DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 July 1926, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[iir telegraph—feu press association.] A FARMER’S PLIGHT. INVERCARGILL, July 20. John "Welsh Jnr., a farmer, of Kapuka South, was admitted to a private hospital to-day suffering from internal injuries and exposure. It appears that Welsh was driving a tractor across swampy ground with a plough attached on Monday afternoon, when the wheels bogged. Welsh increased power with a result that the tractor wound itself over backwards, pinning him on the soft wot ground. A man in a. gig passing nearby at midnight heard cries and discovered Welsh pinned in a. foot of water with his head just showing. Owing to the weight of the tractor it took three hours to extricate Welsh, who is in -a precarious condition.

PORT KEMM LA’S PASSENGERS. WELLINGTON, July 20. Mr Henry Ivory, of Wellington, has cabled to London regarding the Port Kembla passengers, of whom his sin, Capt. Ivory is one. Thu reply states the passengers wore taken to Colon on the “Playfellow.” and will travel from Colon to New Zealand on the Corinthie, which left London on July 17, and is due -at Auckland oil August 23. POVERTY BAY FATALITY. GLSBORNE, July 20. At the inquest on Henry Robson AA’ood, manager of Dalgety’s Gisborne Branch, a verdict was returned by Mr 15. C. Levvy, Coroner, that death resulted from drowning. The- Coroner found further that there was no evidence as to how the deceased came to be in the creek, which resulted in his drowning, or as to how his injury was inflicted, the only theory available being that deceased, while in the act of chopping willow branches with a tomahawk, accidentally caught the end of the tomahawk in a branch, and the tomahawk deflecting, inflicted a wound which partially stunned deceased, who fell into the water and was drowned.

HOUSE BURNT. DANNEVIRKE, July 21. A nine-roomed house at Matainui owned and occupied hv George Sergeant and family was completely destroyed by .fire early this morning. Nothing was saved, no. fire fighting appliances being available. The furniture was insured for £ 3OO. The amount oil the building is unavailable. LOAN PROPOSAL REJECTED. HAMILTON, July 21. The poll oT ratepayers of the Hamilton Borough rejected, by 102 votes, the proposal to raise £IB,OOO for municipal offices. NORTHERN BOXING ASSOCIATION AUCKLAND. July 21. The Northern Boxing Association’s amateur tournament, last night was one of the best held in Auckland. The new champions are:—Flyweight, N. Cammiek; bantam. F. Tyler; leather. G. Smith; light, C‘. Broad foot; welter, R. O. Roussee: middle, J. AA’illis; cruiser, A. Hogg; heavy, P. McCarthy.

mastk-rtox RACING cub. AVELLINGTON, July 19. Negotiations are in progress for the Masterton Racing Club to hold its spring meeting at Trentham. Tt is proposed that the fixture, be a. twodays one, to* be held on the Friday and Saturday following the spring meeting at Trentham, October 29tli. and 30th. The Club contemplates improvements to itb course. It is stated that the course will not be fit to be raced on in October.

The Manawatii Hunt Club lias come to an arrangement with the Ma.na.watu Racing Club to hold meetings at Awnip uni for the next five years. TRAM SYSTEM LOSS. 1 GISBORNE, July 21. The question of discontinuing the Gisborne Municipal trains was further considered at a special meeting of the Borough Council last night, when a report of the local accounts, confirming the heavy losses were considered. The report stated that excluding depreciation and sinking funds, the loss during the last two years had been £7,621, while the loss excluding interest on capital as well, amounted to £1,241 during the last three years, showing that the trams had not even paid running costs. Those in favour of scrapping admitted that the Council would still paj interest and sinking fund, but considered that despite that, it would save £3,000 a year.

The Engineer reported that £25,000 ivould be required in two years’'time to renew the tracks.

After a lengthy discussion the following motion was carried that the Council being of the opinion that the tramway system was being run at a loss disproportionate to the services rendered the public, take, forthwith, the necessary steps to bring about a discontinuance of the system, and that notice of intention to apply to the Governor-General for an authorising order revoking the existing license, be advertised.

DEATH IN CHURCH. DUNEDIN, July 19. During the singing of the opening hymn at the Hanover street Baptist Church, at the morning service. Miss Ruth Hall suddenly expired. Hhc had been connected with the church for 51 years and took an active interest in all its affairs. INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM. AUCKLAND, July 19. The Indian Army hockey team left to-day by the Aorangi for Sydney, and will play several matches in Australia before finally embarking for India. Interviewed before departure, Captain Cowan, manager of the team, forensted rapid improvement, in the standard of New Zealand hockey. In pointing out that the general standard of the game in the Dominion at present was not comparable with the class of hockey played in India and Great Britain, he traced the cause to poorly prepared grounds. In the larger centres, where hotter grounds were in use, there was a noticeable improvement In the standard. He expressed appreciation of the hosptality that had always been readily shown to the team in New Zealalid. PORT KEMBLA ASHORE. DITNEDTN. July 19.

According to one cablegram received, in Dunedin to-day, the Commonwealth and Dominion Line’s steamer, Port Kernbla, Is in a bad way on San Salvador Island, near Cuba.

A cablegram received l>y the manager of the D.S.A. from 'London rends as follows:—“Lloyds bulletin regarding the Port Kembla is gloomy; consider cargo practically lost.” The Port Kembla’s cargo included a large consignment of new season’s drapery goods for the D.S.A. It was reported towards the end of last week that the Port Kembla was badly damaged. It is known that private cables received stated that the vessel was making water in Nos. 1,2, 3, and 5 holds. At that time coal was being jettisoned in order to lighten up, the steamer with the object of towing her off.

TOTALLY DESTROYED. TAUMARUNUT, July 21. Early this morning a blaze destroyed the Public Works building at

Matiere. The building, which was comprised of three rooms, was levelled to the ground, and the contents, including valuable instruments and records, were destroyed.

DUNEDIN EXHIBITION. DUNEDIN, July 20,

The final general meeting of shareholders in the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition was held this afternoon for the purpose of confirming the liquidation resolutions passed on June 30. The meeting was brief, and was characterised by an air of cheerfulness, as becomes those who have had their part in a triumphant achievement. The formal resolutions were passed, the chairman, .Air Speight, mentioning that tile company would be able to pay 12s fid instead of iOs on September 2. The last act of all in the history of the enterprise was a resolution expressing appreciation of the services of the directors.

NEW AVIREI.ESS MAST. GUARANTEED TO STAND UP. AA'EL LIN G T ON. July 19. Of the many early inspirations in the evolution of wireless transmission stations, that of the high mast is one that has been proved correct by time and experience. Both the elevation of thS mast above the sea level and its height above the ground are important factors in long distance transmission, especially when, as in the case of Wellington, the station is surrounded by hills. It was in pursuance of this factor that the department built the recently wrecked mast r.n the windswept summit of Tinakori Hill, and the new mast is to bo placed on the some spot. Tt will he specially constructed to stand the maximum gale pressure. “AA’e will have something this time that will be guaranteed to stand up,” said Air Gibb. Chief Telegraph Engineer. “The metal is very expensive material, and the design is being very carefully considered. 81io present temporary mast, constructed of jointed telegraph poles and wire, is giving very satisfactory service considering its liurricd erection ; so much so that the department was recently in communication with a ship north of Tahiti.”

PIONEER DIES. GISBORNE, July 21. Alexander Mcßae, a slieep farmer and resident of Poverty Bay for 36 years, died this morning at the age of ninety-five. He arrived in New Zealand in 18(53. Landing at Lyttelton with only a pound in his pocket he obtained a position as a bullock driver, and later took up farming in the Aimiri District. ALL NONSENSE. “THAT INSANE LOOK.” AUCKLAND, July I!). “One hears a lot about being able to identify an inmate of a mental hospital by that insane look in the patient’s eye,” said Dr Gray, InspectorGeneral of Mental Hospitals, in addressing .Auckland Rotarians to-day. “But,” he added, “it is all nonsense.” He himself had in ail ordinary inspection approached a person and entered intp conversation with him oil the assumption he was a patient. Presently he was rescued from the misunderstanding by an epileptic patient, who stepped forward, nudged him knowingly, aiid whispered, "He’s not one of us, sir. He’s an attendant.’ That the inverse application brought similar results was shown at Nelson. It had been the custom of the Racing Club there to allow inmates of the local mental hospital to visit a race meeting once a year. On the occasion in question the doctor refused permission for the inmates to attend, as there was all epidemic at the time, and lie considered it undesirable. AA’hat. was his surprise to find quite accidentally that, several persons bad passed die gatekeeper without paying by using the hospital password, “mental.”

AFFORESTATION OF POOR LANDS. DUNEDIN, • July 19. At a meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce to-night, Mr J. B. Waters submitted a. report on the possibilites of afforestation on the poor land around Dunedin. A copy of the report has been sent to the Town Clerk, and the Chamber is urging the City Council Reserves Department to take up the matter in earnest and obtain all passible information and suggestions from its exports.

INFLUENZA. DUNEDIN, July 2l

A man, aged 21, from a Kaikorai Valley suburb, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonic influenza, making the third notification in the Otago-Southland district. CONSTABLE SENTENCED TO HARD LABOUR.DUNEDIN, July 21. At the Police Court, Rolit. Thomas Borneo White, a police constable, was sentenced to a. month’s hard labour for the theft of £2 from a city shop. Finding the door unlocked while he was on night duty, ho entered and took the money from a tobacco tin. The proprietress tackled him next morning, anu'later the accused gave back £2 10s. The matter, however, leaked out, and the accused admitted the offence to the Senior-Sergt. The Magistrate said it was a rare kind of offence for a constable in stealing property that it was his duty to protect. It could be dealt with only by imprisonment.