DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1924, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

HV TELEUKAI’H—PIIKSS AUBN , COPTniOni. AUCKLAND BURGLARY. AUCKLAND. December 23. Burglars entered the premises of Eairl-iirn and Wright, Moore Street, and remohod tobacco and cigarettes valued at Clod. -MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE. AUCKLAND, Dee. 23. George Denton, aged 35, was charged at the Police Court with manslaughter, arising out of the death of William Campbell, a tramway motor man, who was knocked down while cheeking his time. Denton was committed for trial, hail of L'llO being allowed. AKA I’UN I WORKS. AUCKLAND, December 20. With the work at Arapuni developing the number of men there has been rapidly increasing, and the Arapuni eontraetois, Sir W. G. Armstrong. Whitworth and Company now have 150 workmen engaged, irrespective of 100 carpenters at work in completing the building programme for accommodating the workmen and stall'. In all the two temporary villages will now house 200 single men and 08 married men. and ’further accommodation will he provided if found necessary at Arapuni permanent village. A house is being completed now every couple of days, and these are being occupied by tho company's administrative staff. A further village is to he built immediately at Mako quarry, which is some ten miles upstream from Arapuni and from which the stone for the works is to he obtained

A nine mile aerial ropeway is being constructed to transport the metal as crushed to the dam site at Arapuni. Meanwhile excavations for the dam, the river diversion tunnel and the powerhouse arc occupying a big proportion of the 15;| workmen and in the case of flic tunnel, two shifts are being worked. The air-compression drilling machines, the power for which will he hydro-electricity from llornlmrn, are l-eiug installed at all the excavations and once they arc* working rapid progress is expected. IMI’ORTED CHAFF. BLENHEIM, December 21. A discussion took place at a meeting of the Blenheim branch of the Farmers' Union on the question of the imposition nf a duty on imported chair. Information was afforded the meeting by which it was made plain that a very considerable quantity of Australian ehalf had been hooked for future orders. This was owing to a record harvest in various parts of Australia and to the fact that the Australian producer was aide also to secure freights, which only amounted to the same as the coastal freight that had to la* paid by the Marlborough or Canterbury farmers. The proximity of the market was therefore of no advantage to the Dominion producer. 'I he bearing nt this upon the economic position of the fai-m-T was fully discussed, and it was pointed out that owing to New Zealand’s higher priced land and the greater cost of production, the Dominion I’arm-T could not compete with Australian produce on an equal basis. It was resolved, on the motion of the chairman (Mr William Smith): “lliat this branch makes representations to the Minister of Agriculture, asking to have the duty of £1 per ton on im--1 orted (half reinstated, and that this branch cu-ni crates with the Marlborough Grain and Produce .Merchants' Association, and, if nc essary, the chairman be deputed to arrange lor the branch to he represented on any deputation that may wait on the Minister.” BODY IDENTIFIED. AUCKLAND. December 23. The l-iidy found at Rangitolo Island has. been blent hied as .Inlin Grant MaeAinln'u. ;iii r’« *l » i* i;»". "ii iff. 'in*p N»»\ fill I :»T I Ml'. AUSTRALIAN FLOUR .MENACE. CHRISTCHURCH. Dee. 19. Growers are showing souk* anxiety to trade in wheat, and in such cases they are prepared to accept is a bushel, but millers are not yet buying on this basis. They very much wish to. as tin* price would ensure a good area being sown next season, but with the melon e ot Australian Hour being iltnnncil on to them they feel their hands tied. A last week’s quotation from Melbourne was £ls 12s 0)1 per lon for local consumption, and Cl 3 b.s lor export. Millets are anxious to buy it il they only knew where they stood. Merchants, moreover. arc* standing right oil. and under the present uncertainty they are not likelv to sink money in wheat at 7s per imsliel and hold it for a few months to sell as millers require it to make perhaps Gd per bushel. A definite Government pronouncement re imported Hour would clear the way for operations in the coming crop.

OLD MAN’S DEATH. DUNEDIN. December 22. Robert Weston, aged 81. an inmate of the home for the aged poor, died last night from injuries sustained by falling from a window at the home. PATIENTS’ EEES. WEI-U NOTON. De.-. 19. The improvement which has been goill"- on during the closing year 111 the returns of payments of patients’ fees to I!,. Wellington Hospital Board was well maintained. The receipts I rum nrdiliarv and (iovenime.it soor-es were lfis Stl. £ll I«>* » nl November. 11)2:1. The reccim- for the eight months of the year were £ .- 023. whereas the esinmte was £.WU >. so that the receipt.-’ are £2o2.'i better than anticipated. Mr Appleton commented on tee l ivourahle report, which was adopted l»v the hoard yesterday. SAFETY FIRST. AUCKLAND. Dee. 13 Judgment in a ease in which the Elis Manufacturing Co. was prosecuted for selling disinfectant in a bottle I ■earin,, 1 1.,» embossed inscription el another preparation, was given by Mi -E W. Bovilton. S.M. The m- 'istrat ’ sari that although the bottle bore'del cedant's own paper label, to the clkct that the contents were di,i"' - t ”it. there was .nevertheless, the risk of mistase Defendant was eo.ivi-P.".l and ordered to ixiv costs. ON THE Mo\ E.

CHRISTCHURCH. Dee. 2:h The ferry steamer Wuliine brought POO passengers to Lyttelton this nun ilia., from Wellington. She .left 'port three hours later with tiOO passeng -rs The s.s. Maori is fully booked lor to"ht's northern trip. IKA DRINKING AND Vl-U.TIV.L CHRISTCHURCH. Da". Considerable amusement w.i •: i' u>od Christchurch Rreshytery te.'s i,; u . when an Elder said that complaints had been made that Ministers did not visit the people enough, lie did not altogether blame the Ministers because for cue thing visiting entailed too miit-li tea-drinking, and a Minister must have a cost iron stomach to stand El NED FOll BUYING TATT’S TICKET. ASHBURTON. December 23. When William Simpson was arrested for drunkenness the police found three tickets for Adam’s Tattersals consultation on the Moorefield Stakes. Sydney. At the Police Court this morning. Simpson was lined 20s on a charge of purchasing the tickets. The police stated they had also found the address of the ticket vendor in Australia, uluch would he forwarded to the Postmaste General.