DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 February 1927, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

DT TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION-!

XEW PLYMOUTH, Eeb. 15

At the Supreme Court, Justice Ostler presiding, Leslie Mo\\ hirter appeared for sentence on a charge of forgery, an was admitted to probation for twelve months, on condition he paid two guineas, the costs ot the prosecu-

Robert Thomas Samuel Blown pleaded guilty to ten charges of indecent assault and indecent acts and was sentenced to two years’ bard la-

SIR 11. BRETT’S ESTATE. AUCKLAND.. Fob. 15

The executors in flic* estate of the late Sir Henry Brett announce be bequeathed £9350 to various philanthropic purposes. Eighteen old employees of the firm have been left bequests to a total of £4300, in addition to which every employee of (the "Star of 20 years’ standing henofits. There are also bequests to relatives in England and Canada. The residue of the estate is divided amongst his sons, daughters and grand-children.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT. DUNEDIN, Feb. 15

At tlie Police Court Robert- Brownlie was charged with disorderly conduct while drunk, and was fined £5 sterling. The police said accused only arrived a week ago from Glasgow. It was a sorry ease as accused seemed rather a decent clnin, but yesterday be behaved in rather an extraordinary manner. He pulled women's dresses in. the street and even spat at one.

PRISONER ESCAPES. AUCKLAND. Feb. 15,

Early this morning George M*! Ilium Thomas (34) escaped from AVaikune prison camp at Emm, about 5 miles from National Park railway station. Thomas is well-known to the police, especially of Auckland province, and travelled under several aliases. On October 29th. lie was sentenced to two years’ for receiving stolen property.

MAORI ENQUIRY. WATTARA. Feb'. 15

The sitting of the Royal Commission investigating native confiscation claims \v;is continued to-day. D. K. Smith, for petitioners advanced a- further contention that even if the Treaty of Waitangi had not existed the natives winded have been entitled to rights over their own territories. In support of this be cited the example of the settlement of North American Indians for whom separate reserves Mere created the balance of the tribal lands sold and the funds held in trust for the respective tribes. The commission is now taking evidence.

WOOD-BORING PEST. WELLINGTON. Feb. 14

The Hon. Mr TTnwkon, Commissioner of State Forests, to-day referred to the recent article by Dr Tillvard. of the Cawthroii Institute. Nelson, concerning the menace to pine forests by a timlver boring insect known its the giant horn tail (sttex invencus). He had been supplied with a report from Mr D. Miller, Government Entomologist. on the best, way of controlling the pest. The Minister stated that (he article as a whole uas misleading in iiiai 1 b** impression was given that (In* insect was a new development, that it was reaching Now Zealand in Oregon timber. that nothing was being done to control it, and that no control was practicable except by the use of parasites. “The statement that it reached New Zealand in Oregon timber is quite erroneous, sad Mr Hawken. “it was here Before that, and the evidence is fairly conclusive that it came direct from Europe. Dr Tillyard’s statement that parasites’ control is the only means of checking it is an unfortunate one, and fosters among plantation-own-ers and farmers the pernicious idea that one can give up all cultural and chemical control of pests and allow parasites to do the job for them. The same idea was prevalent in North America some years ago, but now farmers there have realised the error, and consider parasites merely as auxiliaries in control. “Plantation-owners in the Dominion'’ added Mr Hawken, “have been advised to remove and destroy all infesled trees and logs before summer each. year, and that 110 such pines should he left in the plantation after spring.”

SHARK' SCARE. AUCKLAND. Feb. H

A large shark, estimated to lie ahold 1 011. in length, was observed swimming in the harbour near Shelly Roach yesterday afternoon. Mr J. Walker, who was on shore, was the. first lo sight -the shark, and when he raised thi' alarm all the bathers made a hurried exit % from the water, and bathing at that spot ended for the day. 'l’he shark remained in the vicinity for some time and then swam away. TAYLOR’S TIDAL. NEW PLYMOUTH. February in. Stanley Emerson Carlyle Taylor was to-day indicted hero on three serious charges, one being that of the attempted murder of James Earrelly. nearTnngaragau. on November 1-1. 1920; and ill addition, alternatively, charged with shooting Earrelly so as to cause actual hodly harm, and with causing him actual bodily harm, under circumstances which, if the death of Earrelly had resulted, would have rendered the accused guilty of manslaughter. Taylor is a farmer of Tangarakau, and came up for trial before Mr Justice Ostler, in the Supreme Court. The Grand Jury returned “Xo Rill” on the first two counts. A true hill was found only on tlio third count.

The ease arose out of the incident near Taylor’s house in the hill country beyond Tahora. Earrelly, who. it is alleged, had made himself a nuisance m the district by his strange and threatening conduct, called on Taylor one morning and demanded breakfast. An argument followed. The affair ended when Taylor borrowed a dotible-barreT-led shotgun from the neighbourhood, and Earrelly received the full charge in his face.

Taylor’s defence is that he had to arm himself with the gun in self defence. and that when he was endeavouring to take Earrelly in charge, in order to hand him over to the police, his gun accidentally went off. The hearing of the third charge occupied the Court all day. an adjourn ment being taken after the conclusion of the evidence for the defence.