DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1925, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BT TELEGRAPH—PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION. BODY FOUND. TAIHAPE, Feb. 10. The dead body of an unknown man was found in the creek by a picnic party in the bush near Rangatau, and is supposed to be that of Harold James, whoso ago is about 23. Expelling a aieaiber. INTERESTING LAW CASE. "WELLINGTON, February 10. Whether the Wellington Bowling Chib was justified in expelling from membership one of its members, as a result of certain incidents which occurred on the green on March I.Bth, last, is the main question involved in a Supreme Court case opened to-day before Judge Ostler. The plaintiff is J. D. Sievwright, and he is asking for £25 nominal damages, and that his expulsoin from the club be declared null and void. On March 18, plaintiff found that his flannel trousers had been mutilated. He approached ,T. Hyams and members of the Selection Committee, and suggested that the match committee was perhaps to blame. Hyams resented this, and a scuffle took place, in which Hyams declared that he was struck by plaintiff. This the plaintiff denies. Hyams reported the matter to the directors, who heard the evidence, Sievwright refusing to attend the inquiry. The result was that Seivwright was expelled. Plaintiff submits that he had been guilty of no action justifying expulsion, and claims that tho Club, which is a limited liability company, could not authorise forfeiture of shares, the articles of association being ultra vires and void.

Tho case is creating some interest. A NELSON FATALITY. NELSON, February 10. There was a boating fatality in the harbour to-day,' the. victim being John Elsinore, a bachelor, aged GO. Two lads bad narrow escapes. During the forenoon Elsinore, with two nephews, David Elsinore, aged 17, of Grovetowii, Blenheim, and Boy Andrew, aged 11, went out on the harbour in a dinghy to gather firewood. After a quantity had been obtained, Elsinore in order to bale the boat out, got up to shift some of the firewood, and in doing so caused the boat to overturn. Elsinore apparently got pinned underneath the dinghy, while David Elsinore kept himself afloat by banging Oil to some of the driftwood, and Riy Andrew stuck to the upturned boat. A few minutes later Elsinore floated to the surface, but he appeared to bo lifeless. His nephew David clung to him until assistance arrived but artificial respiration failed. TIMBER Al EH CHANT’S ESTATE. DUNEDIN, February 10. Application lias been made to His Honour Sir William Sim for a grant of probate of tho will of tho late Air IToratoi A. Massey, of Invercargill, timber merchant, who died suddenly at Invercargill shortly before Christmas. Hie estate to he administered will probably ho about £’500,000, which, after payment of death duties, etc., will be held in trust. The will was made some years ago, before Air and Mrs Alassey lost their two sons in the war, and it only deals •with family bequests, and the provisions which are not ot any public inetiest. The late Mr Alassey had, however, expressed the intention of assisting certain charitable institutions in the Dominion, and it is understood that the testators family intend to see that effect is given to his wishes in tliis ronnoction.

A HAD START. LAW’S LONG ARM. WANGANUI, February !). Tho long arm of the law caught a young man named. Oswald Harris, who it, is believed, behaved in a violent manner in a railway carriage between Timarti and Oamaru on November last. Tn appears that Harris was under the influence of liquor, and became very violent. The guard spoke to him and ejected him from the train at Mnkikihi. Tie was brought before the Magistrate's Court here to-day and charged with two olfences. Counsel for the accused said that at the age of To, Harris was sentenced to four years’ reformative detention on a serious charge. When one year of the sentence elapsed lie escaped. When he was captured he was sentenced to a further term of twelve month's. Nothing further happened until January of last year, when Harris was lined for being drunk and disorderly. I .uter in Tiiunru he was convicted of being drunk and using obscene language The last two offences were committed j„ a railway carriage. It was plain that liquor was the cause ol the trouble and that the accused, having had a bad start in life, had never had a fair chance. He had volunteered to take jut a prohibition order against liimsen. Harris had already suffered eight days’ imprisonment on the present charge, and in view of that fact convictions were recorded on each eliaigo, with costs CL 7s. A prohibition order was also issued against him.

ANGLICAN SVNOD. DUNEDIN. February 10. At the Anglican General Synod, it was decided that a commission be appointed to consider the whole question of tenure of office ot vicars ol parishes and parochial districts. Bishop Averill moved that the spiritual oversight of Norfolk Island should he transferred to the Ecclesiastical Province of New South Wales and permission sought from the Neu South Wales Government for the Melanesian Mission Trust Board to band over its Norfolk Island property to New South Wales as an endowment. This was adopted. When the Synod rose a debate was proceeding on' the second reading of the Statute to provide for the constitution of the Melanesian Financial Board. NAVY LEAGUE. DUNEDIN February 10. The Dominion Conference of the New Zealand branch of the Navy League opened this morning. Mr A. M. Ferguson (Auckland) presiding. _ The delegates were welcomed by the Mayor. Mr James Begg (Dunedin) was unanimously elected president for the ensu-

ing yoar. A Canterbury remit advocating not only a second hut a third cruiser lieiug added to tlie New Zealand division oAhe Navy, was carried, together with an Auckland remit expressing a strong conviction that until New Zealand cor tributes on an equal per capita basis with Britain, New Zealand is not bearing a fair share of the burden.