DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1924, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEOBAPn —HI ESS ASSN., COrTKIOIIT. rlkniVkTm troutVi'.e again. LI.F.NiIeiAI. August 29. Some months ago. following on the criticism levelled at him by the Mayor, Mr E. S. Parker, the borough engineer, Air 11. AT. Richardson, tendered his resignation. After a stormy meeting of the council, during which the Afnyor was under lire for over an hour, a resolution was passed favouring the reinstatement of the engineer. Suhse([iiently the Mayor visited Canada. lie resumed the chair at last night's meeting of the c-iuneil. when the engineer sprang what was described as “a regular bombshell” by tendering his resignation without offering any reason. That there had heen some further dissension between the Alayor and the engineer Wits revealed in the course of the sub.sec|iient discussion, hut in the absence of any statement from A! Richardson, who left the meeting immediately after handing in his resignation. there was nothing to show definitely that the difficulty between the .Mayor and himself was responsible for the ac tion which he to ik in tendering

hi- resignation. Councillor Curry asserted that at a committee meeting a week ago the Alayor kicked over the traces, while Councillor Noble Adams referred to flic Mayor ‘‘going for the engineer baldheaded” on that occasion.

A majority of councillors considered that the loss of Air "Richardson lit this stage, when lie lias practically onm--1 Icted plans for a sewerage .scheme to cost about £l(!i).t)l)t) would be disastrous, ami appointed a .sub-committee 1 :i a-.k liim to at least defer his resignation until the plans and specifications are complete.

The .Mayor icimarkcd during the discussion that apparently he was to lie made the scapegoat again. C nineillor Noble Ailams: I 1 annul see that you can expect anything else. HOCKEY TO CRN AMENT. NELSON. Aug. :i(). The New Zealand ladies’ hockey champion-hip tournament commenced this morning in line weather. Sixteen tennis arc competing and have heen divided into A and I! sections, the winners of which play oil the liual oil 9th Sent. In addition. North and South Island fixtures are set down for the following day. About 200 players have arrived and a series of social function- have been arranged including motor drives and a ball. Last evening a big crowd were at Alarsdcn Church house when the visitors were weleometl liy the Alayor unci ottieials ol the local Association. The results of the morning play in A section. Poverty llay beat Eastern -.Southland) by It to 1. It section, Auckland heal Nelson It '.) to nil. NORTHERN HAILAV AA r . DARGAVI 1.1. K, August 20. Tin- big tunnel on the Waiotir.lI'likcliuia .section of the North Auckland main trunk railway system was pierced yesterday afternoon. 'lbis work iias been < nmplete:l well up to schedule lime, and will enable the completion c the section to be pushed on much 11111:0 rapidly. The next big work on the section will be- the election of the bridge over the W'airoa River, near KirikciI uni, the present end of the section, with which Darga.ville i., Imj ing t:> he linked up and the woi k for which it i> tr s asking Harliamenl lo authorise. I SlTlil'.flK COURT. WELLINGTON. August 29. This morning at the Supreme (.'mill the I: -1 c a c was culled in the very heavy calendar that was set down I'm the criminal sessions ol the Court. The session had continued a month exactly when the jury !a-t evening disagreed 011 a ca.-e that ha I lasted three ami a halt .Li-. ’Hi" " 1011 I- believel by oik • mix 1 ha', c be: n the longest ill at least the last t weiity-lliree year.-. In all twenty-three juries wete empanelled. T lif re lilt of the trials lias been nine ae.piit tal- and tb ec disagreement.-, one di-agreement c..m eruing two ai e-usee) charged e 01. jointly. Fines imposed have amounted to £lO. Two | ri.-.oiiers were admitted to lice years' probation between them and various prisoners received a total of t • ent.v-t w o years and live moiitb.s of hard labour im| risennieiil. SHOPLIFTING EI'IDKAIIC. AFI'KI.ANI). August 29. Dishonesty is rampatil in Auckland. It is ] ra: t:-ed in many dilfercut i’,rms. and ranges from petty theft to brazen rasealily that gains -oine popular admiration if the plausible rogues siiec eed in ecacliing punishment. 'I here Were .‘>(>3o cases of tin'll reported in New Zealand list year. As the largest re 11 1 re cl population. Ami,bind naturally contributed a large proportion of such olfemes, though it is .scarcely a matter for . ivie p-iida.

Shopli. 1 ing is exec', licmall.v j rovnloul in Ain klaiid. Representative merchants stilt:' that a 1 nnsorvn til c estimate of the losses I rum this kind 1 I theft runs i lll 1 -x.-ii.al thousands of piuiiiils each year, ’llie ] riueipal of one substantial linn was frank enough to admit that lcnic-st | c-i: -!e had to pay for increasing ili'.hone.-.ty in others. The losses are appaiciitly passed on There have been more ] rosec ati <us lor shoplifting in the ( ity during the past 12 months than in any previous year, hut these arc the detected cases and do not numericaily represent the deplorable measure of theft from slio,.s and stems. The greatest victims of the legion of shoplifters are purveyors of silk and fancy fabrics, and vanity wares. Goods that a e easily hidden are preferred, heme the lack of c-olil- | laiuts Irani merchants who deal in stoves, n riling iron, baths or pianos. Leading shopkeepers assert that hundreds of woman in Auckland are addicted to shoplifting. Scores of them are

.'known, and are watched as keenly ns | sharp detectives survey the movements of gentlemen in the Rogues’ Gallery of portraits. It is regrettable that women .should lie associated so prominently with shoplifting, hut then the majority of men 'o net attend to the shop--1 ing for their hoi'.seholds. lIIINESE SHIP IN ROUGH SEA. WELLINGTON, Aug. .‘U The steamer l.ingnain. from Chinese ports, with -LO through Chinese passengers for Tahiti and South America, arrived at Wellington at (L.'lll p.m. 011 Saturday. Site left Hong Kong on 7th August, and had an uneventful voyage to Sydney. Alter leaving the last-named port on August 2-\ she had no sooner cleared Sydney Heads than she ran into a heavy gale, which increased in force as darkness set in. The shin had to battle against a terlitie sea. Almost at midnight, an ox-1 ooptionally heavy wave swept her topi decks like an avalanche, smashing tliel saloon doors, llooding the saloon, carrying away the companion ladder and doing other damage. None were injured. Next clay the sea moderated, and remained smooth till her arrival here.

AIA UNG A NCI T) F I-A YED. WELLINGTON. August 31. The ALMinganui is delayed by had weather, and will not arrive until Tiiexchn morning. Her departure for Sydney is postponed to ."Wednesday.