DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 November 1923, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[by TELEORAPn— PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CONTEMPT OF COURT. A FINE OF £SO. WELLINGTON, Nov. 3. At file Supreme Court, the Full Bench dealt further with the ease of Nash v. Nash, and ex parte Cobh ease, an application for committal to prison or attachment for an alleged attempt to influence jurymen during the course of the hearing of the petition for a judical separation. When the ease Was called this morning, Air Regan said that Cobl> now admitted that lit: had spoken to a juryman. Mr Hoggnrd, who appeared in support of the application for attachment said there was no desire that Cobh should he imprisoned. Justice Salmond thereupon delivered the decision of the Court, during the course of which lie said that although there had been no attempt at bribery, yet a serious offence had been committed, in that an attempt had been made by Cobb to influence the verdict of the jury. There had been willul contempt of Court, and the Court must regard the offence as serious. Cobb would be fined £.lO and ordered to pay £ls costs. A writ of attachment would he issued to the sheriff, directing him to have the bndv of Cobh brought before the Court. The writ, however. In Ik? in the office for 11 days, and if payment of the fine and costs were made, execution would not issue. EA RTI IQ I' AK E I’l l EXOMEX A. WELLINGTON, Nov. 3. While testing a transit telescope this morning, by means of a spirit level. Dr Adams3Government. Seismologist.) noticed the bubble oscillating slowly lour times a minute. The phenomena lasted ten minutes, and was a clear indication of a distant earthquake. He afterwards developed the seismograph record noil found a magnificent signature ot a severe disturbance about “300 miles distant. The direction was not- known. He describes tile record as intense as that of the Japanese disaster, hut its the. distance was much less, the slun k presumably was also less severe. Ihe incident is reminiscent of the great earthquake in North West China in December 1029, when English astronomers testing a transit telescope by inverting it over a basin of mercury, witnessed the vibrations and were able to announce it great earthquake before it. otherwise was known. WHALERS FOR ROSS SEA. ARRIVAL AT AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, November 2. Two whalers, the Star T, aml Star 11. which, with three other vessels of the same class, ale to seek' their quarry in tin: Ross Sea. arrived last evening with llie Star SSS, Tin v | ui out fmm Seattle -10 days age. and although they had some bad weather, they arrived in good trim. They are not. built to withstand ice pressure, and will leave the fishing grounds before the ice comes. The speed of the vessels is 10 knots Knell carries a crew of 12. The whalers were purchased by the Ilvalfaiigst Rissliavet Coy.. Norway, from the United States A\ haling Co., and are to la l joined hv two other steam whalers, and a parent steamer of I |.009 tons for the Ross Sea advot:tme. The parent ship will carry sutllcieiit coal to supply all live whalers during the season, which will last ] robably about three months in the Ross Sea. She ranies a complete plant for rendering down the. blubber, and "ill have a cargo rapacity for 0500 laurels of oil. 'flic greatest problem in the navigation of the Pacific was that of coal sm - ply. None of the vessels has bunker space for more than I I days’ tael, hut they left villi as much additional coal as could he carried with safety on the de k.

Tl'e Star II reported that when she sailed nut -f Seattle, her after-deek w;i, nearly awash, owing I' l the coat loaded upon her. The first port. Honolulu, was made in 12 days. nM d Tahiti was reached p- || days. 'lhe voyage from Tahiti to Ain klard also took 11 days.

The crew was surprised to learn that the shores of the Rit-s Sea ate now dependency ol New Zealand.

Auckland "ill he tlte base ol opeixtiiais, hut although it is anticipated that the whalers will he driven out ol llie Ross Set hv ice. about the end ot March, il is net yet known bow many months of each year will be spent at A uekland. li is possible that during the off sea son. tlte parent ship may make a toyage to America to dispose of the oil obtained. LAND VALUERS’ ASSOCIATION. PALMERSTON X., Nov, 2. A meeting of land valuers and representatives of financial houses Irma all parts of the North island last night decided to form a Laud Vainers' Association for the North. Island. ’lhe districts represented wore Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, AVnirarapa, Alanawatu, Wellington, Rangit'ikei and Wanganui. Last year a preliminary meeting was held and an executive set up to make a report. As an outcome of this the association was termed. The following officers were eleete.l : President, Air 0. Alonrad (Palmerston North’); vice-president, ATr f. B. Richants (Stratford) : committee, Messrs F. Allen - Wanganui), F. R. H. Bryce. (Marion), X. Gorton (podding), and F. K. Afeflae (Palmerston North), and two more to he added to the committee: Secretary and treasurer, Air .T. 11. Dick (Palmerston North). DA.TRY CONTROL BOARD. PALMERSTON X., Nov. 2 ‘■There is absolutely no truth in the Siatemeiils published to the effect that the National Dairy Council has gone over the heads of the producers in seh-i iiiig eanditihites for the Dairy Control Board.” remarked Air Grounds, chairman of the National Dairy Council. to a "Standard” reporter. “There is much misapprehension about the whole question. What we, the Dairy Council, asked the districts to do was to select nominees, hut "as many did not the council decided to hold a ballot , and all the names of possible candidate,, were put up. It has been stated that some of the selected candidates are connected with the Aleat Board. This is absolutely wrong. T can say definitely that no nominee to the Dairy Control Board is in any way connected

with the Meat Board. The Dairy Coiineil’s sole aim lias been to give fair and adequate representation to all districts. We are satisfied that the men selected a.s candidates are the best that could be obtained anywhere." A PRESENTATION. AYELLIXGTOX. Nov. 2 A presentation of plate was made on behalf of members of the Bank of New Zealand’s service in New Zealand. Australia and Fiji to Air R. B. Bigg, staff inspector, who Ims retired after fifty years of service with the bank. Air Henry Buckleton, general manager, who made the presentation, described Mr Bigg's service as the longest in the bistorv of the bank.

During his interesting reminiscent reply to a number of speeches of goodwill, Mr Rigg said that when he joined the bank’s service the staff numbered 203. now there are 1300. Then there were only three railways in New Zealand, those leading from the cities to the ports, no telephone and 110 cables. The mail to Auckland from Dunedin went every ten days. “Dur-

mg my term of office as staff inspector we had one great innovation, women clerks,” he continued. "T do not know what we would have done without them during the war. They do their work well, but not all the voting men approved of the innovation. Me are not encouraging women to expect to attain high positions, because I do not think they could rise to them unless they served fifteen or twenty years. 1 hope before that period, has elapsed thov will all lie happily married.” Air John Mat-gibbon. another of the inspectors stationed at the head office. has taken over the duties which for the last eleven years have been fulfilled by Mr Bigg. MARAMA’S I'TREAIEN.. A WELLINGTON INCIDENT. WELLINGTON. November 2. Al ost men who go down to the sea 111 ships will hail with .satisfaction the day when, by the use of oil as fuel or the intervention of the Diesel engine, the genus fireman will he a thing of tlii> past. This thought must have keen uppermost in the minds of many who to-day watched the departure of the Ma.iatna front Wellington to Sydney. Just as the lines had been east off front the wharf, two stokehold hands canto down tin? wharf and nonchalantly signalled their desiie to hoard tin. ship. They made an unceremonious journey to the deck by means of a rope lowered to haul them up. Then half-a-dozen men under the influence cf strong liquor came on the scene. They ilu-tned about, the pendant rope and began an incoherent argument. Finally they asked tor a ladder, and a detective ano a police constable bundled thorn on hoard, hut not without protestations. One fell from the deck on to his waiting companions. and with much difficulty was finally hoLtcd on hoard, only to he hantle I down by the detecti'e a few seconds later, when it was found that lie was not a member of the crew. Two of the other stragglers were, for the same reason, forced protest itigiy hack on the wharf. Then the ship got under way. VBA It FOR BIGAMIST. WELLINGTON, November At the Supreme Court to-day, Edward William Phillips was found guilty of bigamy and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.. Counsel on hehali ol the second woman asked for leniency for the prisoner. Air Justice Reed said that ho hail a public duty to perform, in warning men who came out from the Old Country and married New Zealand women under false pretences. Had il not boon for ihe jury’s recommendation and the fact that the wife would suffer by prisoner's detention, lie would have passed a longer sentence. AVAILING TRAGEDY. HIGGINS AGAIN If EM AN DI'.D. AH KT.AX'D. Nov. •'!. John Higgins again appeared before Ihe police court to-day. charged with committing murder at Waiknio School, mi October Itfiti. He was remanded for a week. Iliggin- was not neatly so composed Pel week. lie was shuffling about aid clamping G.rtivejy routvl Ike Conn. poverty bay meat coy. GISBORNE. Nov. !. Oil Saturday the Poverty Bay Ale.'t Company's winks v.ere submitted to imc! ii 1! under the orders of the Reggini|. ~f the Supreme Court. Ihe only biildets were Nelsons. N.Z.. Ltd., to whom the property was sold at £192,g;sn. The -ale was attended by a large nun.la r ot business people and (aimers .