DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1926, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[by TELEGRAPH PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] 1 LADY SWIMMER. AUCKLAND, May 1. Ena Stockley, one of New Zealand’s champion lady swimmers, left yesterday for Sydney, where she will reside indefinitely, but it is hoped she will return in time for tiie champion carnival of New Zealand next summer. AUCKLAND, -May 1. Customs duties collected at Auckland in April were £211,938 sterling, a decrease of £5576 compared with April, 1925. ■ HOTEL LICENSE. I AUCKLAND, May 1. j Premises in Quay Street to which J. C. Gleeson sought and was refused a transfer of the license ot O’Shatnus Hotel have been remodelled and luxuriously furnished and named The Ambassador. A fresh application will be made to tho Licensing Committee on the ground that the hotel will provide accommodation second to none in Auckland. A CORRECTION. WELLINGTON, May 1. P. A. Lawlor, New Zealand manager for “Aussie” and “Humour” contradicts the Press Association message from Christchurch that lie was lined £5 sterling in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court for conducting a lottery with regard to his publication of “Humour.” The 'charge in this connection was laid in Wellington Magistrate's Court, hut no such proceedings wore taken in Christchurch. BLOWN ON TO ELECTRIC WIRE. TAURANGA, May L. There was a temporary failure of the electric light last night shortly before eight o’clock. It caused the householders some inconvenience, but those who were patiently waiting for the light to reappear little dreamt of the desperate plight of three men who were in a motor launch in a howling westerly gale, jammed on a lee shore in the harbour against a live electric light wire.

A thirty foot mullet Ixuit coming up the harbour was making for the town, when it was found that no headway could be made against a heavy westerly gale that wns then raging, and the occupants, Messrs L. Jury and TL Hayes, the owners, and T. Black found the boat being gradually blown on to the shore in tho vicinity of Whareora. Two anchors wore dropped, and the engine was kept going, hut without avail, and finally the launch went aground on the eastern shore near Whareora.

A CLOUDBURST. WELLINGTON, May 2. A big washout on the Wairarapa line, to the. north of the Summit, has blocked all through trains until Monday. The trains will, in the meantime, run only to Cross Creek from the Wairurapa, and a lull service will ho maintained to Upper Mutt, hut no trains will go further than that from the Wellington side.

Heavy rains lei! on Friday night. They were somewhat jn the nature of a cloud hurst. They blocked two culverts cii the north (Wairarapa) side ol the tunnel with debris, with the result that the culverts were both carried away. The first washout is about half a mile from the tunnel. The track, apart lrom this, appears to he undamaged. lint il is estimated that (here ■are about KKKJ tons of mud and debris lo he cleared, alter the culverts are repaired, before the traffic can he resumed.

A special work train, with a gang ot men, lelt Wellington at 7.45 a.m. to-day to clear and repair the track.

At 1U.30 a.m. to-day, the sun was shining again, mi that the work can proceed in favourable circumslances. and it is aulieipated that, full traffic will lie reinstated by Monday. Fp to 9 a.m. on Saturday, 1.38 inches of ruin had fallen at Eeathersfon. The slip saw an avalanche of soil, trees, rubbish, and rocks come down the hill with tt groat nimble, and completely blocked the mouth of the long tunnel hv thousands of tons.

A SERIOUS FIRE. AUCKLAND. Mav 2

Extensive damage by tire was caused lo Morti/.ons buildings, at the corner of Bond and Jetty Streets, early this morning. The lire had a strong hold when discovered, and when tho Brigade arrived, the flames had burst through the roof and the top windows, while dense volumes of smoke drifted over the city. The Brigade had a difficult task before it, hut, by its splendid efforts, it prevented the outbreak from spreading to the second and lower floors.

| The whole tup portion of the htiildj ing, occupied h,v Steel and Co., elothj ing manufacturers, was completely gutted, and the contents were reduced to cinders. The upper floors were burned through in places, and the tobacco stocks of W. D. and If. 0. Wills, Ltd., on the second floor, were seriously damaged by water and by falling debris, which poured down through great gaps in the floor. A. J. Aingo and Co. occupied tho basement, and this firm’s stock of wines and spirits suffered to some extent. there being nearly a foot of wafer in the cellar, and the eases consequently being soaked. The building is a very substantial one, and it has been the scene of several fires within the past few years. Everything appeared to he safe when Steel and Co’s employees and manager left the premises at- 11.45 a.m. on Saturday. The outbreak is thought to be due to the fusing of electric wire. Aingo's stock is insured for £SOOO, bill the amount' of the insurance on? the .building anti on Wills's stock is not available. Steel’s stock was insured for £2,000. The stock consisted principally of suitings and hundreds of overcoats in a completed state to fulfil large orders from Christchurch and Wellington. The firm employed between forty and fifty hands, mostly girls, and these arc now out of employment.