DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1923, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[UY TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] COST OF LIVING. A SLIGHT INCREASE. DUNEDIN, Get. 22. The Arbitration Court lias issued the following pronouncement:— Tito Court, has investigated the movement in the cost of living for the six monthly period, April-Septoinber 1923. As on former occasions it worked on the principle of the six-monthly moving average and based its calculations on tho “all groups’’ l statistics covering the whole field of the cost, of living. The figures for clothing, footwear, fuel, light and tho miscellaneous group all showdecreases but the food figures disclose a small increase, and the rent figures an increase of 5 per rent, for the halfyear. The combined figures for all groups with their proper . weighting show an increase of 1.3 per cent, lor the period. DEATH IN STREET. CHRISTCHURCH Oct. 23. Daniel Megarthy aged (to years, expired suddenly while standing outside the New Zealander Hotel yesterday afternoon. An inquest will be held lie day. JOCKEY INJURED. WELLINGTON, Oct. 22. A. J. M’Flinn, who rode Lamorack in the Roscneath Handicap and wits tossed off before the horses went to the post, lmd his collarbone broken. FOUND DEAD. AVAIL! L Oct. 22. (L Jackson, a. middle-aged unmarried driller and farmer, was found dead in his bed at bits residence, Bowenton, in the Katikati district, tTTis morning. Circumstances point to suicide. It is deemed probable that worry over a grave charge which was to he preferred against Hint at the AVailii Police Court was the cause. CIVIL MARRIAGES. GROWING IN POPULARITY. AUCKLAND, Oct. 22. There has been something of a boom in matrimonial activities during the last few months' at the office of the Auckland Registrar. Th e total number of marriage notices issued for the nine months ended ,September 30 was 1467, and the number of marriage ceremonies performed by the Registrar was 380, an increase, of 20 over last year’s figures. It would be difficult to ascertain the piccise reason for this increase in popularity of the civil marriage ceremony. It is probably largely duo to the inburn abhorrence of the average man towards anything savouring in “Tu-s" and elaborate ceremony, "Lei’s get it over as quickly and quietly as we ran." is probably what ’e says to tin* girl, and smothering the -pick <J longing for bridal pomp that lies in every leminine heart, she responds ’MI light.”

Another reason u,r tbe popularity of tin* civil ceremony is fit oTi ibly to bo found in the glowing distaste for restraint for bonds that- cannot readily be slipped, for the introduction of tbe spiritual element, into a contract th.nl may possibly turn out to K* anything but a .success. There is no doubt that in the minds of many there is a lurking idea that tliy civil marriage contract is a great deal le.ss binding moial.lv mid spiritually than the Church ceremony, and consequently more easily dissolved. ‘■Why should 1 let the Church tie a knot which it has no j .owe r to untie? would probably summarise the ieeling of many people on the subject, and the swift process of untying is applied more and more, and also, as the registiv office reiords show. In many eases the hiiui is tied again, in a hoj e lfiat boiler luck may at lorn! the second vent ure. SANDERS CUP. DUNEDIN. October 21. The first tot of Otago iniutceii-ioot-eis for the Sunders Cup rave to be field at Wellington was sailed on Saturday on a course from tin* Otago Yacht- Club’s shed to Chnllis’s Buoy, in ire round, a distanve of from nine to tell miles. The weather was line, with a light south-east full sail breeze, which dropped Inter. Heather, which led for most of the race, came in first about fifty seconds ahead ol Kin Ora. with .Mona a few seconds behind. At the end of the first- round Heather was half a minute ahead ol Km Ora. with tho other competitors some distance behind. Hi the second round Kill Ora and Aloila made til) some leeway, hut Tailed to pass the leading hunt, which completed the course in about two hours thirty-live minutes. It was a .rood race both, from the competitors’ and the spectators' viewpoiutl. The following vessels also competed j Eunits June. Yalimii. and 'lona, Winilred broke a gudgeon of the rudder and did not sail. HICKSON MISSION. GISBORNE. October 22. Over 900 persons in Holy Trinity Church last night united in a set vice of thanksgiving for . the benefits oi last week's mission. A powerful sermon upon the power of prayer and tho message of the mission was preached by Canon l’aeke. who also read a list of over 10 persons who had experienced physical and spiritual benefits Iront the mission. Some had had deaf ears made to hear, some had had life te-s----tored to their paralysed limbs, others had obtained relief from neuritis, and rheumatic pains, while others still had c-i-t aside their spectacles. The testimony of each was read by Canon Packo ;,s a practical demonstration of the good resulting from the mission. MOTOR MISHAP. GISBORNE. October 22. Another motoring mishap lwd’ell Air K*.S. Williams. ALT’., to-day, whilst motoring to Gisborne to attend the Show. Mr Williams’s ear went over the bank near Arakihi on the inland Tol-ma road. The driver. Jack Penny, was seriously injured, but Mr and Alt's

Williams and others in tho car fortunately escaped. Lust year Air AYilliams met with a similar mishap with severe injury to, himself on the Toiiiga Bay coastal road, which it at present blocked by a heavy slip. traffic being diverted inland. AIOTOR -MISHAP. TIAIAR.U, October 22. One. of the ears which participated in the motor run yesterday, when the visiting Si. John Ambulance people were taken round the district, came to grief near Cave, with the result- that four of th 6 five occupants were more or less badly injured. Tho accident took place on a hill aliotit half a mile from the main road near Cave. The driver and owner of the ear was ALT H. Af. Stonycr. While negotiating a hill tho hack wheels skidded. This slewed the ear round and it- capsized in a small ditch by the roadside. Fortunately the hood of tho ear was up and this saved the occupants of tho car from more serious injuries than those which they sustained. and the ear was travelling, very slowly.

The passengers were pinned under tHo car. The machine following it was soon on tho scene. In it were Afessrs 0. Hooper and P. Tutty, members old tlio Timarii Division of the Ambulance Association and they got to work, righted the ear, and rendered first .aid. Those injured were: Airs Rawstorn, broken collar-bone, shock and it is thought, slight internal injuries. Aliss Ransto.ru, bruised and badly shaken, Aliss D. Fenton, nose barfly skinned. .Miss Goldsmith, bruised and .suffering from shock. Mr Stonycr, slightly injured leg. 1 JAB OR- DAY. WELLINGTON, October 22. Despite the counter-attraction of tho races and somewhat unpleasant weather conditions there was a large attendance at the Labour Day sports. Tho principal events resulted :--100yds Amateur Gorrio 1, Jenkins 2. Aide—bander I, Craig 2. 220yds—Jenkins 1, Ixivi 2. 880yds—.Person 1, Zauda 2. Secondary Schools’ 220yds. championship—Taylor (St. Patrick’s). 440yds—Oakley (Technical College). The trarnwaymen won the relay race, and C’arey Alemorial Shield. DUNEDIN, October 22. Fine weather prevailed here for Labour Day. and the holiday was taken advantage of by a very large number of people. The Labour Day picnic drew a crowd exceeding 200 for a day’s outing to Out-ram, and athletic sports on the Caledonian Ground, organised by the Sports A\ oiiderlaud Cninival Committee, were also very largely patronised. Aii evening carnival in His .Majesty’s Theatre also proved a very popular place of resort. Numbers eu j mod the day oil the beaches and in the public gardens near at hand, or at numerous holiday resorls further Horn the city. THE WATERSI DEBS" CASE. WELLINGTON, Oct. 23 Tho Full Court concluded this afternoon the hearing of argument in the ease of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation v. Justice. Fraser and other members of the Arbitration court, seeking to prevent the enforcement of the parts of the award obliging watersiders to return to particular ships to complete loading or unloading alter intervals of idleness, whether overnight or nit account of rain, or in Ihe evening. Mr SkcrreU. K.C.. for the defendants, contended that the clauses jii the award with retorenee to standing m. it bv and ordering them back to complete a job, were within tHo jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court, inasmuch as the Arbitration Court had power, by statute, io fix the hours, terms and conditions of employment.. The Court reserved its decision. GRAVES TN FRANCE. WELLINGTON. October 21. Sir A. Bussell, who returned from England yesterday speaks in terms ol admiral ion of the way the graves are kept in France and the excellent organisation controlled by Rev. Alolineiix for visiting them. The General wrs .surprised to find how tar advant c l ie construction was. In the districts he saw. there was hardly a shell hole ill view. ’The villages lie left as heaps of nibble were now rebuilt, and crops Were crowing everywhere. Probably not two per cent of the land remained at" - claimed.