DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1927, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[EY TELEGRAPH-—rER PRESS ASSOCIATION.} RAINS CONTINUE. BRISBANE. .Jan. 2G. Heavy rains continue in various parts of the State and extensive damae is done to the railways, which will involve the Department in a huge expenditure. Reports from the Railway j Commissioner show rain is falling , heavily in the South eastern division, causing flood troubles, but have affected sections of the railways. Reports from various country centres state enormous damage was caused by raging streams and flood waters. 'Hie Mary River at Gympie is still risin ■ ! and has submerged all houses and shops in the low-lying parts. The town of Maryborough is also threatened by the flood, and business people are preparing | to move their goods. ;

wheat dumping. CHRISTCHURCH. .Tan. 20. At a meeting of wheat growers mid business men to-day, to consider the need of a dumping duty on Australian flour, the President of the A. and P. Association (Mr Coop) said farmers should not sell their wheat fill the Government guvo their protection. The President of the Chamber of Commerce said his organisation supported the farmers in a request for a strong dumping duty. The following resolution was carried unanimously:—“That n deputation be appointed to approach the ActiugPrimo Minister and .Minister of Customs to urge the imposition of a dumping duty on imports of Australian flour as soon as possible.” _

A SALE OF BEER. AUCKLAND, Jan. 25,

As an outcome of an incident on the night of December 10, when two men were supplied with seven bottles of beer in the street outside the Alexandra Hotel, the licensee. Albert Edwarct Neville, was lined CIO with easts in the Police Court, Mr Hunt, S.iM. entering a conviction on a charge of selling liquor in contravention of section 190 of the Licensing Act. Rupert Bell, a carter, who was sometimes employed on Saturday afternoons and holidays as barman, was fined £5 on a charge of supplying liquor to a person who was not at the time entitled to he supplied. The Magistrate said Neville had set up several defences:—(l) That seven bottl es of beer were sold by him to Bell for his own 'consumption; (2) that the beer was not supplied on the premises; (3) that ho was only responsible for wlmt Bell did as barman, and that his sale of beer was outside the scope of his authority. The iir.st defence was a question of fact, land he did not believe the statement. “If I did not bclievo it,” said Mr Hunt, “the sale would he illegal unless the liquor was sold for consumption on the premises.” The third defence might have been an answer had Bell opened the Bar unknown. to the licensee, but he had given Neville the 7s when lie was in the bar. Neville handed over the liquor without asking any questions or taking any precautions Be therefore had to bo convicted . i

DAIRY PRODUCE. OVERSEAS QUOTATIONS. WELLINGTON, Jan. 25. The New Zealand Dairy Produce Board has received the following cubegrain from its Loudon office, dated January 22: “Butter.—Prices unaltered. Australian salted. 1 Otis to 170 s; Australian, unsnlted. I"Cs to 1745; stored, lfijs to lifts. Argentine. 156 sto It’Os. Dutch, unsnlted !BSs to 1925. Danish. 170 s. “F.o.b. Copenhagen price now 'advance 1 172 s to 171 s and cleared. “Market ra.nail’s quiet, new season’s best. hut last two days showed improved demand. Ant wipnie continued improvement. Considerable side stored, round 4045. Retail prices unchanged. France, .Germany, markets unchanged. “Totai New Zealind, Australian and Argentine butter ailoat January 20. ■•120.0011 compared with 699.091) last year.

“Cheese.—New Zeal md prices unchanged. Market firm, with steady demand. Australian finest coloured. 93s to 945. Stocks practically cleared. Canadian finest white and coloured. 90s 4o 100 s. Demand steady. English finest farmers 108 s to 112 s. Good demand. Retail prices unchanged.

“New Zealand ami Australian cheese afloat January 20 shows 50.000 crates less same date 1926.” The hoard has also received the following calve advice from its agent ■ n Canada, dated January 22: —“Butter. New York, 471 cents (4s 41Jd). Statistical position improving. Montreal, lit ecus (Is 8?d) ; Sun Francisco. 49 cents (2s Old). Cheese—Montreal 19) cents fOfd). Market, firm.”

EGG STORAGE. WELLINGTON. Jan. 25. The number of eggs and the amount of egg pulp in cold storage during November and December last have been furnished by the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Fraser) to the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. Mr 'Bollard). Tile returns, which will bo interesting and of value to those engaged in the poultry industry, are as follow: For November—-Eggs in shell (do/..) : North Island, 19.335; South Island, 18,92-L Egg pulp (lb) : North IsLnid, 471.084 ; South Island, 147.101. For December—Eggs in shell (do/,.) : North Island, 21.219; South Island, 22.183. Egg pulp (Hi): North Island, 505,783; South Island,' 242,574.

LABOUR FOR HARVEST.. ASHBURTON, Jan. 23

Owing to «tho ,delayed harvesting there are now in Ashburton .awaiting work many men from various centres, notably Marlborough, where the greater part of the harvesting has been completed. As listul. the majority are young, and include many from the North Island. It is stated that some of the harvesters are declining work that does not carry payment at the rate of 2s an hour, the prevailing rate being Is 9d, though' numbers, anxious to get to work, have accepted Is 6d, and even Is 3d. These men, therefore, have already made a small cheque, while their colleagues arc bolding out for more, but seldom getting it. Next week, when, if the present weather conditions continue.' the harvesting of the county’s grain will be in full swing, there will he a. greater demand for. labour, but it is problematical whether they will all get the desired 2s an hour. An unusual position has arisen on account of the large number of men avho have “taken to the road” in preference to registering with labour bureaux. Since the war there lias been a noticeable diminution in the number of • ■'swaggers,” but this year they are to be met with in all parts of the county, and, calling at farms oil their v(ay, they are being taken on in large numbers. These men are of the type who will undertake the work without any haggling over financial matters, and in most cases they are proving satisfactory to their employers.

MEDICAL CONGRESS DELEGATES. AUCKLAND, Jan. 25. The first of the Australian delegates to the Congress of Australian and New Zealand members of the British Medical Association at Dunedin next month, arrived here by the Ulimaroa this evening, the visitors being Sir James Barrett and Dr 11. Beatty. Sir Janies Barrett is lecturer on the physio ogy of the special senses at the Melbourne University, and is a member of the Council of the University. Sir James, speaking of the Congress, mid one of the most important papers would he a general statement setting out the present position of the cancer problem. The formation of the proposed Australasian College of Surgeons would also be discussed. WELLINGTON GAS CO. WELLINGTON. Jan. 25. The 57th annual report of the We’lingtou Gas Company, to be presented on February Bth. states that after payment of the interim dividend of four per cent, on the ordinary shares, the year’s dividend on the preference shares, providing for depreciation of

plant, buildings, and machinery, also for depreciation reserve, the profit and loss balance amounts to £35,277 Os sd, which it is proposed to appropriate as follows:—-To pay a. further dividend of 4 per cent (making 8 per cent for the year) £11,152,85, and to carry forward the balance of £24,124 12s sd. ; SALE OF car. BREACH OF WARRANTY.

CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 2GA reserved judgment was given by Mr H. A. Young, S.M., in the Alagistrutes Court yesterday in the tfase in which R. B. Owen, tailor, of Clirist-

church, claimed from A. J. Dyason, company, manager, of Christchurch, the sum of £125 as damlnges for fraud or breach of warranty in the sale of a Buich motor-car for £325 in December, 1924. A further £l3 was claimed for repairs which, it was said, delendant promised to do. In his judgment the Magistrate said that the car, a 1920 model, had been represented by the defendant to be a 1922 model. The evidence satisfied him tint his representation was given and taken as a warranty and defendant know that plaintiff was relying on the truth of this statement, and it was his intention that it should be relied upon and taken as part of the bargain. There was among the experts a conflict of opinion las to the value of the car when it was purchased by plaintiff. but ho (the Magistrate) was of opinion that the diminution in value owing to its being a, 1920 instead of 1922 moddl was £OO. Judgment was given for £6O for the plaintiff, but the Magistrate was not satisfied that plain till' was entitled to tho £lB claimed.

TIPSY IN MOTOR. AUCKLAND, January 20. An Indian, fruiterer, Lula l’archotani, was lined £ls in the Police Court lor being intoxicated while in charge ot a motor truck, and tiis driving license was cancelled until the end of March. Sergeant Flanagan said that he was riding on a tram car when lie saw the Indian at the wheel of a light motor truck, which was zig-zagging down Queen Street towards the Phoenix Chambers, where the City Fire Brigade was extinguishing an outbreak. There was a crowd of on lookers gathered in the street, and, realising that the Indian was driving in a dangerous manner. tin’ Sergeant jumped from the tram, and arrested ’.him as the motor truck slowed down.

When it was pointed out that the Indian earned his living by using the mnror truck, and that the deprivation of the right to drive would handicap him severely. Mr Hunt, S.M., said that something drastic had to he done to put) down drunkenness among motorists. Tf a man touched liquor, ihe should keep out of his car, and go home. Drunken motorists could not he tolerated on the streets. Usually he lined the offenders £25, but. in view of the circumstances, he had decided to cut it down to £lO.

DEAD BY ROADSIDE. TIMARU. January 23.

John Taylor, aged about 55 years, who for some years was a ship’s cook, and who latterly had been working ashore as a cook, was found dead on the roadside near Burke’s Pass, 17 miles from Fairlie. He had been cooking on a station in the Mackenzie country, and he was walking to Fairlie when it is supposed that he was taken ill and expired oil the roadside. He was a native of London, and so far as is known, he had no relatives in the Dominion. WELLINGTON SENBATTON. WELLINGTON. Jan. 26. Another stage in the Federated S<**I’u n’s Union I rouble was reached today. when a Commission of Inquiry which had been sitting for some time previously, delivered a report to a special meal ing of ihe members. aft which, it is stilted. Hie Secretary of the Union. Mr W. T. Young, and his assistant.. Mr Frank C. Howell, were formerly retired from office. Four others were also struck off the I’liion's membership. A notice was posted outside the office of the Union, which set out in some detail the result of the Commission’s investigations.

It, stated that tlie report findings and reronmiendptions were adopted by 184 votes to 2.

| Tt seams flint exception was taken to I founding a second Union, to which funds amounting to £2,000 were alleged j to have been transferred without legal authority, r.ud iVdemand was made that Ibis sum he refunded to tin* Union. The meeting appointed the following l.oiiiporn rv officers :—• President. Mr F. P. Walsh. Secretary. Mr Felix Ncwfiold. Vice-President. Mr Maurico Wall. Treasurer, Mr P. "A. Butler. With regard to organisation, the notice issued states that the Union is now restored to its original basis and that steps wi'il he taken to hold a national election of officers ns soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. TOO MANY TEACHERS. WELLINGTON. Jan. 20. Replying to a. deputation-from the Wellington Education Board to-day re there being a surplus of teachers the Hon R. A. Wright (Minister of Education) affirmed thfcit steps must be taken to ensure that a surplus did not recur, by providing that no more students were trained than could be absorbed.