DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 October 1924, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH— rRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. HOURS FOR BUILDERS. AUCKLAND, Oct. 13. In the dispute between the Poverty Bay and East Coast Builders’ Contractors and General Labourers’ Union and oo employing linns, the Arbitration Court fixed the weekly hours for labouring work at 14, as in the former award. BAPTIST COLLEGE WANTED. CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 13.

The Baptist Conference decided that a college for the training of Minsters he establshod at Auckland, and the Rev.L ./. North, Christchurch, he asked to accept the position of principal. The Rev. North declared that lie was unable to determine, at present, what course lie should follow, hut he would consult the Church officers. REVENUE RETURNS. WELLINGTON. Oct. 13. Preliminary returns of revenue for the six months to Sept. 2llth. give £10,031,*20-3 against £lO,-100,077 last year. The expenditure was £12,517,337 against £ 11,082.283. The principal increases in revenue were: Customs £230.000; Railways, £100,000; Postal, £771,000.

DESIGN WINNERS. AUCKLAND, October 10

The jury of award has Announced its decision in respect of competitive designs for the proposed civic square. Tuc ii | ‘-'st prize of £IOOO goes to Glimmer and Ford, Auolflaiid, the second of £3OO to Wade Bartley, Auckland, and the third of £2CO to Morgan and Massey, Auckland. Nineteen designs were submitted, two from Australia and two from Wellington by one architect, one each from Hamilton, Blenheim, Napier, and London, the remainder being from Auckland. The estimated cost of the work is £ 1(1(1,328, including municipal buildings £203.273, art gallery £138,055 laying out of area £15,000. Loan proposals are to be submitted to the ratepayers in March.

FIRM IN BOARDING HOUSE. WELLINGTON, October 10. A mxteen-roomed boarding house, occupied by Air Al’Arthur and owned bv Dwau Bros, was totally destroyed by fire between !• and 10 p.m. to-night Three men, J. Fraser, AY. Shield and .1. Don, escaped by jumping from a balcony on to a Ican-to and tlie.v caught a:i elderly man as lie jumped from tbe balcony. An excited crowd watched the narrow escapes.

The lire is believed In have commenced downstairs, hut in a few minutes the whole place was enveloped. The brigade subdued the fire in under an hour, but only the shell remained. A hank collapsed owing to water, throwing two firemen into the road, but they escaped injury. The insurances are not yet known. AIOTOR VEHICLES rill. WELLING lON October 10. The .Motor Vehicles Bill has been reported from tbe select committee without serious amendment. The committee lias discriminated between the various classes of trailers in the schedule of annual licenses. Trailers with three or more wheels being subject to a fee of £3, other trailers £1 per annum. The original Bill provided that all lines in rcspecl of offences against- Ibe Act sliall la- paid into the Main llodiv, ays account, but the commit tec has provided that where the information is laid by a representative of a local authority the lire shall be credited to tbe local authority’s fund.

The deduction of one shilling for expenses of administration is increased to Is (Id per annual license fee, which will be Paid to tDo Rost Office for collection.

Afolor vehicels other than motor-cars or cycles owned by harbour hoards are exempted from registration, and it is made clear that the term “motor vehicle,” for the purposes of the Act. will not include a vehicle owned by a local authority faking its power from all overhead wire. Tho definition of motor-car included a qualification that it was intended for Irausporlation of not more than eight, persons.. 'ITio number has h’eoii increased by Die committee to nine.

UKOI’KSTS. CllltTSTCIinriCII, Oel. 111. I»i*f|nests nre left as follows under the will of the late Oeorge Taylor Smith, of Ashburton : CI(K)i) to the Presbyterian Social Service Assn. (Christchurch), CIO!) to the Ashhurinii I’rcshverian C.'hureli and £1(10 to tin- Christchurch V.M.C'.A. FOUND DUOIVXKD. 11AIVKl:A. (id. lit. The body of Ki nost AVillinm Novis, a brick-maker, was found washed up at I'aten Heads yesterday morning liv two Imivs camping there. The deceased was missing from his lodgings for about ten days and from the appearance of the body it had been in the water about that time. It was fully clothed and half-n-erown was found in a [locket. HOY’S KNOT'SK KOI? TRUANCY. TT.il Alt IT, October 11. “ Please, sir, I don’t like my teacher,” saiil a lad aged twelve to Air K. 1). Alosley, S.AL, at the .Juvenile Court this morning, when asked why he had been playing truant from .school. The lad and his mate, aged thirteen, had been absent from school a good deal, and on October 1 they broke into a house by way of a window and stole Cl Os (Id in money, a purse valued at 2s (Id and a knife valued at Is. Some of the money was taken from a moneybox and the remainder from a dish on a table. Moth boys pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant Fahey outlined the ease and stated that the money and the property had been recovered. Air ,T. Cummings, probation officer, said he had been making inquiries cou- • corning the boys and had visited their homes on the day the theft was committed. They were away on their expedition when he was looking for them. He had interviewed the parents and was of opinion that the control exorcised was somewhat lax. Ills "Worship admonished the boys and adjourned the eases for twelve months. It was explained to the boys that they would be closely watched by the probation officer, and if they misbehaved again they would bo dealt with severely.