DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1927, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[by TELEGRAPH — r£R PRESS ASSOCIATION.] , A QUAKE. OPOTIKI. Feb. 26. A severe earthquake was felt here at 3.18 this morning lasting about a minute. No damage was done beyond a few instances of broken crockery. ROAD BLOCKED. GISBORNE. Feh. 26. Opotiki road was blocked with an extensive slip at Meremere Hill. Communication is being maintained by cars connecting both sides of the slip. ILLEGAL FISHING. DANNEVIRKE. Feb. 20. In. Ormntidville Magistrate’s Court.

three defendants. Basil Ellingsham, Donovan Edgecombe’ and Hector Olsen, for taking trout by other means than with a rod and line and fishing without a license were each fined £8 with costs, bringing the total which each defendant had to pay to Cl 1. 6s 6d. His Worship said if poaching continued he would inflict higher fines in future, if they wore deserved. ( THAMES HARBOUR. , THAMES. Feb. 26. Thames Harbour Board in a state- • meat on the progress of the work for ’ i which £56,000 was raised, show that s' £31,609 was spent on the works which j are progressing well. The engineer’s statement showed that the works will i he completed within his estimate. It i will be necessary to raise a further t £6,COT as allowed by the Act for rn.ile way siding and shoreward wharf np--ipraoebes, which were not in the oriy ginal scheme. The Board’s general v account shows over eight thousand .'sterling better than estimated last

r .Tune. The finances are in a very pross porous condition. / n A BANKRUPT’S DISCHARGE. y AUCKLAND, Feb. 20. This is a most unsatisfactory banket l'upte.y, said .Justice Hordman, in llie c Supreme Court when the application ol n John George Rutherford for discharge, if came boloi’e. The bankrupt started o business in 1918. His liabilities amounti. ' ed to £13.116 and assets realised only g .CSB7. be' asked was the National d Bank a signatory to the petition. > | Air Findlay said the General Alan, s , nver of the Bank explained that it wa; oj not its policy to sign such a petition, a I His Honour said the report showed d (]ie debtors 1921 balance 1 sheet did nol 1’ i disclose a liability of 221)00 borrowed J’j to buy ouL his former partner. '■ Air Einlav said the £2.100 was strictj lv a personal debt and had nothing tc ° do with the business of .1. G. Bulker dj fonl and Coy. As to the allegations ir > I regard to the 1 ii■ i warrants. Air Find - lay said they were given to the Ban! ■>'j when the debtor was away from Anck A J lund getting orders, by an ndniittce arranegment with a responsible officei I of the hank. The- debtor bad on no--6 fusions used money that, ought pro A’ porl.v to have gone to the hank as ai indication of the financial stability n ’> the firm. Air Finlay stated in 192.' Is the Bank increased the debtor’s over 5 “ draft from £IB9O to £6009. H wa: eventually acknowledged that, (lie E | debtor had not overstated or misrepre ’ seated his stock. The creditors were perfectly satisfied with his bonafido: c and were willing he should lie allowec 1_ to re-enter commercial life. •' His Honour said il was the duty c> the Court to try and cheek reckles: 10 trading. Tfe adjourned Iho applicatiot

for three months, and asked the assignee to submit a supplementary report. There was a charge that the debtor had obtained bond warrants from the bank, sold the goods and used the proceeds instead of paying them into the bank. That was a very serious allegation which the assignee might investigate.

BODIES RECOVERED. AUCKLAND. Feb. 25. The bodv of Robert Brown, who was drowned on February 20 when fishing in Rangitoto Channel, was recovered floating off Campbell Point this morning Deceased with" three other men was capsized from a small sailing boat. The other occupants were rescued by a launch after they had been clinging to the boat for nearly an hour. In Die meantime deceased bad disappeared. The body of Ira Croxon aged twentAtliree who was drowned '.it Punmurc Beach through the capsizing ol a canoe early last Sunday morning, was discovered floating ill the laniaki River to-dav. At the inquest evidence was given tiilit deceased with two companions attended a- dance at I akuranga on Saturday evening, and on returning went on board a y-icht Deceased went ashore in « collapsible canoe in response to a bail Horn two friends on shore who wished to sleep on the yacht. He informed them there wen* not sufficient blankets ami then set out to go hack to the yacht but the unine capsized. A companion from the yacht went to his assistance, but lost touch with him. A verdict of accidental drowning was returned. BREVCTJ OF CONTRACT. WELLINGTON. Feh. 25. Li |ho claim of Charles L. Hope, journalist, against the “New Zealand Times” for £->’ U>s xalu’y. allegedß due as the result, of breach of contract. Air Page. S.M.- said he had come to Die conclusion (bat plaintiff was entitled to a verdict. Counsel for plaintiff had framed iiis 9iso on the basis that She amount recoverable would ho the full amount plaintiff would have earned if he had served the period for which he had boon engagcti. but, in his opinion, the true moasnrof damage was the loss plaintiff had suffered by reason of the breach of contract. Tie proposed to allow evidence to ho called on this point before fixing the amount.

CHILD FALLS INTO COPPER AUCKLAND. Feh. 25

Through falling into \i copper of boiling water. Owen Edward Dunne, aged two years, received severe scalds from which lie died in the hospital to-day. The boy was at a friend’s house with his mother when the accident happened. He wV-s the only child of Air and Airs A. E. Dunne. Mount Eden. WELL-KNOWN DE-NTrsT DEAD WELLINGTON. Feb. 25. Air AValter Godfrey AlanLell. well known for many years as a surgeon dentist, died to-day. He bad been n> ill-health for some time. LEVEL GROUSING PA!ARIL AIABTON. Feb. 26. At a level crossing a low miles south of APirton yesterday, a steam lorry driven bv A. Push of Feilding. ran into the Smith bound New Plymouth express, ramming the second carriage. The- lorry was badly smashed. lne driver and passenger had narrow eseapc.s hut were unhurt, missing death lv -i few inches. It. i-; believed that a Maori passenger on the train bad slight injuries from flying glass. The railway carriage was not seriously damaged, the impact- being i glancing blow. MAX KILLED. GISBORNE. Ed). 26. Air A. B. AY beat, superintendent for (tie Taranaki Oil Coy was killed at

Tokomaru Bay last night, bv the overturning of a motor car which went over a bank filling about twenty feet. Wheat was an American engaged in .superintending the works at the new bore a few miles from Tokomaru Bay.