DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1927, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BV TELEGRAPH PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] COMMISSION’S DEPORT. WELLINGTON, April 28. Holding that the Proprietary Articles Trade Association is a combination likely to unduly encourage a re-credit system dangerous to the public interest ami generally retrogressive, the majority of the committee of inqury appointed by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon A. D. AleLood), recommends that the Government to arrange, if necessary, for the making of regulations to prevent the Association from operating in New Zealand.

Tbe member who dissents contends that the public- interest would not bo adversely affected by tbe operations of the organisation, and that, any governmental attempt at its suppression would be difficult to enforce, and would hamper the business of tbe manufacturer and trader.

The report was considered to-day bv Cabinet and was released for publication bv i-Alr McLeod. Tbe Committee consisted of Messrs AY. B- Hayward (manufacturer, Dunedin), M. J. Deardon (farmer workers’ representatice on the Court of Arbitration), and Air J. W. Collins (Secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce). Air Hayward was the dissentient.

OPIUAI FINE. AYELLINGTON. April 28. A (‘hinose. Joe All AA’ing, aged 40. Haining Street, to-day was lined £-.5 for being in the possession ol opium. The police bad difficulty in getting | into tbe premises, which were barricaded at the time of the raid. RIVAL SEA Al UN’S UNIONS. AYELLINGTON, April 28. The ease ill which Janies Brennan, seaman, claimed £SO damages irom 1. | I>. AA'alsh (Wellington), F. New field (Lyttelton) and the AYellington Federated Seamen's Industrial Union of "Workers, on the ground that he had wrongfully been prevented from obtaining employment by throats against his prospective employers, was continued to-day. At the outset leave was granted to amend the amount of claim to £l9O. as it was problematical, said Air D. R. Hoggard.in making the application in view of the position on the waterfront, whether Brennan would be able to secure work for some time. Further evidence was called lor the plaintiff. Air Hay cross-examining as previously, with a view to showing the legal status of the rival organisations. BUItGLADY CHARGES. PALAIERRTON N.. April 29. Breaking an entering premises seems the sort of mania with me, and I cannot help it. was the statement made to detective officers by AA illiam A ietor Haslam. aged 20, who pleaded guilty at the Court this morning to a charge of breaking and entering and one of theft from a dwelling. Accused told detectives he came from England in March last year and was going to work at Linton. Tools found on him were intended for further house breaking, sad Detective Russell. Accused was committed! to the Supreme Court at AYellington for sentence. A SAD DEATH. AUCKLAND, April 28. AYitli the arrival of the Hinomoa at Auckland from the South Sea Islands came a sad story ol tbe breaking up of a. hopeful partnership through the death at Sunday Island on March 23 of C. 11. Parker. Some five months ago Air Parker and two companions, Alonm-s A. Bacon and J. Ashworth, were landed at Sunday Island, a lonely outpost of the Kcrmadec group, and it was their intention to bring under cultivation an area of 270 acres owned by Parker. Alessrs Bacon and Ashworth returned by the Ilinemoa. “About March 21 it was noticed that Parker had poisoned his linger,’’ stated Air Bacon. “Except for iodine and bandages we had no medical gear, but we did our best lor him. His condition became worse and lie stiflerod great pain. Two days later lie died, and we buried him on the island. AA e made a cross out of wood and put it up on bis grave. AA’itli his death we had no option but to come back to Auckland. By bis will lie left the land to bis brother in England, but lie also provided that we could go back and work it. It is quite possible we shall do this.”

Speaking of the island .Mr Bacon stated that it comprised over 7009 acres, and except lor the area owned by Parker belonged to the Xew Zea land Government. For the past ten or twelve years the island had been uninhabited. When the party was land ed with stores five months ago by the Hineinoa they had a hard battle to cut their way through the bush to Parker’s land. The homestead was not lit to live in and they built a home for themselves. Their food consisted of taro, a form of native potato, fish, goat’s flesh. bananas and oranges. There were thousands of goats on the island, and no difficulty was experienced in shooting them.

Air Ashworth, who previously had some experience in tobacco planting, said the rich soil was particularly adapted for tobacco. They had planted a considerable area in tobacco plants and some of them bad reached a height of ten feet. Maize also grew very well.

FI YE YEARS FOR FORGERY. AUCKLAXD, April 28. “I must say ]’m astonished at the facility with which Auckland tradesmen cashed cheques for this man,” said Mr Justice Stringer this morning in the case of Alfred Hinton, who came up for sentence on live charges of forgery. The Prosecutor stated that Hinton had obtained £209 in a month. The usual method was to present a cheque for about £lB and to declare that this was for one month’s wages.

His Honor added that the facility with which Hinton was allowed to obtain money was a direct inducement to crime. Only on two occasions were questions asked. The Judge was astonished at the prisoner’s moderation. Accused was sentenced to five years imprisonment and was declared an habitual criminal.

DAIRY BOARD. AVELLIXGTOX. April 28. Three producers' representatives are seeking re-election to the Dairy Export Control Board, these being Messrs W, Goodfellow. H. D. Forsyth and J. Thacker. Nominations close on May 20th. and it is expected that there will be a contest in every ease. The ballot is conducted by an officer of the Department. of Agriculture through the post, and all votes must he polled by June loth. The method of voting is that suppliers of factories vote in factory groups, and individual securing a majority at a factory is entitled to have the tonnage of that factory counted in his favour on the final count, which is on the basis of dairy production. Tonnage votes are based on one vote for every twenty tons up to 500 tons of butter, thereafter one vote for every thirty tons. The computation of votes in the case of cheese is that two tons of cheese are equal to one of butter.

HOUSE DESTROYED BY LAAIP EXPLOSION. AVHANGAREI, A prill 28. AA'ben F. I/ong, a miner at Kikuiangi. was filling a carbide lamp oil his bicycle preparatory to going to 7 ) work, an explosion occurred destroying the cottage and furniture. The house was insured for £3OO and the contents for £230.

FREEZING COY ACTION. DUNEDTN. April 29. Trouble developed among the butchers at the Fincgnnd Freezing AA'orks, B:\lelutha. yesterday. The men insisted on a butcher being employed who had come from Burnside, but bad notprev iously been working at I* inegand. Tbe Manager objected. Tbe men presented an ultimatum to-day. The Directors of the South Otago Freezing Coy. held a meeting at the works in the morning. The result was that tlia men were informed that if they did not 3* reconsider their attitude, they all be paid of? at 1 o clock. The butchers refusing to give way. Accordingly they were paid off. This afternoon, at the sale.vnrds, Air John Christie, one of the Directors, - addressed the assembled farmers to make an appeal for their volunteer labour to man the killing board till the end of the season. Farmers who we"o present endorsed the stand taken by the directorate. It is thought that there will he little difficulty experi- t enced in carrying on. , . - X. Air Christie stated that everything had been working so smoothly at the works, the relationship between the workers and the management being all that could be desired. The demand made by the butchers came “ like a I bolt from the blue,” but the directors were detet mined not to be dictated to in that manner. Tf the men bad a real grievance the directors would have been only too pleased to remedy it, but tbe manageu.ent objected . to being forced to employ a man against its wislte*.

INCOME TAX EVASION. AYELLINGTON. Apiil 29. Having under-stated income bv £9,711 since 1917, thereby evading payment of income tax to the of £9413, Herbert Hepwortli, chemist, Palmerston North, was fined a total of £SOO bv Air Page S.AL, to-day. -A-** Air tudhope. for tbe Department, said that defendant had returned less than one-third of his income. The tax paid was about one-sixth of what it should have been. Air Tudliope said that defendant bought the Palmerston business in 1917 for £IO,OOO to be paid in instalments. Up to December, 192(5, aparently ho found tbe strain on bis resources too great and to meet bis adopted tlie course followed. He proliable felt bis needs were greater than the State’s. He had returned a total income of £1,(126, instead of £14,327. The actual tax paid was £173 and should have been £1.119. The deficiency between the true and the income returned was made up as follows: Sales under-stated or omitted from the cash hook and receipts £.3,948; loan obtained in 1917 from a AA’ellingtou firm and paid otl' and deducted from income, £1,370; £2552 for rent which was not paid; and £lß4l which could not lie definitely located but presumably represented rents received. De- defendant’s assets when be commenced—< totalled £3113, whereas in 1926 they , amounted to £14,557. Air G. C. Paterson (Palmerston) for the defendant said that he had not defrauded the Department for greed, and tlio discrepancies were quite apparent from an examination of the books. It had been his intention all through to place his cards before the ComnissionCr of Taxes and take his gruel. All- Rage said that ho would have to impose a substantial penaltv, ■*nd find# him £IOO on each of the five charges, giving him a month to find ill* money. SPEEDAYAY VICTIAI. ■ AUCKLAND, April 28: “There is always a big element of risk in motor cycle racing,” said Al* F. Iv. Hunt. S.AL, at the inguest on Jas. Alexander Davidson, tl>e young motor cyclist who was killed at Takapuna cycle races on March 26. “It is plain the Club does its best to mako novices take every precaution. The verdict will be ‘accidental death,’ ” lie concluded.

“Fast riding and a greasy track contributed largely to the accident,” said Sergeant Dowell.

“I told the dead mail before he started racing not to attempt to force his machine,” said Leslie Arthur Sterrieker. Machine Inspector of the Auckland Alotor Cycle Racing Club. .“During the race in which Davidson was injured. I was watching him. His back wheel appeared to skid outward from the rail, and the front part of the bike charged into the rail before lie could recover. He was a novice on the racing track, and the is told him to go round the course twice when it was empty to satisfy them that he was a competent rider. Several competitors in other races skidded lightly at the point where the accident happened.”

Witness said lie considered the Takapuna course safe for racing. The course on the day was damp, and the riders laid to go carefully. Davidson was riding too fast for the experience he had of racing. Before that race lie had ridden more carefully, but he was gaining experience and confidence all the time. New riders should ride in races two or three times without attempting to win. Witness gave Davidson that advice.

FRAUD CHARGE. DUXEDIX, April 29. The hearing of the charges against Henry Emmet Shiel and Stanley Kitchener Barnett, of making false document, obtaining a motor car by false pretences, and conspiring to defl'aud the Xew Zealand Motor and Engineering Coy of a Fiat car. valued at £'29B, was continued this morning before Air J. R. Bartholomew, S.Af. Each of the accused was committed for trial to the Supreme Court, each reserving his defence. Bail of £SO was allowed in each case, with one recognisance of the same amount. ELECTION* ALTERATION*. CHRISTCHURCH, April 30. As a result of amended figures the retiring chairman of the Hospital Board. H. J. Otley, has now been declared elected replacing Airs Rolierts. A HARD TIAIE. WELLINGTON. April 30. Over 100 men were engaged in the search for Died rich and Scanlon and it turns out that one party missed them only by two hours. Alany falls were experienced and it was on one of these down a steep decline with no handholds. that caused Hill to break his leg. Bringing him out involved carrying him for 19 hours. In places lie had to he lowered down cliffs by ropes. -J carried across three rivers and over a peak 2083 feet in height. The party with him were out for a week altogether in had weather, and were wcarv and worn at the finish.