DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 October 1925, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BY TELEGBAPH —PEE PBESB ASSOCIATION.] UNREGISTERED DENTISTS. AUCKLAND, Oct. 21. Tho Hospital Board has received a letter from nine members of the honorary staff of tho Dental Hospital as a protest against tho hoard’s action in requesting Government to extend protection for unregistered dentists until tho contemplated protective legislation was obtained. The staff claimed tho right to have been consulted before any action xvas taken on an ex part© statement.

Tho chairman, Air AVallace, said that it would be- a sorry day when a policy would bo dictated to the board in such a manner. Tt convinced him that the attitude of the board toward unregistered dentists was right. He moved that the resignations lx- accepted, adding that if applications xvere invited outside of tho association, there would he plenty of replies. Other members protested that there xvas no honorary dental staff and that the whole thing should he ignored. The hoard resolved that tho letter ho received and that no action be taken. WHITE ISLAND SULPHUR. AUCKLAND, Oct. 21. Tho first shipment of sulphur from Whito Island since an eruption destroyed tho xvorkings in 1914 arrived in Auckland this afternoon by tlio auxiliary schooner Coronation. Arrangements for excavation and regular shipment of sulphur hax'C been completed by the White Island Agricultural and Chemical Company, and, in yiexv of tho vast resources of the small thermal island, the revival of an interesting industry is predicted. Already nearly 500 tons of sulphur have been accumulated on tho island as a result of tho operations of a gang of'about twenty men, which commenced work a fexv weeks ago. 'The company has spoilt about eighteen months in investigating the. potentialities of tho island. Considerable research work has Ixen necessary, and it is considered that the initial shipment, of about M 0 tons, will, on analysis, provo between 85 and 90 per cent pure sulphur. Rapid progress has l>ccn made during tho last two months xvith the erection of workers’ dwellings and the pieparation of cuttings. Tho question of the safety of the workmen was referred to yesterday bx Mr M. H. Miles, a director of the company. xvho has just, visited the- island. Ho said tho living quarters had been constructed in a bolt- of polmttiknwa trees. Obviously the vegetation had not been disturbed for many decades, and there was no reason to think that apy thermal activity would endanger tho situation.

vTJ/rcti F.D TNTTMIT)ATIO.V. NEW PLYMOUTH. Oct. 21. A cnso which' created considerable interest came before Mr Poynton in the Magistrate's Court Ibis morning, when TRoberb Pulton', secretary of the New Plymouth AVatersido AVorkers’ Union, was charged under the Police Oflcnoes Amendment Act, 1013. 'That on September 28. 102), with a view to compelling. Picluud Henry Simpson to abstain from working at the Mntuma wharf ill connection with the loading and unloading of ships, he did wrongful 1 v and without authority intimidate tho said T’iehard Henry Simpson by addressing him. inter alia, the billowing words. Aon are a scab, scabbing on what the seamen arc doing a month for now. and tho best thing you can do is to get out of the town for a, few years until it has blown over. If ever you do get on hoard again you stand a big chance of never getting off again.’ ” Defendant pleaded not guilty. Tn opening tho case, tho police said the facts were simple, hut serious. An arrangement had been made to get the Port Dunedin away from the wliarl. and Simpson had gone on hoard under inst ruci ion of ihe harbour master’s assistant and was working a winch in lotting ilie tines go. AA hen tie returned jo the wharf he was met hv I niton and called before a commit lee of ihe union, and it was at ihe meeting (hal the words complained of had I'ceu used. The police added that the circumstances wore not those in which ihe tiling had been done on the spur of die moment, or in any. heat, hut calmly and deliberately with inton- \ inn of intimidating the man for winking at the wharf. Afior evidence bail been heard, the Magistrate said the ease was one of great importance to unionists, and he would take time to consider it and give a written decision. Counsel for die defendant cited authorities for submission that in order In establish intimidation there had to he proof of personal violence or throat of personal violence, which was entirely absent- in the case, and it should, therefore, be dismissed. The most dial could tie said in the case was that Simpson had been warned to keep out of the way of the seamen. The Magistrate reserved his decision.

PUBLIC FINANCES. ASHBURTON. October 21. Tin. public finances, more especially in regard in ai-cumulated surpluses, were dealt with hy the .Minister of Finance (the lion W. Nosworthy) to-day. ‘•it is, i think, fiiirl.v generally known that, utir accumulated surpluses of revenue over expenditure have been applied to capital purposes, such as debt reduel ion, Public Works, Bis charged Soldiers’ Settlement, etc." said Mr Nosvvorlhy. •’There appears, how to be an iimpression in soitiu (jii;u * ters that amounts transferred Iromthc aecu main ted surpluses have been added to the Public Debt., but this is quite erroneous. In some eases these transfers have been treated as advances, i and interest is paid on them to the Consolidated Fund. This is the ease with the £1 3,500,900 advanced to the Discharged Soldiers’ Account. Thai account pays C-T 10.000 in interest to Liu- Consolidated. Fund annually. Inn the capital sum advanced does not appear in the Public Debt table. Public loans have been raised for the settlement of discharged soldiers, but they are additional to the amount transferred from the Consolidated Fund. As a matter of fact, the total capital involved in the settlement of discharged soldiers is about £26,500,01)0.

“The revenue surpluses over the last ten years amount to £28,000,0*>0. As already indicated, £13,500,000 have been devoted to the settlement of discharged soldiers. ■ In addition. £2,600.000, has been used for Public Works, £1,200.000 to building the Reserves build up lo £2.00*1.000 and over £6,000,000 has keen applied to debt reduction. A further sum of £375.000 has been invested in Bank of New Zealand shares. These transactions, apart from the increase in the Reserve Fund, have on the one hand saved increasing the debt h\- over £16.000,000, and, on the other hand, have secured an actual reduction in the debt of about £6,000,000, in short, equivalent to a total debt saving and reduction of £22,000,000. As a result of using the surpluses for capital purposes in these ways, the Conolidated Fund, and consequently the taxpayer benefits to the extent of about £1.175.000 per annum, which is a very sound and satisfactory state of affairs.”