DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1925, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS A DSN , COPYRIGHT. PAYMENT OF AI-TMONY. AUCKLAND, July 11. Application for alimony nag made by Ida Susan Jennings against Edgar William Jennings in the Supreme Court. A decree of judicial .separation was made between the parties in May. Mr Luxford said the petitioner was si ill suffering from an injury received at her husband’s hands, while her baby was in precarious health. 'Respondent possessed property valued at £33,000 and bad an interest in a legacy from his mother. His wife had been left without a penny since November, and had suffered great privations. Respondent said his sole source of income was some property in Karangahape Rond. He would have to raise two thousand to pay Ids debts. Justice Reed made an order for the payment, of £6 per week, subject- to review later, payment to start as from the beginning of tho year, all debts contracted since by the petitioner to he deducted from the amount payable. APPRENTICES ACT. AUCKLAND, July 11. The presence in the Apprentices Act of a loophole for unscrupulous employers was commented upon in the Arbitration Court by Justice Frazer, when an interpretation on the <piestieu of the registration of contract liet ween employer ami his apprentice, was sought by the Labour Department The intended construction, said ills Honour, was that the contract should he written, and the written document registered within fourteen days. There was certainly a weakness in the section which was ambiguous. There was a loophole for an unscrupulous employer because there was no offence in employing a. hoy before tho written eontract was entered into. Thetime for completion of the contract was unlimited. The only way to close the loophole was by legislating, which tho Court had no power to do. The judgment of the lower Court, given on this contention, would therefore have to be sustained.

MAORI SUSPICIONS. FATALITY NEARLY RESULTS. AUCKLAND. .July 10. The suspicious luiture of Maoris anil their pronounced dislike, especially the older ones, to hospitals and ujvto-date medical methods, was exeninlilied in the Cambridge Court when Mot in .Manka, a resident of the Tamvharc district, was charged with having caused unnecessary suffering and injury to health by nogelecting to provide his daughter, Kimiroa Manka, nine years of age. with proper medical treatment. It was stated that on January 22 the girl was playing in a milking shed at Karikari, and had her arm badly lacerated through being caught by the belting of machinery. Subsequently, acting on information received. the police, with Dr Stapler, visited Karikari Pa. | and saw that the child had two very tiglv lacerated wounds on her left arm. which had become badly septic. Jhe mother and the relatives strongly objected to the child being removed to the hospital. An X-ray examination at the, hospital showed the arm to be badly shattered in two places, and in its septic condition the only thing to lie done was to amputate, the limb. The police stated that had the Maori women continued to treat, the arm in their own way. death would have been certain.

The accused, a young, intelligentlooking Maori, spoke with regret of having allowed the women at the Pa (u over'ule his judgment.

Mr IT. A. Young, S.M.. urged on accused the foolishness of Maori methods and the benefits of hospitals and present-day medical treatment. Tie ordered accused to come up for sen- 1 tence if called upon, the order to he stayed so long as he paid Cl a month olf the expenses. STEAMER IX A GALL. , DUNEDIN', July 10. ; Strong gales and heavy seas were re- ; sponsible for the late arrival of the Union Company's freighter TCaliika at J Dunedin from Hobart, the vessel entering port t'nis afternoon after a passage of 7 days .‘LI hours. | The Kahika. after loading -112,000 feet; of timber and 1500 bundles of ( palings left Hobart tit 10.30 a.m. on I Friday, July 3. Fine weather prevailed until -1 p.ni. the following day. | when strong south-east- winds and j heavy seas were encountered. } The wind increased and blew with gale force on the night of July o. t The ship was assailed by continuous heavy seas and several big waves were . shipped forward, but no damage was , done. The gale raged until Thursday morning. and for four days the Txaliika’s ; speed was reduced. The gale was at its height on Wednesday, when speed ' was reduced to 3.1 knots, and the ship - was later practically hove to lor four- j teen hours. On July o the Kahika logged only 5.3 knots. The gale moderated when the vessel was within sixty miles of Puysegur Point and fine weather then prevailed till her arrival in the lower harbour at 3.30 p.m.. yesterday. From

I’livscgur Point tbe Kahikn averaged 0 knots. The Kaliika some weeks ago carried a cargo of coke from Port Kembla to Straham and then loaded a. cargo of copper ore at the latter port for Hohart. Her present cargo will be distrihuted as follows:—-Dunedin 231,740 feet of timber, 300 hundles of palings and GOOD feet of timber for transhipment to Gisborne; Lyttelton 178,16-3 feet of timber, 1150 bundles of palings and 20 cases of pulp ; "Wellington, 3000 feet, of timber. The vessel also brought five hags of Tasmanian mails for New Zealand. KTITLED BY TRAIN. TE TvIJITI. July 10. At the inquest on Jasper Brainier, railway traffic inspector, the evidence of the engine driver, James Malone, who was driving the train which struck a motor jigger propelled by deceased showed that the fatality occurred round a sharp bend on the line. Part of the jigger went straight tip and deceased was thrown on the footplate of the engine. Thu speed of the train was twenty-live miles an hour at the time, lie blew the whistle before coming to the curve. After further corroborative evidence the Coroner returned a verdict that the fatality was entirely due to accident and no blame was attachable to anyone, lie paid a eoni- ' pliiuent to the engine driver for Ins promptitude in pulling up the train. CENSORSHIP PRO El). PICTURE ROSTERS. ACCKLAXD, July 10. Objection lo certain picture posters displayed in the city was recently made to the Auckland City Council by a deputation from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Exception was also taken by members of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle to posters displayed opposite the church. Reporting on the question to the council, the Legal and Finance Committee recommended that urgent representations should he made to the Minister of Internal Affairs for a censorship of advertising posters similar to that exorcised over lilies. It was suggested that advertising licenses should he cancelled in the event, of the display of objectionable matter, and that the Town Clerk should be empowered to direct the immediate removal of offending matter. The .Mayor (Mr (!. liaildon) si.id Ihe Town Clerk was prepared to exercise the duties of censor and to invoke the by-law whenever necessary. i lie committee’s recommend,'U, were adopted. DROWNED. WANGANUI, July 10. A Maori, Sam Wooa. a. well-known resident of Mangachu. was drowned at the town wharf to-dav. Tie went to look over and tripped. It is possible ho struck his head in the fall. A watersider. Frank O’Keefe, dived in and brought the body to tbe landing. Deceased went on n world tour with tbe Katana parti*