DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 March 1927, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[by TELEGRAPH— PER PRESS association.]

loaded pea rifle CHRISTCHURCH, March 13. « On, Saturday evening between 9 and 10 o’clock, Edward .James Brownie, aged 55 years, of Fitzgerald Avenue, was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital suffering irom a bullet wound in tin.' right chest. His /account of the incident. when the police interviewed him, was that he was cleaning <a pea rifle, and was unaware that it was loaded, when the cartridge tired.

EIRE AT CHRISTCHURCH. ( URL i CHURCH. March 13

At 2." t !>i - morning, a file occurred in a I'.' goods shop. No (31. Colombo 1 (i’ll, Sydenham, occupied by ■Mr L. -I. Mar.sack. and owned by .Mrs E. C. Perkins. Considerable damage was done to the shop, and the building was also damaged, hut less severely. '1 lie stock wjs insured for £350 and the fittings in the same office for £l5O.

LINER, AFIRE. AUCKLAND, March 13

The liner Kin Ora arrived at Auckland irnin Liverpool yesterday. She had m narrow,escape from being badly damaged by lire in October, when oil the way from Wellington to London with a valuable cargo ot New Zealand produce. A fire was discovered among the coal in the cross bunkers three days ’after the vessel left Wellington. Before the outbreak could he extinguished, the iron bulkhead dividing the hunkers front No. 3 Hold became red hot. The fire spread to the reserve hunker of coal. No 3 Hold, ’teen decks, above the burning coal, was filled with inllaiumable cargo, consisting of wool and (lax. Mild a large quantity ol hales of hay consigned to the Falkland Islands.

To prevent the outbreak from spreading. all the cargo in tile 'tween decks .was thrown overboard. The officers and crew were then better able to ligln the fire, hut. altogether, it took about 12 days to extinguish the outbreak. The fire in the hold w’.is subdued by filling the compartment with gas pumped from a patent lire extinguisher in I lie engine room. The master, officers and crew had a strenuous time until the danger was over. It was solely due to. their untiring efforts that the vessel was not burnt at sen. FINED FOR, OBSTRUCTION. CHRISTCHURCH, March I t. The Magistrate to-day fined Douglas Alexander Robertson . aged 20. £3, in default seven days, for obstructing the police oil Saturday, during the Royal visit, by climbing under a rope and refusing to budge. The police said the youth had had drink.

A NARROW ESCAPE. ASHBURTON. March II

■lames Headers in. a retired shepherd, laid a narrow escape from death at Havelock St. crossing on Saturday evening. He walked in front of a shunting engine, that fortunately was not trave’liug. fast, and was thrown down and two ribs broken.

FARMERS' UNION. GISBORNE. .March II

The Farmers' Union on Saturday discussed the allegations of Rev. Dolby concerning the treatment of hoy immigrants. The general opinion of members was that boys were well treated. It was decided to support representations to Government for a full enquiry into the allegations. The Farmers’ Union discussed the new freezing workers’ award, and unanimously decided to f'onvaid a remit to the Dominion Executive, urging the abolition of the Arbitration Court, the Chairman remarking that the Court was merely tying more stones around the necks of fanners. The meeting al“0 decided to urge headquarters to advocate a remission of the land lax to enable fanner.-, to employ more labour. A FI HE. HAMILTON March 11. ; A six-roomed house, owned and occupied by F. W. Kemp, was totally destroyed by lire at Hamilton at midnight. The occupants lost everything, escaping in their night attire only. They were asleep when the outbreak occurred and had a narrow escape, i Insurances on building and contents total HI 700.

MOTOR FATALITY. DANNEVIRKE. March II

A motor accident on Saturday evening resulted in tne death of Fretjof James Smith. 2f>, single, son of James Smith, an old resident of Dannevirke. Deceased was driving a car belonging to Ernest Bull proceeding to a house in Stanley Street, where Bull resides. Ernest Sharp was also in the car, hut got out to open n gate to allow the car to turn off the road into Bull’s place. lie had only proceeded about a length when it lelt the road and 101 l over a banka few feet and subsequently rolled down a hank another 311 or 10

feet, coming to rest near a stream oil its wheels. Bull escaped without a scratch hilt Smith was found unconscious lying across the door, hall in and half out of the car. and .succumbed to a fractured skull. Deceased was well known in football and lire brigade circles.

MAN DROWNED. AUCKLAND. March II

Arthur Frederick Gungall, 04. a resident of Ponsonby, was drowned ill the harbour on Sunday. He was fishing from a dinghy half a mile from the beach in company with G. I. Chambers, and landed a large schimpper, which lie struck with a ht*a\\ board, damaging the side of the dinghy which sprung a leak and sank, (■ungall swam a short distance and sank. Oh ain tiers got hold of him and held him ni>. while A. lv. Lutterworth rowed to their assistance. Chambers got aboard but Gungall could not be lifted, and was held up by men in the boat till the shore was reached. Gungall was in a bad state and collapsed, and artificial respiration failed. He loaves a widow and two sons. He was formerly in business ns a photographer at flaw era.

WHALING SHIPS’ SUCCESS. INVERCARGILL, Afareh 14. The Sir Jas. Clark Ross and live whale chasers returned from the Antarctic to Stewart Island on Saturday. The number of whales captured was 204, yielding 22,5C0 barrels of oil. The remainder of the lleet, including the factory ship C. A. Larsen, intend to remain until 30,000 barrels are obtained. valued at £300,000. Another Norwegian Company with headquarters at Hobart, also operating in Ross Sea. report a very successful

season. Severe weather was experienced and a large amount of drifting ice encountered, one berg rising 300 feet. COMPENSATION CLATAL GISBORNE. .March 14. The first claim beard in Gisborne under the new legislation dealing with municipal ownership of transport services, was called at the Compensation Court to-day. when Louis John Coliam proceeded against the Gisborne Borough Council for compensation for taking over buses to be used in municipal services. Plaintiff claimed £3230 as the value of the plant. Justice Ostler sat with assessors.

DISPUTE SETTLED. CHRISTCHURCH. March 14. A dispute between If,he Lyttelton watersiders and employers regarding the number of men to be employed in gangs has been settled and work was resumed on tl>? old basis,