DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 February 1925, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. CRUEL ASSAULT ON AGED AY 0 A! AN. AUCKLAND, February 24. A case of assault on an old woman, Airs Emma Ann Gisby, aged 82, living alone iu Nelson Avenue, lias been reported to the police. A man. stated to be under the influence of liquor, entered her house, and assaulted her, knocking her senseless. Her injuries consist of a gash on the left side of her neck apparently inflicted with a knife, and severe bruises on the face. The woman was removed to the hospital where she is reported to he doing as well as can lie expected. 'SPORTSMEN’S ASSOCIATION SECRETARY CHARGED. WELLINGTON, February 24. At tho Magistrate’s Court to-day, Carl Petersen Lindergreen, Secretary of the Dominion Sportsmen’s Association. was charged with having hi I printed documents containing a statement as to tiie dividends paid at IV:merston North races on December and 30. and with aiding, assisting • ml c.otmcilling Alfred George Clements, of Nelson, to make hots at totalisacor odds. Chief Detective Kemn said that L'ndergreen, as Secretary of the D.S. wrote to Clements enclosing a prospectus. and offering to supply '* all ii.f rmation which his business would war rant.” He had admitted supplvmg details of race meetings to Clements. Defendant had stated that about 2U* of the 500 or 000 bookmakers were members of the Association. H.-er-whelming evidence would fie put iu to show that Clements had been engaged in the conduct of a common gaming house.

Detective Cameron stated that defendant. when asked if persons i vher than bookmakers wore members of the D.S.A. replied that 218 out of the 400 or 000 bookmakers were members, lie did not say that there were from ItlOO to 0000 members. Tie received 'ettcia from defendant to Clements van: eg him not to take risks with strangers and not to accept business after tin" . and to destroy all letters and wi;es alter noting the contents. Detective Xuttall. in evidence, said that his iinnrossion of Lindergrecn’s statement as to membership was that there were 218 bookmakers, out ol 4"''o or 0000 members.

The case was adjourned until tomorrow.

BAR UNWORKABLE. AUCKLAND, February 25. The Manukau liar has lux'll unworkable since Monday night. I lie Bar<i wji left tlic On eh illicit wluirf for New Plymouth on -Monday afternoon anchored inside the heads till yesterday afternoon, hut as the sen was still very rough, she returned fo the wharf, her departure being postponed till Thursday afternoon. AY.E.A. CONFERENCE. FIRST IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND. Fehruaiy 28.

For the first time the annual Dominion conference of the Workers’ Educational Association is being held in Auckland. Proceedings opened this morning, nr 11. I). Acland presiding. A public convention was held tonight, when. Professor Shelley spoke mi " Education and Democracy.” 'I he annual report mentioned that the mist year had witnessed a further extension of the movement in the country districts. r l lie total number of classes with a minimum, of eight lectures and re-organised to tin.' tutorial ela-s (oinmitteos established was 87. made uti as lollows:—Canterbury 23. Wellington 23, Otago 23, Auckland 18; total 87. In addition Auckland had ten and Canterbury two short enur.-os, making a total ol ninety nine classes. It was impossible to total the number of persons attending all the lectures and classes, but the total number of students attending the eighty-seven recognised classes was'Bl39. To leach those classes there were six permanent tutors and forty-five part tinv* tutors. When Air G. Manning, Dominion Secretary, brought, forward proposals for the improvement ol the control of the movement, Wellington delegates made a plea for wider powers for councils. They instanced a case where they said a tutor-organiser had practically flouted the Wellington District Council. Although called upon to resign, lie eon tended that he was uiulei tho university and declined to obey the ruling of the district council. Several members pointed out that, although the salaries of tutors were paid through the university it was really the Workers’ Educational Association that controlled the movement, and tutors should obey the council. Some of the tutors seemed inclined to banker alter the university side of the movement, styling themselves "university extension lecturers.” instead of giving the Workers’ Educational Association credit for running the* movement. The conference agreed that the movement must be run by the Workers’ Educational Association, and steps must be taken to strengthen the control of councils

CAR’S PLUNGE. OVER 250 FOOT CLIFF. CHRISTCHURCH. February 23. Plunging ablaze to destruction over a cliff 250 feet in height, a live seater Maxwell ear. hopelessly out of control, was reduced to a tangled heap of wreckage near Lyttelton in the pitch darkness of Saturday night. Messrs Wright and Co., aerated water manufacturers, Christchurch, were Flic owners of the car, which was driven bv W. Cowles, an employee of the firm, who was luckily not aboard when the machine made its plunge. The ni'dit was unusually dark, when with a strong wind blowing, C owles commenced to descend the i.ytte'fm side of the Evans Pass Road. •’<* was using the engine as an auxiliary brake. When about three hundre.i yards daw. flames hurst from under the bonnet of the ear. Cowles immediately jammed on Die brakes, and jumped from his seat in an endeavour to extinguish the hie He lmd forgotten, however to leave -the hand brake on. and the car, without warning, jumped forward, swerve, ami went headlong over the cliff, tur iioo over and over as it fell to the vanev below. dust before the car left the ban.t. Cowles jumped on to the footboard and made an attempt to apply tao brakes, hut was not successful, am. leaping clear, only had time to save hill!seif from a horrible death. Near the foot of the Zig-Zag the I mains of the oar were found on Sunday i morning, a heap of junk. The fire had apparently been extinguished m the fall; hut there was hardly any part of the machine worth carting away.

GROCER’S ASSISTANTS. CHRISTCHURCH,- February 25. The question of the day that groceis i,hop <in the seaside boroughs near 'Christchurch should observe as the half-holiday came before Judge Adams at the Supreme Court in the form of a motion for a writ of certiorari to Otmsh an order by the Arbitration Court amending the grocers' assistant*

award, the ground being that the Arbitration Court had no jurisdiction to make an order. The motion was referred by consent, to the Full Court.

A GIRL’S BRAVERY. AUCKLAND, Feb. 25. Henderson down Board will bring under notice of the Royal Humane Society the bravery of Alice -Marsh, a -school girl aged 12, who when two girl companions aged 12 and 14 years were out of their depth, and in danger of drowning swam to the rescue. The other girls clutched her by the neck and dragged her under. A youth from a launch assisted the three, girls ashore in an exhausted condition. SOCIETY OF ACCOUNTANTS. WELLINGTON, Feb. 25. The first Dominion Convention of the New Zealand Society of Accountancy opened here with a civic reception by Councillor Luckie. in the absence of the .Mayor. The President (Air W. E. Best of Canterbury) presided over a large representative gathering of members from all parts of the Dominion. In his presidevtial address Air Best gave an interesting informative review of the history of the New Zealand Society of Accountancy, from the first recorded instance of the organisation of the profession in 1894. lie congratulated the Society upon building up its benevolent fund, which now had £2,340 to hte credit of its capital fund, and also upon the fact that Government had recognised the importance of the Society by appointing several of its members to Royal Commissions.

BOY DROWNED. DUNEDIN February 25. A live year old boy named Irwin was drowned while playing on the bank in the water of the Leith this morning.

IRRIGATION. INQUIRY INTO LATEST .METHODS. DUNEDIN, February 23. The immense benefit accruing to Central Otago since the inauguration of the irrigation schemes are becoming more marked every year, and the -Minister of Public Works is intent on prosecuting a developmental policy with a view to still further assisting towards an increase ill productivity irom the areas which lend Themselves to irrigation. In the last Public Woiks Statement the Minister said that although the profit from, the older schemes was not expected to pay a high rate of interest on the outlay owing to excessive war costs, etc) examination of their position showed that in due course they would pay a reasonable rate of interest, besides rendering enormous indirect benefits. All the later scheme, estimated upon steadier known costs and experience gained, were based on water rentals calculated to return sound rates ol interest.

To gain further information regarding latest methods of irrigation it has been decided to send officers from the Public Works Department and Department of Agriculture aboard, and -Mr C. ,|. .McKenzie (Assistaiit-Eiigineer-iii-fhief of the Public Works Department) M." J. R. Marks (District Engineer, Otagoi, and Mr R. IS. Tcnnent (Instructor in Agriculture. Dunedin) will leave Wellington on .March 3, by the -Maungauui for Sail Francisco, to make the necessary investigations in ( aliloriiia and Canada. Thesubject willJbe studied from engineering, administrative, financial, agricultural and marketing points of view. Not only actual irrigatvm, but tilso preparation and levelling of farms and drainage problems will be studied. Messrs Marks and Tennent will lie absent for about four months, but Mr Al’Keii/.ie will be away about nine months, as, in addition to inquiiing into irrigation mutters lie will investigate problems of general engineering construction, road construction, and hvdro-eleetric development. Air Al’kon".ieL tour will embrace not only the United States and Canada but Great Britain and the Continent as well.

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