DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1925, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TKI.F.OBAPXI PRESS ABSN , COPYRIGHT F VRTHQUAKE. CHRISTCHURCH. November 30. An earthquake shock was felt in Christchurch at two o’clock on Saturday morning. The disturbance was felt at Haimicr and at Rangiora. At Rangiora the shock stopped many clocks. The records at the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory -how that the seismograph seems to have received impulses for 10.1 minutes alter the initial disturbance. which was the one lelt. The first waves recorded seem to have been of the type known as long waves, and the tact that no prelimiuarv waves were clearly recorded before this would suggest that the origin o! the ’quake was not lar distant; the time between the arrivals ot the diflerent kinds of waves is the index from which ibe distance may be calculated. A prolonged shock ol earthquake was felt at Okains Bay at 2 a.m. on Saturday. It was preceded by a loud rumbling noise.

.MASONIC INSTALLATION. DUNEDIN. November 29. His Excellency. Sir Charles Ecrgusson. was installcii as (■rand Master ol the New Zealand Freemasons at the Dunedin Exhibition Buildings this evening, the ceremony being conducted by Mr J. J. Doilgall, Past J.M. The Deputy-Grand Master appointed for the year Air George Russell, 'it Wellington; Senior Grand Warden. AH- A. 11. Hobbs, of Christchurch ; Junior Grand Warden, Mr A. h. (’hey lie, of Otago; Provincial Grand Master for Otago, Mr W. Liskner; fur Southland. Mr E. C. Smith; for Ruapehu, Mr A. J. Graham; for Hawke’s Bay, C. If. Cri tell ley ; for West Coast. Mr E. I). Dunn; for Nelson and Marlborough, Mr A. G. Shrimpton ; for Taranaki, Mr N. W. Rogers; for Canterbury, Mr W. Me Bridge ; for Auckland. Mr Oliver Nicholson. His Excellency, in his address from the chair, took as the motto for the year the necessity for loyalty as exemplified in service to the emit, to the King and to the community.

PRICE OE BUTTER REDUCED. AUCKLAND. Dee. 1

The butter factories and the local Marketing Association have resolved to refln-e the price of butler in: Superfine wholesale Is SRI. retail 1> Uhl ; firstgrade. 1- 7ld and Is Pd: second grade ! (Ud and Is Sd. FOUND DEAD. AUCKLAND. Dee. I. Harry Howard, about 01, a second class passenger on the Reinnera. booked through to Australia, "as found dead in his bunk the day before the ship reached Pitcairn Lslnnu. NEW POLICE COMMISSIONER. SUPT. MeILVENEY APPOINTED. WELLINGTON. December I. Commissioner A. 11. Wright retires front the police loreo at the end ol January and to-day I lie Government appointed Superintendent W. B. Mellvciiey. of Wellington District. In be Commissioner in his stead. The Minister of Justice in making this announcement said that Superintendent .Mellveney was a senior officer ul great ability and long experience, whom lie bad no doubt would fill the higher position "ith every credit to biniselt and satisfaction to the department. Personally. Sir .Lillies Pair, regretled the retirement ul O.uiiiri'sioiier Wright, who "as a sound and solid officer, with whom lie was pleased to have been a suelaled tor 1 lie past tv.o or three veal's. ( oninii'sioner Wright’s principal characteristic was bis invariable sound judgment and his lair dealing with all ranks. The Government bail reposed considerable eoididemc in him and had always found that entilideiice to have been justified.

v,'i:i.L Ai;i-: l ea<;ncs.c <» mmenw. T;i W'ELI.I NHTON, December I. u;, Mr A. (I. Harper (secretary of tin* to Welfare League) referring to Mr l !<>!- sa hind’s coie.moiit mi Mr Skerrctt’s appoint incut. says ho considers Mr 11 <>l- ‘ J land’s si.oit;i lion of mind is (hr host j evidence that tin 1 League’s attack on ;in Extreme Socialism is doing harm to |h the extremists campaign. II is aniusititr to see Mr Holland talking of tin’ League's hitter class prejudice when the League was started to comhat the efforts of a party which preached class war and whose policy is to foster class w hatred In every phase. Far Ironi hav- 'f’l ino no real existence, as .Mr Holland ( -l says, the League ntemhership is ol a t] considerable number, says Mr Harper, t (l and the extremists know it only too t j well. (’ll IFF JUSTICESHIP. ,\l|| HOLLAND PROTESTS. II WESTPORT. November :tO. it Referring: to the appointment ol Mr C. F. Skerrett to he Chief Justice. Mr 'l' 11. F. Holland < Leader of the Labour p said, \v‘lu.*ii in t<»r\*iowo<l this 1 <*vonin«r by the Westport correspondent of the “drey River Argils.” that, the ( appointment would call lorth an cm- 2 phatic protest from the whole Labour - I .Movement, lie hoped that the day would come when the appointment of I political partisans to such positions would cease. It was certain that a better method ol making these appointments would have to he loitnd. Who- s ever filled the highest judicial posi- L tion ill the land should be capable ol ; boldine: the scales evenly, and Mr j Skerrett’s association with and dominance of the so-called Welfare League I which had no real existence to fur as membership was concerned). and the , hitter class prejudice expressed in the , matter for which that tictitious league was responsible ought certainly to bare oenstituted a bar to Mr Skerrett’s up- i ppintment to the Chief Justiceship. BUTTER AND CIIFFSF. PRODUCTION IN A l OK LAND. AUCKLAND, Nov. 29. 1 The production oi hotter iu the Auckland province is now being well I maintained, and the returns show that 1 the yield during the last lew weeks - has been little short of that in the corresponding period ol last season. i The Imfter received tit the grading - stores for the two weeks ending Xo- • vent her With totalled 110,898 Imixcs, *' compared with 112.(18(5 Imxes for the • corresponding period ol November, ? 1924. n decrease of 1148. For the fortI night ended November 11th, this year s A production was 1418 buses short of tnat e for the corresponding two weeks. Ref ceipts of hotter at the grading stores ■v for the season to X<’veml>er 26th totalI- led 514,341 boxes, against 590.683 for e Die same period of last season, a doff crease of 56.888 boxes. is Cheese received during the last fort- ” night totalled 1:1.667 crates, an increase of 2400. when compared with crates, the output for the correspond- .. in.r period of 1924. The total quantav of"~cheese rereivod from the beginning \ T of the season to November 26th is ,s 46 355 crates, against 38,003, an m--5t crease of 8362. - A NKW INDUSTRY. DUNEDIN. Nov. 28. When Mr K. W. Furkert Engineerot in-Chief of the Public Works Depnrtmerit, was in Dunedin about three uu weeks ago, after a visit to the Sounds district, he said that the Department ■W- was prepared actively- to interest itself ip exploring that region in regard to

its water-power possibilities, and indicated that survey might tie undertaken before long. It is now learned that the promoters of a company which, has been formed for tlie purpose of extracting nitrates by means of hydro-electric energy are to leave Dunedin on Monday for Manapouri and Doubtful Sound, accompanied by an officer of the Public Works Department. The Department lias arranged to begin the survey in the Te Alinti-Manapouri district. The project oi harnessing one or more of the numerous waterfalls is evidently to be pursued. DEATH IN SHIP’S HOLD. NEW PLYMOUTH. Nov. 23. While engaged in the hold of the Waiteiuata. handling benzine, a watersider named Percy Clifton, a middleaged married man. collapsed and died before a doctor could be summoned. It is assumed that death was iho result of heart trouble.