DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 May 1927, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

[BT TELEGRArn—rER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] LI FKEOAT LAUNCHING. AUCKLAND, May :i. A statement signed by sevsr.il members of the crew of the 1 raw lor Co"ntcss alleges that the fouling of sonic gear delayed the launching of the lifeboat on Friday, when Fireman T. ,S. Yoalo fell overbaord and was drowned. They state that the boat covers, too. were in some instances nailed down, and could not bo removed without using a hammer. The superintendent engineer of the owners. Sandford. Ltd.. said the Countess was regularly inspected by the port deck surveyor. Six months ago the vessel was recertilicated after a test which involved the launching of the lifeboat, when no difficulty ivat experienced. It was not customary in Sandford’s licet to have boat covers nailed. All the seamen employed were fully qualified men.

VOTING SYSTEM. WELLINGTON. May 3.

At the recent municipal elections there were 2767 informal ballot papers. Commenting upon this very high figure the chief returning officer. .Mr Perry, remarked that this one experiment with the crossing out. system of voting should scarcely lie sufficient to demonstrate that it was not at all suitable in the case of municipal elections.

“It is all very well and sound in the case of I’arliunieiitarv elect i:;ns.” he continued, “for there the voter l-a- to signify hi> preference for one candidate, but in all elections where the voter is required to express a preference for more than one candidate then the displaced system of marking by a cross is, in my opinion, tile onlv feasible system. “These two thousand odd iniormiil votes were, with very few excepf inns, earrfifl votes, hut not quite careful enough. That is. the elector left in one name, too many, in some eases two. Now and again we came across papers on which no vote at all was recorded, hut these were a. decided exicpiion. Apart from the real difficulty of going down a long list of names and marking out the right number of unwanted names the system is far too slow, and had the weather been favourable and a really big vote been recorded the polling ho tlhs would simply not have been able to accommodate the electors. 1 am very definitely of opinion that the new system is not a.s good as the old.”

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. THU PROPOSED PI.EBI^.TTK. WELLINGTON, May 3. The Hon If. A. Wright, .Minister <J Education, stated to-day that he did not intend when interviewed on Saturday on the subject of the voting paper prepared by the Bible in Schools League lor submission to parents to convey the impression that it had boon represented to him that head masters might object t:> the paper and that be had therefore given his consent to its form.

“I know nothing about any objec ion by headmasters.” said .Mr A\ rigid

“i know that headmasters of every primary school are engaged bv education boards and can be dismissed by education boards without mysell or the Department being consulted, there-

fore. obviously, it would he useless lor me to try to influence a head master in any direction, and I have no intent ion of doing so.” “To reconcile what happened between Air Isitt and myself.” added the Minister. “I may say that he simply asked me if I would read the proposed ballot paper, which 1 did. and if I had any objection to it. I said that so lar ns I could see there was nothing objectionable in it. but that the question of caking a plebiscite amongst parents of children attending schools was one that vested entirely with education hoards which had statutory powers which wore in vulnerable.”

tail lights ox busks. < AUCKLAND. May 3. A recommendation that motor buses should be forced to show bright tail lights was made in the Supreme Court !,v t'-o Grand Jury which returned “no hill” in the ease of a young man charged with recklessly diiviug * motor-cycle end side-car in the (Iron! v.ji’: to: ..i ji d causing the death of a pedestrian. In his charge to the Grand .Jury Mr Justice Stringer said that the evidence against the voting man seemed weak. He had not noticed a stationary motor has on the roadside, on account of its tail light being dim, mid in swerving to avoid it lie struck the pedestrian. The foreman, in stating that “no hill” had been found against accused, said the jury was of opinion that the tail lights on motor-buses were dim in too many instances, and the general public was endangered as the result. It was recommended that more effective provison should, therefor*, he required at the hack of such vehicles. “I will take care that the recommendation goes to the authorities who ran enforce it,” said his Honour.

DAIRY PRODUCE

AUCKLAND, May 2

Somewhat startling, news concerning the London butter market was received

locally to-day, the statement being to the effect that Danish butter has slumped to 151 s f.o.b. This is a remaknblc drop. Only a tim weeks hack Danish butter was selling at above 180 s. The High Commissioner’s cable, dated April 23rd. cpioted it at 172 sto 170 s. Later quotations last week notified a fall to 166 s.

The present figure is lower than has Peon recorded for many years. At this lime last year the quotation was 180 s and two years ago it was 188 s. No indication is given of the cause of this sudden drop, hut it may he assumed that favourable reports have been received concerning the spring produc-t-ion in Europe. If. as appears likely. Germany is enjoying conditions which make her independent of outside supplies. the whole of the Danish exportable surplus would be thrown on the London market. Whatever the cause, the fact that Danish butter is quoted as low or lower than this Dominion’s product is hound to have a prejudicial effect on New Zealand sales, even under the most favourable conditions. Now Zealand is bound to have from now on. very heavy accumulations of this season’s butter, which are going forward by every steamer. Tf the competition from the northern hemisphere should lx? so keen that at this early stages the Danes have had to drop their price over 20s per cwt. m a week, in order to effect sales, the outlook for New Zealand producers is anything but hopeful. The New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company has received the following cable from its London Office, dated April .30tb: “Anchor lots. The market. is fairly steady, hut Danish has slumped to 151 s f.o.b. Cheese, white and coloured, 75s to 765. ’

AUCKLAND POWER FAILURE. AUCKLAND. May 3. The unexpected stoppages of electric power yesterday afternoon, and again last evening, put consumers to considerable inconvenience. In both cases the whole of the Auckland Power Board’s area, with the exception of a small

sector on the east side of Queen street, was aflfeeted, resulting iu complete stoppage of trams, electric lifts, electric heaters, motors, and suburban telephone equipment. Last evening hundreds of homes were plunged into darkness for minutes, hut the theatres on the east side of Queen street were not affected.

At the Town Hall, u large Presbyterian meeting was continued with the aid of a few candles. At 9.30 p.m. the lights were on again. Yesterday was the worst day the Auckland Power Board has expeiienced for a considerable time.

DO A TIN lON T’UODU CD. ■WELLINGTON. A Lay 2. The Department of Agriculture has received the following cablegram, dated April 30th. from the High Commissioner for New Zealand, London: BUTTER. The New Zealand and Australian market is steady. Others are quiet. Official quotations are:— New Zealand—Finest salted lots to 154 s per ewt. (Is 4!,d to Is 4i d per lb), unsalted lfils to 166 b per ewt. (Is old to Is 5.;d per lb): other qualities 142 s to 148 s per ewt. (Is 3d to Is 3jd per lb).

Australian .Salted 150 sto 1.52 s per ewt. (Is 4d to Is I’,d per lb); unsalted 158 s to 162 s per ewt. (Is 4:RI to Is 5' t d per lb) ; other qualities 140 s to 151 s per ewt. (Is 3d to Is 4.(d per lb). Argentine—Unsalted 152 s to L>6> per ewt. (1s 4',(1 to Is 4Jd per lb): other qualities 144 s to 150 s per ewt. (Is 3(d lo l< Id per lb). Danish—l64s to 166 s per ewt. ( Is sjd to 1,. s:id per lb.) Siberian—lsos per ewt. (Is Id per lb).

THE Rl YEKIN’A'S STORY. VA.II lATUA. May 4

Air George .lories, a local resident. Was a passenger by the stranded liner Riverina. and he- lias relumed to Piihia4.ua. He says the n.i-seiigors bad a harrow ing experience, but showed wonderful fortitude. The TTf« be! were ever ready, and Ihe passengers wondered what fate was in store lor them. The captain of the steamer conducted a religious service. Alany of those aboard were convinced that their last hour had come. The wind was blowing a hurricane, and Ihc breakers were pounding over Him ship, crunching her deeper into her bed of sand.

Community singing, says Air Jones, helped to allav the fears of iliosc aboard. On landing, a habitation was reached late at night, after a tortuous walk of ten miles along the beach, burdened with their luggage. A number of them were also wet to the skin Mr Jones’ ankles are still swollen ns the result of the experience. CROSSING SAIASH. CHRISTCHURCH. Alav 1. Word was received in Christchurch this evening that a motor ear was struck by the North train at Waikari ib.mt mid-day at the Wekn Pass crossing. Two middle-aged men, the occupants of the ear, were subsequently taken to the AVaikari Hospital. They were Robert Bong and Joseph Williams both of Christchurch. Bong was admitted to the hospital suffering from •nj'.iries to his head, but Williams \vr treated for minor injuries and dis•liarged. No particulars are available as to how the accident occurred.

NEW MAYOR INSTALLED. DUNEDIN. Alav 4

At the installation of Air Taverner is Mayor, retiling Mayor Tapley announced an anonymous donor had liven L'l7,<)(/.> I >r an organ in the new Town Hall now being erected. ’Hie o-gan was made lor the Wembley Exhibition where it accompanied a choir if twelve thousand voices in a hall and with a seating capacity of one hundred and twenty thousand.

METHODIST ( ON KEREN! E. AYOODYI LLK, May 4

The annual conference of the Uftlmdist .Ministers of the Manawatu ■ lid Hawke's Pay districts concluded last evening. Revs. Copeland (Hastings), Perryman (Eoxton), Methou Napier,, Mam per iWaipawa). Faniel i uaimcvirko), Sleep and ’Morsowond 'Southern Woodville), Fusion 'ii:'.>, Parker and Ashlmrst (ISuunytliorpe), Parsons and Pent (Palmerston Mirth), .Mitchell (Keilding), Neal and vaiison (limigoten) were present. Business was of routine nature. Congratulations were extended to Rev. Copeland. who was appointed by the recent conference chairman of the district of Hawke’s Pay and Manawatu. At a public meeting last night a programme was provided by the visiting clergy, who passed a motion of sympathy to the relatives of Rev. C. Abernathy, formerly in charge of the circuit.

COMPENSATION LAW. AUCKLAND. .May 1. fine penny a week was the interim award made by the Arbitration Court in a case in which an injury sustained hv a compensation claimant was deemed not sufficient to incapacitate him, yet. although harmful effects in future wore believed possible.

The claimant was an electrician, Harold Alfred Jackson, for whom Mr P. ,T. O’Regan (Wellington) appeared, and sought an order against G. L. and R. S. Thoriibiirn (Mr lnder) for compensation payments in respect to an alleged permanent foot injury sustained when lie fell off a house roof while working for the defendants. Mr lnder argued that the claimant had suffered no material disability after May 28th, 1926, and that he was still earning his former wage under his old employer. Mr O’Regan contended that, while his client was still earning the full wage it was made possible only by the special consideration of his employers, and that in the open labour market, ‘lie man would not he a hundred per cent wage earner. The Court, after hearing lengthy medical evidence, expressed the opinion that the plaintiff’s injury did not, as yet at any rate, greatly affect his earning capacity.

A suspensory award, granting Jackson a penny a week, until circumstances should warrant any alteration, was made. The plaintiff was thus left free to take further action should his disability incapacitate him.

Costs of £6 6s were also allowed plaintiff.

PROSECUTION FAILS. CHRISTCHURCH, May I. “ The cases will he dismissed, not on their merits, but on a technicality. 1 am extremely unwilling to do tills, but I have to carry out the law as 1 find it,” said Magistrate Mosley in the Lower Court to-day, at the conclusion of a case in which an extraordinary defence had succeeded. The licensee of the Cafe de Pans Hotel, J. C. Oldridge. was charged with supplying liquor after hours, and. farther, with supplying liquor to a person under the age of 21. There was n similar charge against his wife, who it was alleged, had made the actual sales. Two witnesses, on whose testimony the charge rested—the two youths who bought the liquor—identified a woman in the body of the Court as the person who had sold it to them. This person was not Mrs Oldridge. Counsel for the licensee. Mr Thomas, immediately urged that the cases must be dismissed, as there was no evidence against Mrs Oldridge. Tin's contention the Magistrate allowed, and dismissed the cases, j