coneer.ned, the evidence did not show that he had set fire to it, and the Court would not be justified in saying that the slightest suspicion attached to him. Rome one had set fire to the grain, he was quite satisfied. The verdict was that the fire in _ the hags of oats at Aloft’ Bros’ farm was the result of incedniarDtn on the part of some person unknown. So far as Clarke's farm was concerned an open verdict was returned with a rider that there was a strong suspicion that the wheat hags were fired hy some person unknown, but no suspicion was directed against Clarke. I An inquiry into the third fire will be held at Timaru to-morrow. SCHOOL CLOSED. CHRISTCHURCH. June '25. The Lyttelton District High School dosed for a week from to-day owing to the attendance being under the minimum, and the fact that sin teachers were absent to-day with severe colds. Apparently there is an epidemic .of colds at Lyttelton, as six outside employees of the Borugh Council, as well as the Borough Engineer and the Gasworks manager are down with colds.

DART GAMES ILLEGAL. AUCKLAND, Juno 24. The Cliiet' Justice dismissed the appeal of David Livingstone against the Magistrate’s conviction on a charge of conducting a dart game at a place of amusement. The defence in the lower Court was that the game was purely of skill, or in the alternative that skill preponderated. The cpiestion submitted to the Supremo Court was whether the Magistrate’s determination was erroneous in point of law. Sir Robert Stout said he must assume that the Magistrate meant that the defendant’s contention had not been proved. The appeal was dismissed, but because of the way in which it was stated he allowed no costs. SHEEP VALUES. ASHBURTON, June 23. Seventy store back-country wethers (four and six-tooth half-breds) were sold at 27s lid. the highest price for two years.