DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 March 1924, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TI-ILKGRAI'II —I’HESS ASSN., COI’YIUGIIT. RAILWAY SERVICE. WAGES BOARD SET UP. WELLINGTON, March 21 The -Minister of Railways has appointed the following as a Board to enquire into and report on matters affecting rates of pay and conditions of work of second division men ol the New Zealand Railways Department, brought before them by Lite management of the Department or by Hie Amalgamated Society of Railway Ser-

vants : Henry Dyke Aeland. Herbert Harry Sterling. Frederick James Jones. Louis Christian Evelin Hamann, Michael Connelly. Matthew Joseph Alack. .Michael John ’OConnor. The committee is to report bv Apr 30 th.

GISBORNE MOTOR. FATALITY

GISBORNE, March 2*2.

Further particulars of the motor accident show that the car left the road after negotiating a sharp bend and bit a tree, and dropped 30 feet, tolling over and over. Jex Blake was killed instantly. Lionel ■•’pence (not Aleck) received scalp wounds and was dazed, but soon recovered and made for the roadman’s cottugae.

BETTING CASE. AUCKLAND, -March 22. Ronald Blair, who was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment for betting and whose sentence was remitted aft. lie lmd served half the time has been reinsated in his employment at the Telegraph Office, as the result of instruct ions from the Head Office Dcpaitmcnt. BIG FIRE AT SAWMILL. INVERCARGILL, March 23. One of the most disastrous fires in the history of the sawmilling industry in Southland occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, at the Grimily Mill in the Lougwood district, owned by .Messrs More and Sons, of Rivet ton, being gutted. The mill was one of the largest and most up-to-date of its kind ill Southland, and it was capable of turning out 15,000 feet of sawn timber daily. It contained three benches, a sixty horse-power engine, two boilers, and three planing machines, all of which "ere destroyed. A factory containing a plant for making all clashes of handles, etc., and manufactured stocks amounting to £2500, also a complete blacksmith's shop and ongineor’.s shop, ami a chute tor carrying shavings to tno incinerators were also destroyed. Only the timber stacks were left standing. When the outbreak was discovered at about five o’clock in the morning, the mill and factory were enveloped in llnme.s, and it was impossible to do anything with the water service which had been installed throughout the mill. The damage amounted to £IO,OOO, and as there was no insurance on the plant or the stock, the owners have suffered heavily. The Granity Mill was one of several owned by Messrs .More ami Sons, and it has been renewed throughout as recently as three years ago.