DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1923, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[nv ra.Er.R.tru —rr.R press association.] LABOUR TO CONTEST ASHBURTON SEAT. ASHBURTON. Dec. ]o. A meeting of the Laliour i’ait.v recd to invite Air (.nuke, the C'hristeiiuteh City Cuiiueilior. to contest the A'idanton seat against the Hon. NV. Nos wort hy. OWNER ANXIOUS TO SELL. AUCKLAND. Deeemlier id. Tie' Supreme Court gave judgment lor plaintiff for £dd() with costs in an in l ion by All- Alary Somerv- li against Mis- Saritli A-b. f iaiming CSOO oil Die ground of mis! epi e -eniation in the sale of tin* Im.-iue- i i the A!es:eib'i vesta, iraut in (.li.'een street, for v.'llir-h i'iaintilf paid CBOO fash niul gav- 1 i mortgage for a similar amount for the balance of the purchase money. The inisie; ii-eiitaliiin alleged was in ir-pcet oi' tin- defendant's takings prior in ill" 5,,,1(. of the business. Air Justiie Stringer said lie aequitti d (F'lendant ot any eonseiolis and premeditated intention of cheating tlie | k intiff. He tliouighl the statement on which phi in ilf relied was made roek-Ics-ly. and without reasonable gtimmls for believing it true, defendant, in her anxiety to (,<■:!, being ctueiess of whether it v., i - ini', e.r not. Tu the !■((•;; ef ib,, law 1 1:;, 1 was aciimialiie misrepresentation. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. DUNEDIN. Deeemlier 11. Mr J. Wallaie. el,airman of the Edillaiian Bourd. announced that lie "ill rep!v to Air . CaughDy's challenge at the January meeting of Hie hoard. Mr ,T. Caugliley Direeiiiv of Pdimat ion. invited Air Widlaei" to ! rove, or wiliidraw, lii.s slntem 'in that tile whole edur-atiiin liu.-ine-s was held uu hy the aV-cm-c of idle Alinister of l.de.eatiou and that there "as no o::e Ldt in anthill ity lo do anything.

DARING BURGLARY. A TERR Ur'lC NOI>E. CbliilST: I i I'HCil. Dee. 17 Shortly before nine oil Saturday night Owen's. Ltd., tailors, Colombo St., was burglariously entered and a -ale damaged with an over charge of gi lignite, ihe explosion was heard a considerable di-tame anil a large crowd "oliei ted outside Die -hop. T lie attempt al burglary failed as nothing was taken from th ( > pronn-es. Tie murage wa ap[iareiitiy committed by on.’ man a- lie was mu-.t daring in his methods lor tile tiielt of tlie money (olleeted al Die Pilgrims’ lete in the lit 1 1 an ie Garden- on Saturday which llic liuredar pinbaidy liioughi W'ei'e lodged ill Owen’s sale Cou-ideralile cunning, as well as daring, was shown I, V the burglar who apparently watched Mr Owen'- movements clo-ely and timed ins entry when ho knew that Owen wa.- unlikely In return and also when Die police patrols Were changing

of Owen'- private office, which overlook- a yard al Hie reat of the premises'. The burglar obtain,.d a con phot' -mall packing ea-e- i rom tin- back <'] a grorerv prom, e- and got over tlie fence from tlie right-oi-way into Owen'- yard. The lniei: window vaopeiq.il !,y iireaking the gla-'s just

Tile safe was kept tlin i,.iTiea I!i All Owen'- desk. ’Hi- wa- knocked over hv the burglar and tlie -ate dropped out and placed on He- Hour with the diior upward-. A strong eliarg,. ot gelignite--considerably move Hum was neeessnrv - was then phuvd in the keyhole of ii ale and a l il-e sgt. At lev lighting the fuse Die burglar seem- in have left the simp by I in' from door, which v.as afterward- found to be unfastened, and to have gone across Die mad to await developments. Tim explosion however made -ucli a terrific noise Hint ie decided iv t to return to tj-e shop. He tints made hi- e.-raiie ennotii'ed. Ilad tile inuglar lieeu in Air Owen’s office when the explosion oeeiirred lie would either have been billed or injured. The effect of the explosion was to force t lie iir-ide lining of the door inlo t|,<. sale, ihus making il secure. Hie money in the safe was intact. A stick of gelignite was uo.uul on D'e ffcor near the safe and is now in the pns-e-simi ~j' the police. The or('ti)iaiit s of the re-lih'iitial fiats over the -hop bad a terrifying experietu e. LOAFIN'I OX ROWLING TOURNAMENT. (ill! I> i f 11 UR< 11. Dee. 17 'li:e entries for Ihe Dominion BowTiieid at t liri-K hui'eh in'xl moiitii include 12-2 rinks, 2MI doubles. 2l(i Angles. The Nonh I'-hind centres ar t . Well lepm-ented. Inn tlie entry from Otago and Southland is disappointing. N.Z. WHEAT YIELD. ASHBURTON, Dee. 17. In a statement to tile press. AH' |.,',i,|!ey. ( hairman ot the Wheat I':.ari!, :av- that in spite ol the Government e-timale of u two millions surplus, there is now only a surplus ot i ; 1 1 1 n iniilion 1 11 ; -h,. I- - one montn - supply--wide!' i- required lo mix with the new wheat. Similarly, the present

(liivc rnmciit c-iimaic, taken miner difficult rinuuis-ances and forecasting! a tilitfy hil-hel crop, is exce.-sive f 1-01,1 a nersoind inspoelioii and wide enquiries from growers showed that farmers in the heaviest yielding wheat districts expe.-t under twenty-live bushels. The farmers in South Canter!,„rv. Oamaru. i.ee-1,,u. EHesmerc. Rnngiora. Omitii and elsewhere say th.at the liest land curries the lightest crops I,ecattsc of the excessively w.l autumn and winter necessitated spring sowing and seed did not go >n woll - ATr Lcadlcy continues: •Tnliirlunateiy in our erratic climate wheat growing is ad,out ihe biggest gamble a. man can enter; hut it will be deplorable if wheat growing is abandoned altogether a- we have to send abroad yearly two million sterling for wheat. Hi proportion of value it provides the most labour of any farm produce from the time ihe first furrow is turned till the loaf i- delivered. It is labour, lal,our. lain,nr. It would he a national calamity if dependent outsiders for (jailv bread, but this i- what, is going to happen unless the Government and the public r r a!ise the pn-itinil and act accordingly."

DEATH FROM SCALDS. HASTINGS. December IT. On Saturday evening an eight ii.i.t,tils' old infant of Ai. li. Smith. Ha-tings, pulled over the content.- of a tea-pot oil to himself while the family v.eie at tea. It was so badly scalded that it died yesterday. WISHES TO RETIRE. WKI.I iLNGTON. Dec. IT. *| Hi- •‘l'ost" understands that Richard (- abbs, chief auditor of the Bank ot No" Zealand, is requesting the Alin-i-tcr to allow him.- to retire from that position in order that lw 1 may oifei ids services to the sharehnldeis as a ili rector. A FIRE. TIAIARU. Dee. IT. A fire at noon gutted the study on the top floor of the Convent of the Sacred Heart. A good deal of water penetrated the lower floors. The brigade made a good save. 1 lie- fire is thought to have been caused hv n ‘jefoQDye k.iu’heff chimney*