DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1925, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[nr TELEGRAPH—PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. A DESTRUCTIVE FJRE. AUCKLAND, Jan. 18. Tlie bngroom at the Westfield Freezing Company’s works at Westfield was destroyed by lire last evening. The loss is estimated approximately at £20,000. A shipment of Hessian, landed from Calcutta late in the week, had swelled the stocks, usually held iti the building, to particularly large proportions valued at many thousands of pounds. Valuable hag-making aud printing machinery, together with the whole of the finished and unfinished stocks was destroyed. The lire, the origin of which is unknown, could not hovo occurred at a worse time, as the works arc now at their busiest, being at the height of the season’s killing. The destroyed machine room has lieeu supplying the owners of other works at Gisborne and Te Moana. The insurances are unavailable.

SEAMAN DROWNED. WELLINGTON, Jan. 18. 1 lie body of a seaman was picked out ot the harbour on Saturday afternoon. A mess chit found on him shows the name ot If. (or) W. Parry. The body had been in the water about six days CHRISTCHURCH SPORTS CLUB. TWO MEMBERS SUSPENDED. CHRISTCHURCH, January 17. Asked if he desired io inako any statement with respect to the .suspension of himself and T. E. Robson, at the hands of the Christchueh Sports Club, IV. G. Attack, said that he was not prepared to go into the matter further than to say that, in his opinion, the suspension was not worth a moment’s consideration, having in mind the grounds on which it was apparently based. He disputed the (■luh iCoininittce’s right to deal with him as it had purported to. He, how-

ever, had mi present intention of testing the question. Neither Robson nor himself, added Alack, nor, so far as lie knew, anyone else, had by any action whatever sought to get up a body in Christchurch in opposition to the Christchurch Sports Club. The making of such a charge was too ridiculous for discussion. He repeated that ho was not associated with, nor did he know anything whatever about any movement to injure, disband or jeopardise tlie operation ul the Christchurch Sports Club.

MR MASSEY’S ILLNESS. WELLINGTON. January 18. On making inquiries as to the health of the Premier, a “Times” representative was informed to-day that Mr Massey is progressing satisfactorily towards recovery. HOTEL EIRE. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 17. The Dominion Hotel in Gloucester Sr. was threatened with destruction by fire shortly before three o’clock this afternoon. The outbreak was, however, suppressed before any very serious damage was done. The lire had its origin in the gable of the roof at the rear portion of the building, having apparently been caused through a defect in the chimney. Dense smoke quickly emerged from all the ventilators on the roof giving the suggestion that the whole building was ablaze. Fortunately, however, the (lames never penetrated below the ceiling ol the top floor, and, though a fair amount of damage was done by water in the bedrooms. nothing was burnt, exiepl between I lie ceiling and the mof. 'I he building is owned b- Mr D. Acting, who was formerly liTensec ol the ( ity Hotel, lie purchased the freehold a few weeks ago lor C 25.030.