DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1924, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

BEEKEEPERS

(By Telegraph.—S[ieeial to Gtr.utiilAN)

CHRISTCHURCH. June .ft

The National Beekeepers Conference has just concluded a suceesjsful meeting. Next year's conference will he ; held in Greymouth about the King’s liirthd.'iy. Air George Kitchingliam was elected Viec-Pre-ident for Ihe ensuing year. COAL HULK BLAZE. 11Y 1 KI.K.OIIAI'U —CHESS ASSN., COPVIUCUT. CHRISTCHURCH. June 0. The second officer of the .s.s. Navna was awakened at b.-t-T a.m. yesterday hv the smell of burning limher. On investigating, he discovered large volumes of smoke issuing from the stern of the Union Company's iron coal hulk Wai-iti. which was moored alongside -the Navna. The officer gave the alarm and the Lyttelton Voiluntocr Kite Brigade was snnn on (ho .scene, eighteen strong. Though the fire had a good hold and had 'broken through a hunker and was lighting the hunker coal. th" brigade, after strenuous efforts, got it under control in about thirty minutes. The cause of the fire i- unknown. Above the stole room on the main deck is the boiler hou-o. btit it is unlikely that the outbreak was caused by the boiler's fire, as the floor of the boiler house is of iron and concrete. Apart from the charring of the under deck, a bulkhead and the store room, little damage was done, and the Wai-iti was engaged ill hunkering the Navna bv nine o’clock. The large volumes of smoke which issued from the hulk aroused a good deal of excitement amongst residents, it being thought at first that it was the Navna on lire. The damage is esimated at ever £IOO.

TOURIST SERVICES

A BIG AAIAI.GAAIATTON

CHRISTCHURCH. June <h The working agreement Hint has ex,t"d. somewhat Ino-ely. amongst arums motor tourist icrvices in t lie lentil Island lor the pa-t two years

was yesterday converted into a legular ciiin hi ml t inn by the loi'matioii .mi! registration ol the new White Star ’Tourist Services, Limited, a. company In which all the principal loiiri'l ser- \ ices in Hie island aic subscribers. At yesterday's meeting the Pillowing services were represented:

Newma:i Hros.. Hleiiheiiii. Nelson and Reel 1011, and I lokitika-l )tira and t Ickitika-Kran". .lose: glacier. Kaikoura United .Motor Co.. Ltd.. Christchurch to Rlouheim.

I’ilkmgt on's .Motors. Ltd., Chrisli hiirch-Aknrun. Alockelt-, Ltd., Christchurch to Culverdeu. Waiail and llainner. Al<>:iiti Cook .Motor Co.. Ltd.

Ihinedin-Waiiaka .Motor Service. Southern Lakes Services. Invercargill. The intention is to run all these services under the White Star control to include services t,, tourist resorts not at present regularly served, and to link IMI with taxi services m ill" various centres. The general ohjeel ol Ihe new company is -.tilted to he the development anil elic.itirageme'i i 111 the tourist traffic, ami one uf the immediate duties will he the organisation of a |in lit ii ity campaign abroad. anil especially in Australia, in conjunction with ilic G..veriiui"iil Tourist Departin'm and the Governmeill I’nblieity linreaii. A further purpose ol the eomhination is to secure i-oiitiiiuitv of

hooking ihroiighotit the island, to plan tours cnveiiiig all places of interest and to draw to the South Maud a greater proportion of lhe Per,'is! tn/tie than ii eniovs al presenl.

THE DA lit. A VILLI: Td LETT NT DAIIG A V 11.1,K. June

Now that linal arrangements have been made lor the race to lake placo on Juno ID. interest is growing daily. •M'Devitt, Crniti and lladlhdd are all training from tile Dargaville end ol the course, ami .Mason i> training from Te Kuptiru end. (T-tiili and M'Devitt,

who have been I raining on the river tor over a luuiilli. an* in the pink of condition. and arc only doing steadv work with an occasional spurt, lladlhdd only arrived on Woiloi-siiav. and is Working steadily, and appears lo lie tit. Mason is making hi- first appearance as a professional, and is reported to he lowing well, and Ids parly are quite eoiilideni that the others will Ii ml him a harder nut to crack than they bargained tor. A linal effort was made to-day to get Hannan to take part in I lie race, hut although he was made a halidsome oiler to come along, he has refused. However, it is hoped that lie will challenge tin* winner, and that an opport unity will lie giv. o of seeing him race on the river. The race on Tncsdav will start at about I p.m.. two hours before full tide, and it the present weather holds good, it should ho an ideal time for holding the race.

I’RINTFD WRITING. A Ff'KLAND. -i ti in

The refusal of an oifieial at the Whanpnrei l’o-t Office to incept n child's printed signature, and the difficulty die had in signing in cursive writing was mentioned at the Auckland Kdileatioti Board vesterdav a- an

a; pact el the print w riting system which had not been anticipated. Tt raised an important point. said Mr 11. < W. King. Mr Brownlee commented on the fact that it was at tin* option ol the teacher whether the pupil- were laugh; to

print or write; here was one of the me-t important subjects taught pupils, ati-.l one over which the hoard had no com ml. He did not think the teacher had any right to introduce the system without tie* permission of the hoard or the department. .Mr MTliail staled that the senior inspector had recommended the print -yst.-in. and ii was decided to refer the aspect raised to the inspector for a report. rXLTfHITF.D CARS JFDDMKNT. AUCKLAND. June 7>. A written judgment ol' importance t<> motorists was delivered by the Magistrate. Mr I’oynton. to-day in a ease in which three motorists were eharged with leaving ears in the -treet without lights. It was contended for the '’(.-fence that the Lights on Vehicles Act. under which informations were laid, applied only to vehicles Icing driven along the highway ami not to standing vehicles. Air I’oynton held that the section was wide enough to take in all conveyances standing in the street uulighted. Tt would he straining the Act to say that as long as a car was standing it need not he lighted and every time it stopped obligation to keep it lighted ceased. Defendants were convicted and fined Ids. MILKING SHEDS. BLENHEIM. -Tune d Figures hitherto not made puhlic. were given hy Mr .T. AY. Smith (Government Dairy Farmer Instructor, in the course of a lecture to the Dairy Factory directors at Blenheim, regarti-

ing tlie operations of dairy farm instruction during the dairy season just closed. In the 1023-21 season there wore 27 whole-time instructors in the Dominion and they made 22,(i3(! actual inspections of dairy farm premises. They found in a total of 18,115 milking sheds inspected, that Go(>9 could he passed as good; 9111 could ho clussed as fair, while 2035 were had. In these sheds there were 7939 milking machines, 3528 of which were noted as good. 20151 only fair, and 1150 had.

LICENSING REFORM. CHRISTCHURCH. June 6,

At a meeting held here to-day a Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Licensing Reform Association was formed with the Bov. Archdeacon T. K. Taylor as President. The following resolution was carried: That this meeting of the Canterbury Brandi of the New Zealand Licensing Reform Association appeals to the Gov. eminent to introduce a Bill early in the approaching session with the object of amending the licensing law along the fines of the reasonable and practical proposals tor reform, placed hefoie the prime Minister by tln* deputation from the conferences last year, and further endorses the protests forwarded from Otago and elsewhere against the attempt that is being made to remove the third issue from the ballot paper, thereby depriving the electors oT the democratic right of expressing a choice for reform as against prohibition or continuance of the existing conditions and further urges the Government to substitute the corporate control proposal tor the existing third issue of State ptinTia.se and control.

AVOAIKN DRINKERS. CHRISTCHURCH. June (h

The Christchurch Licensing Committee has taken a firm stand on the matter of facilities being granted for women to drink in hotels. At to-day's meeting, the Chairman (Air 11. Y. AYiddowsoti) said that the Committee was surprised to find that several hotels provide espefial facilities for women. "It was not necessary to discuss the (jnesliim of women being entitled to drink as well as men. hut there would have to lie eel tain rules. 'The Committee had set its fine against facilities. which would encourage women to st-tv about hotels drinking. The Committee has absolutely set ils face against ii.” concluded Air AViddo" E A 11! KZ Z. LK Al K. NT CHARGE. CHRIKTCHURCH. June ft. A Christchurch solicitor Lionel Lancelot 11 iti-hings. was arrested at llakaia to-dav on a charge of end ezzlemellt. Ditchings i-- a young man and is married. lie was formerly employed hv Duncan. Cotterill and Co. lie is charged with fraudulently failing to a, count for money received bv him. The first charge involves a sum of £lo. Other charges are to he laid.

|>. \XI) T. OKKICEItS APPEAL. WELLINGTON. June (5. There are 'J(H) appeals to he heard l.v the Pest and Telegraph Appeal Hoard. C.WYTTI RON INST ITUTE. NELSON. June C. So far the Cawthron Trust Private l.:l! Im- been considered hv the local bodies. 'The (Tty Council has condemned i lie Dill on tin- grounds that the present trustees, other than one personally named. were included, which the Council considered was not lit accordance with the wishes e.l the testator. The Goveriinieii; we- asked to delete this clause. The Waimca County Council adopted a motion viewing with satisfaction the tact 111 : 11 the (h;iiii 11 aII ol the Council would he given a seat on the Hoard, while he occupies the position of ( hairimin. SAFETY CAMPAIGN STARTED. PALMERSTON \ . June ii. A Dominion wide inmpiiign ol th" Health authorities against the alarming increase in maiern.il moitalitv was "p..|,cd at I'almer-ion North thi- evening. wh.-n .-illilie'll' -peak,!- add,'(•—(•<: n large audience. The Mayor (.Mr T. .1. Naihaii presided. \ re-olilt ion endor-iil-i and siippo't ing l !i" action ol the i: •.-r 11 im :1 1 in the -top" being taken m the Mint ter.

'Tor continuation of news re*e fourth page).