DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1924, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BY TELEGRAPH—rER PRESS ASSOCIATION. DESTRUCTION OF TELEGRAMS. SUPREME COURT COMMENT. DUNEDIN, May 7. The practice of tho Post and Telegraph Department in destroying the originals of telegrams after the expiry of three months was the subject of adverse comment by his Honour Mr .Justice Reed in the .Supreme Court this morning during tho hearing of the ringing-in charges. Evidence was given yesteiday by the secretary of the Oamarn Trotting Club to the effect that The Dingo had been nominated for the Oamarn Trottinpf Meeting held on Labour Day, which was on the same day that Kingsdalc won tlie Balfour Trot at Gore. Tho nomination of The Dingo had been made by telegram, but when enquiries were set on foot by the police into the allegation that Kingsdalo was no other than The Dingo, it was found that the original telegram had been destroyed.

This matter was referred to by Detective Beer this morning, and this prompted Mr Justice Reed to condemn tho practice of the Department in destroying tho originals after the lapse of such a short period as three months. He said that time after time, in both criminal and civil actions, there had been possible miscarriages of justice hecaues of the destruction of telegrams. He did not know the reason for the Department’s action, but suggested that it was because there was not space for storage purposes.

The Crown Prosecutor said that lie hoped bis Honour would make representations to the Department about the matter.

WINDOW SCRATCH INC. WELLINGTON. May 7. Every now and again business people in the city .suffer through the operations of a person who finds recreation in cutting designs on plate-glass shop windows with a diamond. Some four years ago several shop windows in Willis Street were so marred and an outcry led to the cessation of the vandalism for a time.

It has been started again recently, and no lower than nine windows have been scratched with a diamond, all in a new building at the corner of Courtenay place and Tory Street. The whole of the windows of ,S. J. Manning, saddler and leather merchant, suffered as did those of the adjoining empty shops. Mr Manning say* that the damage was done during the week-end.

PRISONER'S MARRIAGE. PALMERSTON NORTH, May 7. A young man. Bertie Iloldsworth, is to be married before next Monday for the third time prior to receiving the sentence of Mr Justice Salmond for bigamy, making a false declaration and forgery. The circumstances revealed at the trial to-day were that accused, having had his previous marriage dissolved, hut before the decree was made absolute, went through tho form of marriage with a young woman, and, to .satisfy the registrar that lie wa K legally free to marry, forged the signature of a local lawyer to a false statement that the decree had been made absolute.

Counsel pleaded for leniency, saying ihat if there had been a short delay no offence would have been committed, but bis Honor regarded the case seriously. He .agreed, however that the marriage of the parties would influence his decision, and sentence was deferred till Monday to enable the parties to get married, accused being released on bail.

THE MEAT TRADE. PRODUCERS BOARD’S REPORT WELLINGTON. .May 7.

At a meeting of the Dominion executive of tlu* Farmers’ Union information was received from the A lea t Producer.-.' Board relating to its recent activities. The hoard staled that tinlatest information liom its London manager respecting the recent setback in lamb prices was as follows: - “1 p to the time of the London dock strike the lamb market appeared to be fairly firm, and during the .strike a lair quantity of lamb was disposed of. owing to the fact that it was impossible to obtain any supplies of chilled beef. Dn the cessation of the strike, however, the lidd-up shipments of chilled beet simply flooded the 'market, and Smithfield values slumped very badly. Most of the retailers laid in heavy slocks ol chilled beef upon which they are making fine profits, and no dotiht pushed beef against lamb. Tbe demand for. lamb lias been very disappointing diming the last month, as the weather is still (did, and this no doubt Inis ollectod the sale of lamb."

Tile last cabled advice from the London manager, dated .May 2. was as Pillows:—“The lamb market is now strong with a good demand.” It was hoped that with tlie enormous number of visitors expected in l.ondcit lor the Wembley .Exhibition a greater demand for New Zealand Jamb? would I::* created, more particularly as the lamb season usmdlv commenced about Easter.

The board's London manager bad co-operated with the High Commissioner in bringing pressure on the British Government to get them tq insist upon stacks of reft iterated meat held in cold stores being published monthly, is was done in America and elsewhere. Tlie board was now receiving from its London office tegular reports by the inspector who was appointed recently to "'all'll the unloading of vessels at the other end. The j.iesence af this , flic-. "* already had led to better handling. Through his reports the board had been able to institute several improvements. The officer also attended surveys fur damage and tints was in a position to locate where damage occurred.

A MERINO PROBLEM. BLENHEIM. May 7. The age-old problem of when is a door not a door is not half so puzzling as the question of when is a four-tooth

merino ewe not a four-tooth merino owe, which lias been wearying the Magistrate's Court, and .Mr T. E. M:iunsell S.M., [or some. time. The case is one in which Clouston anil Pyne are suing Hugh Berryman, of Kolmtu, Nelson, to recover tlie. balance of the nureiia-c money on sheep purchased at the Bank-house sale from Messrs Monro by the defendant through the plaintiffs. Counsel have delved deeply into the .study of the age of sheep as indicated by tbe teeth. Mr F. F. Reid produced a Itook by Stephen Power on “Tlie American Merino,” and read an extract in which the author said that as a general thing the first two teeth appeared after the first year, four teeth after eighteen months and six roetli after twenty-se-ven months. A witness declared-that in all his wide experience lie had not known teeth to appear in nterinos as rapidly as the American claimed. “Perhaps they are Yankee hustle sheep,” remarked the Magistrate, amid laughter. Mr A. E. Scantleburv: “Yes, they do everything better over there.” The Court has still not made up its mitgl.on the problem, though it has inspected a sheep’s mouth and heard much learned argument.