DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1926, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[uy TKT,Ecn,\rn —ant pr.Es3 association.]

DRUNKEN MOTORIST FINED

11 A AVER A. January 28

Hugh Rodger was charged at the Magistrate’s Court with being found in a state of intoxication whlist in charge of a motor-ear. The evidence of the police was U> tlie 'effect that Rodger when endeavouring to start t],(> engine was being unable lo do so. 11 is companion was also alleged to have been intoxicated and tried to assist without success. 'I lie men’s efforts were watched by a crowd of people. The defending counsel .submitted that under the section which the (> l v _.. u hijd a vehicle must ho in motion and that an “Honee was only ~routed when the car was capable of creating damage.

The Magistrate. Mr. Rtirfon. said there was'.n English ease, and he thought there -as aX. one winch laid down that an offence was created whether l he ear was moving or stationRodgor was convicted and lined £lO. bis current driver’s license was eau,died and he was disqualified from holding a driver's lionise for live AVAN AKA LAID UP. AUCKLAND. Jan. 2G. The Union Cotispany is gradually withdrawing the older steamers of icfleet from active service and replacing them with new vessels. The latest to l,e relegated to “Rotten Ron” is lho AA'anaka. now laid up at Auckland. The annual stirvev certificate of the AA'anaka has expired, and owing to her age the company does not feel justified in spending a large sum ol money upon her overhaul.

She is being replaced by a 4(11)0 lon -Jii-i which is now being built, and ;s expected to reach New Zealand about next September. Hi tiie meantime, the coastal service is being carried on By the Eaton, Kttrow. AVingalui. and AA'aipalii.

Till- AAnnakn's sea service covers a period of lit) years. Her tonnage is 2405 gross, and she was built B,v .Messrs C. Comic! and Co., at Glasgow in 1887 for a .Melbourne firm. She was first named the T.iddesdale. Early in lior career she was badly damaged at Melbourne, and ill consequence ulmost all the hoi tom of her hull had to be renewed. After repairs had been i onipleted she was nurchased hv the Union Company, which utilised her in th" Calcutta ira-lc, now being done hv the Sussex. Later she was engaged tor some time in taking coal to Fiji, and then loading .sugar for Auckland. J-Vir a number of years past the \A anaka has been in the coastal service,

carrying produce from South Islam: ports to Auckland. She was a very

servieeahle steamer for the work, in spite of her age, the holds being ol goo-1 size for expeditious handling of cargo. The ship was cspcoiiully adapted for the carriage of sheep. large numbers el which are shipped between ports during the season. <)11 Saturday the Witn.uku was mov•"I to the stream where she will temain lor an indefinite [leriod. COMING BACK. ( AI!I NT 111 A VOYAGERS LIKED NEW ZEALAND. AUCKLAND. January 2G. Abundant evidence of the favourable impression which tile American tourists on the Cnrinthia gained of Auckland is contained io a letter received -1v Auckland residents who entertained nme ol the visitors. In expressing gratitude ior lie happy time spent in I m-pi in ole Auckland. the writer slates that many mi hoard experienced similar weltomes. ■■ Fran hit." i mil iin-.e-l i be. idler. " v. hen our ship pulled away from the Pek to tiie tune of ‘Should Auld ,\i qaaintnitee Re Forgot ’ we had tears in our ce- ami regrets in our In-arts r.o leave von. Imt we shall come hack. Truly. New Zealand wmi us nil. I ni'orl tututel\ . the shore excursions in ‘ ilxt ra'.ia. will-. the exception of lie!,art. were n-.ii'L disappointing, and .bcv have untiling to oiler that eoin•iares with New. Zealand. A majority vote nut New Zealand mi tile list for ■mother world (raise, and that, we

-liquid remain longer and visit AYaiI ('aves and the South Island. DRIVER’S LICENSE CANCELLED. AUCKLAND. January 29. At lho Police Court. Victor John .AfeDtilf. whose car collided with and completely wrecked part oi the satety zone in Queen Street, was sentenc'd to twenty-one days’ imprisonment for a charge of driving while intoxicated. This being his third offence his license was cancelled for two years. YOUTH'S LAPSE. ASHBURTON. January 29.

Charged with ( titering and breaking H. L. (! rooky's fruit ,-liop on January |p,tfi ami stealing £•'! ss. ami entering the same premise- on January 21th with intent to commit a crime, a youth :>f eighteen. William Leslie Crowtlier, appeared before Alt' E. I). Mosley. 'The Magistrate reduced the first, charge to one of theft and Senior-Sergeant Mathieson withdrew the second. ( rov--liter was sentenced to reformative treatment not exceeding three .'sirs.

ENQUIRY RESUMED. PALMERSTON NORTH. Jan. 21). The adjourned enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the totality at the Rangiotu road bridge on the night of August Kith last whereby Mrs C. 11. Withers and her two sons lost their lives through the car in which they were travelling, crashing through a nicket fence and plunging down a steep bank into tile Ooroua river. was resumed at the Courthouse this morning. The bodies of the two hoys. Leonard Peri, aged o. and Jack Herbert, aged 12. were found later, but the body ol Mrs Withers has not yet been rconvor-

Charlos Herbert Withers gave evidence that on the night of the totality he was returning from Palmerston by •ar and was accompanied In his wife ; , ! children. Approaching Rangiotu he was travelling at about In

i.tii. ~er hour. Ilis headlights picked ■in ; 1 • railway bridge about halt a • bain from the road bridge. Continuing’ on in the heliet that the first uamed structure was the road bridge he suddenly :on rived a picket fence in front of the car. He immediately studied the brakes, but was too near 'die fence ro stop the ear. The fence failed to stop the vehicle and it plunged over into the river. His wife onil hoys wore in the back seat. Tie made an effort to locate them without success. The next thing lie retnem’cred freeing himself and being pulled out of the river. (Proceeding.) The Coroner returned a verdict that the two hoys were accidentally drowned.. The accident was apparently due to an error of judgment on the part of Mr Withor's mistaking the approach of the railway bridge for that •if the traffic bridge; and further, that at the time there was an element of danger at the locality. It was satisfactory to note from the evidence that steps had lieen taken to prevent a recurrence of such an accident.

ARBITRATION COURT. WELLINGTON, January 29. The Arbitration Court nominations received to date are:—Employers’ representative, AY. Scott, present member ; employers’ emergency representative, 15. L. Hammond, present member: A. L. Monlei tit (Wellington). C. W. R-. Dixon (Otago), workers' emergency representative AY. E. Sill (Auckland) present member and !’. I). Cornwall, Wellington. dunedin harbour. DUNEDIN. January 2G. 1 Why the proposed harbour improvement loan of £.‘150.000 is imperative was explained to a full attendance of members of the Dunedin (.'handier of Commerce by the chairman of the I Otago Harbour Board, Air J. Louden, ' who described the dangerous state of the entrance to the channel which I made the harbour faced with the prospect ol Being Blocked to shipping. H--had every (onlidcnce that the loan. J would he raised on the London markel; ( on favourable terms. The sehome-J '•'•"ould he no burden on merchants in- < the general public if the trade of tinport maintained its present prosperity. Ihe Harbour Board's finances were strong and improving. There wa s not the slightest doubt about Dunedin’s progress, especially in view of the success ol t lie Exhibition in “putting the ; city on the map.”

HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES. A [ CKLANI). Jan. oq. A largely attended meeting of taxiowners. convened by the Auckland Taxi Owners’ Association, was bold last evening to consider wltaL action should be taken in regard to the demand made inioii taxis by the Auckland City Council ,'iod local bodies for payment •of (lie hravv traffic tax. The president, Mr G. G. Goodman, , said that; the regulations already in force imposed a fee of £1 10s a ---at out every taxi weighing over two toils. A live-sealer would thus pay £7 IDs a year, and a seven-seater £lO 10s. It was generally understood that when the regulations were being framed that taxis would be exempt. Air L. IN Leary, the. Association's legal adviser, who addressed Lite meet- I log. pointed oui Mini the regulations j were not- open to attack by a test ease.? ■as were bv-laws. The Association's i on I remedy was lo make represent.--j lions to Cabinet Is lore the regulations j were finally I h.vetted. It was unanimously decided to er-e j t-Oodilieat ions in the n-gnlat ions. M'-’j ( foodman was appointed a di-h-gtif'.e a'. tjrecced to Wellington to nlaee t l '.-- As-| social ion's request before Cabinet. |