DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1926, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEGRAPH-PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. CALL SUSTAINED. CHRISTCHURCH. Aug. 30. The Presbytery to-day sustained a call from Hokitika to Rev. John Hayward. of Spreydoa. BODY FOUND. \EW PLYMOUTH, Aug. 30. The body of Norman Gilbert who lias been missing since the 22nd., was found in Pukekura Park yesterday by a high-school hoy, among shrubs in an unfrequented spot. His throat was severely cut and left arm slashed with a razor found alongside the body. A nolo written in pencil and enclosed in an envelope stated : “So sorry this had to happen; it had to be.” De-l-eased who was at one time a dentist, and afterwards a farmer, had been in had health. KAWARAU DA.M. GATES OF DAM CLOSE TO-DAY. DUNEDIN, Aug. 30. During the week-end all claim holders arrived at Queenstown for the closing of the gates of Kawainu Dam to-day. Tine* Auck’! an (I companies have a. Yukon miner in charge, who is going to work the precipitous claims by a novel ingenious device. In line with the gorge lie has erected standards and along the cliff edge a wire rope hung with block and tacklo chair so that miners may move along the cliff lace at any height. This is the only elevation chair on the whole length of the river. Insurance necessary to indemnity the Government against claims as grantor of license (fifty thousancT sterling) have been arranged to the minors satis!' action and Lett thousand collateral deposit required of the company is lodgtd with the Public Trustee. .Men were working in the dam this morning right up to the moment of Plosing the, sluice gates. The approximate weight of the dam structure is 12 thousand tons. AN ESTATE. AUCKLAND. -Aug. 30. The late F. W. Fischer, who fur manv years carried on a second band dealers business in A\ akofiold Street, left a. fortune of eighteen thousand pounds. The house and furniture was bequeathed to i housekeeper and the remainder to a sister in Adelaide. . A UNIQUE BEQUEST. HAMILTON. Aug. 30. A bequest unique in the history ol Dominion sport, lias been made by the late Herbert Smith, formerly a Wellington and Hami-tim resident, wlu> died at Brisbane recently. Ten thousand pounds were left under the will for the promotion of healthy pastimes, lor the purpose of creating a better physical standard of the Dominion’s youth. About £I7OO is available year•y for a period of seven years.

THERMAL. PHENOMENON. WANG AN UT. Aug. 27. A report was received in Wanganui last evening that the d'-ilcr hi he al Ruapehu Inis been frozen over for the first time. In past years the lake lias lie-eii hot, and on a number of occasions climbers have bathed in it. The thermal phenomenon lias excited peculiar interest in view ol the increased activity ol Ngnnrnhoe three months ago. Little scientific data, lias been compiled relating to the temper '- Giro in the Sake, but. there is no ques-

tion that a few years ago it regularly stood at 81) degrees Kali., and in 1922 reached a, heat of 109 degrees. Since that date it has become steadily cooler. Sind the ice cold water has no attractions for climbers now. The freezing of the fake will probably affect the sifpliurous nature of the w.mgaelm River, which rises m the lake and Hows out a few miles bclow WangamiL The Ruapehu ski sports are hemg held either or. Saturday nr Monday. The weather is good, hut snow conditions are very poor. The sports will take place at a higher altitude than is usually the ease. OMINOUS FACT. STANDARD OF PRODUCTION. DUNEDIN. Aug. 17.

In a review of the year at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr F. M. Shortt. retiring prestdent, stated that the most ominous fact in New Zealand industry was the star-nation of output. With all moderi”appliances and education New Zealand was producing per capita " more than twenty-five years ago. Hoi best productive year since the beginning of the century was 1910-11. 1 ak-in-"that vein’s volume per head as represented by the figure 1030, then in 1915-10 production had fallen to • while in 1920-21 it was down to 800, from which point it had risen again m 1923-24 to 945. . . . “The genernl indication is Hint we wo not producing as much per head as we were fifteen years ago. and that from 1918 to 1922 the volume of production was astonishingly low.’ Shortt added. "It is quite possible that the. best tiling that can happen to this country is a period of fnl mg prices, such as our fathers had to contend with in the eighties. New Zetland has so many physical advantages, so much in the way of fine, wholesome social conditions, that it would be a thousand pities if we deluded ourselves into depending on the chance always

of high prices in London, or developed the spendthrift idea of raising i lean overseas whenever we are hard up So far as can be seen, we have come to the end of high prices m London.’’

CHASE AFTER JOYRIDERS. WELLINGTON. Aug. 2,. •V thrilling, but fruitless, pursuit of a i o v-rider occurred last- night about nine o’clock at .Tames Smith’s corner There was a scream, followed by a crash as a motor took a verandah post. A policeman edged through the rap.d-L-growing crowd with a m ‘■What’s the meaning of this.The youthful driver, despite a girl’s protest, jammed in his clutch am tO Th(-'"constable was taken aback, but soon recovered himself and a tow moments later was dashing m hot puisuit in another car along Courtenay P a around Basin Reserve and tl on h Newtown at a thrilling speed, but -c fugitives got away. ru.-wles The stolen car belonged to tha Rough.

alliance protest. PALMERSTON NORTH A largely attended P«Mw ertin. w-is held last evening at t- <• of the Council of Christian^oiigiegato hear adt icet ,. Brown and A. L- kIP spea kers sing amendment bill die l „ucl .l.e '.ill ■ nn( l undemocratie. the measure for an uuiea-t ties for the sale iql ' l ” ' a deputation At the public metti \ ant j from the ‘ e " ch rR t ian Congregations Council -it p who con- - M n r rJeoliition to Mr sented to comer the re Coates.