DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1927, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BX TELEGRAPH PJiR PRESS ASSOCIATION.] PICTURE THEATRES. EXPENDITURE IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, Minch 24. ft is definitely stated that about tlie middle of the year a start will be made with the rebuilding of the Empress Theatre, in Willis street, with additional access from Bouleott street. It, is understood that the cost wiif he approximately £170,000. Looking back over the last three or four years, it will be seen that nearly half a million sterling has been spent on new buildings and rebuilding picture theatres, irrespective of very considerable sums in renovations, running into several 1 thousands of pounds. Some three or four years ago the King’s Theatre was practically rebuilt, at a cost of £15.000: then came the l>e Luxe Theatre, with £IOO,OOO for the building and another £40,000 for the site and the properties involved in it; the Paramount is now under-

going reconstruction, at a round figure of £25,000; the Regent Theatre, a <T. C. Williamson enterprise, opened recently. cost £00,000; Princess Theatre last year had £3OOO spent on it- in modernising it. Renovations and resenting at tlie Opera House a year or so ago cost several thousands of pounds, and a- considerable sum has also been expended at His Majesty’s. Now a grand organ has been installed at De Luke Theatre, at a total cost of £II.OOO. Allowing £IO.OOO for renovations and seating, the total expenditure approximates to £500,000. Tt will give some idea of the development of the picture theatre business in New Zealand when it is stated that a recent valuation of the picture industry in the Dominion showed that the capital invested was about C12,000,000, and in 'Wellington ai’one it was estimated that 13 per cent, of the population attended the pictures nightly.

PILOT APPOINTED. WELLINGTON, March 28. David M. Todd, second officer of the Makttrn has been appointed junior pilot (.if Wellington Harbour Board ■and takes up his duty on May Ist. He is a son of Captain David Todd, senior master in tiie Union Coy’s service. The new pilot’s sea experience was all with the same company. His elder brother is also on a Union Coy’s ship and was lately second officer of the Manuka AGAINST PRICE FIXING. STRATFORD. -March 28. A special meeting of shareholders ol the Xgaere Dairy Company passed the following resoi’ution :—That delegates he sent to Palmerston North with definite instructions to support any proposal. even to the abolition of the Control Board, having for its object the prevention of a recurrence of any disastrous policy, such as price fixing, instituted by tilt' Board. A STOW A WAV. AUCKLAND. March 28. Nicola Katrina, aged 30. was charged at the Poi’ico Court with having stowed away on the Niagara oil Febrtijfry 511). The Italian Consul stated lie saw accused three months ago, when lie said bis name was Nicola Coi’onba. Me was not an Italian subject, but a Jugo-Slav. He was an undesirable immigrant. Accused said be left Auckland with a passport and it was •stolen from him. Accused was sentenced to one month's imprisonment, pending authority from Wellington for Ills deportation.

SHIPPING FACILITIES. DUXEWX, -March 2s. A deputation, representing the Chamber of Commerce, Alaiiufacturcrs’ Association “ and other organisations waited on the.' Prime Minister this morning urging provision for better snipping facilities between the South Isi'aitd, Australia and the Islands. It : was emphasised that there was only an , irregular three weekly service between , Melbourne and the Bluff and that trade in the south was suffering consequently. It was also urged to do the best to arrange for a direct boat from the Islands to call at Dunedin. Afr Coates said a Parliamentary Commission would take evidence on the question of shipping facilities. I I GAAITNG ACT CASE. | J. ALVR.TTXPALF. IN COURT. 1 WELLINGTON. March 2(5. j “It is frequently said that big book- ] makers are never brought before the j Court and that only the small nfan is i interfered with, hut this man is one ! of the biggest in New Zealand.” said | Chief Detective Ward in the .Magistrate’s Court to-day, when JTdin Alartindnle admitted eleven charges of having ’todten bets at totnlisator odds. “Defendant is a member of tlie firm of Scott and Afartindale, wealthy bookmakers and Ins been carrying on business for a number of years,” Chief-De-tective Wuril continued. “He goes round hotels and has agents Pricing bets. Tt is said on race days that the lv.tr of the hotel lie uses as headquarters resembles a reading room, so numerous are the double charts and day cards. When arrested he had a settling hook in his possession, showing what lie had to pay out. land sixty-eight double charts and other betting material.”

j _anr reaimon : ine .let provides jo three months 7 imprisonment or a fin of £2O. Mr Treadwell: 1 do not think hi "Worship will oonsider imposing a torn of imprisonment in this case. Tt i untrue that Martindnle is a member o a wealthy firm of bookmakers. He i not a member of any firm wealthy o , otherwise. He returned from the wa after serving five years. Because hi: nerves were shattered lie has beei tillable to do any heavy work. Hi tried farming, and had to give it up fie lias never been convicted before It must be borne in mind that lute he been carrying on the business o bookntaking any length of time he would have been apprehended before now. Chief Detective W-ircl: Martindak was before the Court in 1921, luii elected to be dealt with at the Supreme Court, where lie was acquitted. The Magistrate: These appear tc have been his first offences. I propose I to deal with them on that basis. There i is no doubt that defendant has been betting on a fairly large scale. Ho is convicted and fined £lO on each of eleven charges, in default one month, and is given till Monday to find the

Air Treadwell, for Mnrtindalc, said that the Chief Detective had made remarks which, although quite good from n newspaper point of view, had no nearing on the present charges. His client was not charged with carrying on the business of a bookmaker, but with having nuade a number of bets. Tlie maximum penalty for making a oet was £2O.