DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1926, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[or TEr.EGHArn —PER PIIESS ASSOCIATION.] ANOTHER BENZINE FIRE. WELLINGTON, Mareli 9. Late last night a valuable six-cylin-der car was completely destroyed by tire. The driver received a message from a. friend that lie had run out of petrol and so he started to take a supply to him. Apparently the tin was leaking, for, in Evan’s Bay. the car hurst into tlames and was reduced to scrap iron. I ANOTHER CROSSING ACCIDENT. NAPIER. .March S. Added to the list, ot railway crossing accidents was one late this afternoon, when a l rain leaving Napier at •1.35 struck a motor cal' at Woodcocks crossing, a short distance outside the Borough boundary. The car was badly damaged, but the driver, William Robinson. of Clive, escaped, luckily with minor abrasions. The crossing is a very dangerous one. Only recently did it come into use to any extent, when all traffic «n the main Xapier-Ilastings Road was diverted over it. whilst the main road is being put down in concrete. Houses right on the crossing obscure the vie".

ATTEMPTED FRAUD. AUCKLAND. March 9. William Lowe, aged 23. admitted in the Police Court that lie had altered the credit entry in the Post Office Savings Rank from three pounds to three hundred pounds, lie was committed for sentence to the Supreme Court. It was stated that the Bank was not defrauded ot the money, though accused was on the way to obtaining L 1(10 from the account. WAITOMO’S CREW IMPRISONED AUCKLAND, Mareli 9. Fourteen members ol the steamer Waitonio’s crew failed to pay their fines of L’s each. Twelve have been arrested and will serve seven days in prison. The police are searching for j the other two men.

NEW APPRENTICES ACT. CHRISTCHURCH. .March A. Mr Justice Frazer, in the Arbitration Court, said that Parliament, by making last year's Apprentices Act retrospective, interferred with existing contracts, hut allotted tho court to act as its conscience directed by adjusting matters where the general operation of the Act "trs harsh or unjust. The ease which '.Ticiled the remark arose out of a master painter’s application to lie excluded from the court's apprenticeship order, especially as to wages. Decision was reserved. THEFT CHARGE. CHRISTCHURCH. .March 9. An aeoiiiitant. whose name was suppressed. pleaded guilty this morning to a charge of attempted theft ol L‘2 7s from the Canterbury Jockey Club, and not guilty to a charge ot attempting to obtain L'2 7s by means ot valueless tote tickets, lie was convicted on the first charge and ordered to pay costs. The Police said the accused had picked up a ticket on the .course, and presented it, il being altered to make it appear it was the "inning ticket. Counsel said lltal most people thought a ticket picked up on Lhc course was their own property. Iho aet'Used had nothing to do with manipulating the ticket. RIGHT'S OF THE CHILD. DUNEDIN. March 5. At the continuation of the conference of rotary chibs to-day. Mr Frank .Milner, hoadinnsor of tlv? Wnitnki Bovs' High School, gave an address on ‘Hiotary. The Hloy and the Girl.” He said the child deserved first a right to he well horn, and secondly a good education. He spoke on the various phases of education and also urged parents to take more eindidenee in their children by telling them of the dangers that existed in the world. A long discussion ensued, to which doctors, lawyers, a magistrate, and business men contributed. All agreed that tli? aim of rotarian parents should he the education of their children in sex knowledge, and the support of the teachers, who assisted greatly in tho moulding, of the diameters of the young.

MISSING MAN FOUNT). AUCKLAND, March 0. Frederick Holmes, a bootmaker Intrude. who had hivin reported missing for some days has been lound suffering from a lapse of memory. He has no recollection of where h- had boon. CHILDREN AT WHEEL. TS AGE LTAfIT TOO LOW? AVELLINOTON. March 0. “That tho attention of the authorities be drawn to the large number of children under the age of Ifi years who are permitted to drive motor ears, and that the law with regard, to the age limit be more rigidly enforced.” This was one of the remits front the laranaki Automobile Association considered at yesterday's conference of tho North Island Motor Union. Air A. Grayson (Auckland) thought attention should he called to the fact that a number of drivers had not licenses. Mr R. Af. Chadwick (Napier) advocated raising the age at which a person could get a lionise front Iff to 17 years. Air S. Shirtcliffe (AYa irarapn) : Some children of I I can drive hotter than adults.

The remit was passed without further discussion.

DRIVERS’ LICENSES. WELLINGTON, March 0. In order that tlv? trouble experienced by a. number ol motorists, in being prosecuted for not presenting their driving certificates, might be considerably les'i iiod. the Wairarapa AutomotijL* Association brought forward the following remit, which was passed at yesterday's conference of the North Island Alotor Union : “That the authorities hr made to make provision, in the issue of drivers’ licenses, for the supply, at a small (barge, of lupicato licenses?. This is considered necessary owing to certain authorities prosecuting drivers for not lieing able to produce their licenses. As numbers of drivers own several cars, this would make it possible for a copy of the hconso to be carried in each car.'’ EMPTY TINS. AfOTOR I STS' C A R ELES-SXESS. AVELLINOTON, AI arch G. Afatiy motorists leave empty benzine tins on the side of rural and main roads, instead of disposing of them in a proper manner. This practice was the subject of two remits at yesterday's conference of the North Island Alotor Union. Air H. Filmer (Wellington) referred to a recent accident to a little girl, who died as a result of injuries received from a benzine tin explosion. It was suggested that prosecutions should be brought against offending motorists, whereupon the chairman pointed out that legislation already existed to meet the offence. It was, however, practically impossible to catch those who were responsible for empty tins being left on the roadside, and all that- could be dope was to appeal to

motorists to desist from the practice of leaving tins wherever they might happen to empty them.

On the motion of Mr Kilmer it was decided to recommend to the oil companies that tags he placed on tins warning the public of the danger of leaving them on the road ; also to caution those handling benzine to make certain that tins were properly emptied Itofore being thrown away. LARGE RE A ETON VISITS WELLINGTON HARBOUR. AV ELLINGTON. '.March (». At about 9.13 a.in. on .Sunday last a sea-lion about 9ft. or BUT. in length was seen to thrust its head above the water, onlv about twenty yards front the 'end of Taranaki Street wharf. After a Breather of a few moments, the visitor dived, and then made its reappearance in front of the .Star Boating Club's .sheds. A hurried inspection of the unfamiliar .surroundings "as followed by another plunge, ami the stranger was not seen again. It has been suggested that the sealion. vvho-e favourite haunt in this part of Hr? world is the beaches and fiords of Auckland and Eudcrby Islands (some 200 miles in the south of Stewart Island) may have been induced to i-rniso northwards by the sjl ol unusually cold southerly weather which has been experienced during the past ton days, as these amphibians are not usually encountered so far north .it this time of the year.

FOUND HANGING. GREY.MOUTH. .Mareli 0. Ed ward Scott, aged 53. a lampman at the Stall? 7*litie at Brwanui, vmc found hanging in his hut last night. TORT OF -MANCHESTER. GREAT DISTRIBUTING CENTRE. WELLINGTON. .Mareli (I. There was an interested attendance I at the Do Luxe Theatre yesterday afternoon In witness the private .screening of a film showing the advantages that Manchester enjoys as a distributing centre owing to the construction of the Ship Canal. Mr W. J. Wade, representative in Australia and New Zealand of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, gave 'an yiteresting address before the screening, in which lie stated that he had seen in Manchester frozen meat arriving from Loudon in a coiiilit ion as soft as putty. One "agon load in that condition was sufficient to bring down the price of the produce. The solufi if the distribution problem would he arrived at if producers saw to it that, their goods were sent to the ports which could serve the provincial needs more readily. The picture showed the great city of Manchester, which thirty years ago was an inland town, as the fourth largest, port. in the United Kingdom. Within 23 miles of the centre ol the city there are 1.51)0.000 people; within a radius of 50 miles there are IO.OOOJCO : and within a radius of 75 miles there are l f.OBO.OfMI people, which is 1.000.000 inure than there are within a similar radius of l.'indon. The picture demonstrates that Manchester is one ot the world's greatest distributing cent res. CANDIDATE FOR EDEN. AUCKLAND. March 9. Philip It. Needham, of ( hrislehttrch, cunt factor, announces hiti'scll its a. candidate for the Eden live-election as a supporter of a moderate progressive policy.