DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1927, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

BY TELEO2APH—PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT SKULL FOUND. 11A WERA, June 16. A human skull found on the Ohave beach, near Hawera, yesterday, is belivcd ter be that of Thomas Uennlitoti. drowned on Greemncadows bench, near Opunnkc, in January.

WESTPORT APPEAL. WESTPORT, June 17

I'll the Supreme Court in an appeal by the Wellington Cabinet Company against a decision of Magistrate Meldrum. who gave judgment for Harris and Duncan for £BO for timber sold through an agent Barnes, who, it was alleged, claimed to he the owner of the timber, and sold the same as a set-off to a debt he had with the Wellington Cabinet Company, His Honour held that there was no merit in the appeal, and dismissed it with £l2 12s costs. Mr Lovell appeared for the appellants and Mr Wilson for respondents.

TO SHOW CAUSE. GISBORNE, June 1G

An application on the motion of Mr F. W. Nolan, on behalf of the Gisborne Law Society, for an order calling on John Niulen Bullard to show cause why he should not he struck off the roll, was granted by Mr Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court. Date and place of hearing were fixed for Wellington on Friday, June 24th.

“A YOUNG BLACKGUARD.” AUCKLAND. June 16

“Who is this young blackguard ? What does lie do?” asked Mr F. K. Hunt, SAL, with wrath in the Police Court this morning.

Chief-Detective Cummings had just explained that a girl of seventeen who was before the Court for sentence on a charge of stealing £3 had been living with a diminutive young man in a salmon check shirt and collar, sitting in the body of the Court.

The little man stood up. “I'm a professional entertainer, sir.” he said, and added under pressure that he was out of work at present. “You ihl.ckguard!” repeated The Magistrate. “Spoiling a little girl like that. I’ll give you gaol for three months if I get half a chance.” He placed the girl on probation for two years, and then turned to Major Annie Gordon, Probation Officer. “If she doesn’t do exactly as you tell her. I'll send her to the Borstal for three years. And. look here, if that young blackguard goes near her— . I’ll make it a condition of her .probation that she is not to speak to him, nor associate with him in anv wav.”

“But I want to marry the little girl.’’ protested the young man in the salmon shirt.

“How can you marry her when you aren’t earning twopence?” retorted the Magistrate abruptly.

“But T can get a steady job,” persisted the object of the Bench's wrath.

“If you go near the girl I'll give yon three months.’’ replied Mr Hunt. “If you had a steady job she wouldn’t have to steal to keen you.

DEATH OF MRS CIARKY. CREYMOUTH, June 18. The death took place this morning after a long illness of Mrs Carey, wife of A. H. Carey, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand.

INDECENT LETTERS. AUCKLAND. June 17

An inquest regarding the death of Walter Hill, hotel porter, who was found dead in his room at 31 St. Paul s Street, on the evening of .June 7, was held to-day.

I lorenee Kerr said she let a room to deceased on June 7, and he went home about 10 o’clock at night, and at about 11.15 witness’s attention was attracted by a strong smell of gas. She found deceased sitting in a chair near a stove, with an overcoat over his head, and a gas tube lying on the floor. Tliq gas was turned on, and deceased was apparently dead. Detective White said he had been making inquiries regarding a number of indecent letters written to several youths on June 5. The writer made an appointment to meet one of the youths outside the Queen Street Theatre on the evening of June 7. Acting under instructions, the hoy kept the appointment, while witness watched. The deceased, who was known to the hoy as Goodwin, approached and was accosted by witness. Deceased later admitted that he was the person who had been writing the indecent letters to a number of hoys. He asked if he was to be arrested, and if there was to be a Court case. Witness left him at his bedroom about 10 o’clock. He was perfectly sober, and appeared to he quite normal. He did not seem to be distressed in any way, and spoke quite cheerfully.

The Coroner returned a verdict of suicide by gas poisoning.

AUCKLAND FIRES. AUCKLAND, June 17

The 27-roomed Windsor BoardingHouse in Khyber Pass was gutted by fire at eight o’clock to-night. The fire had a good hold when the Brigade arrived, and it made a spectacular blaze. Hie building had been empty for several weeks. Hie cause of the fire is unknown. The building was included in property taken by the City Council for Water Works extension. The insurances and valuation are not available.

AUCKLAND, June 17. About £20,000 worth of motor ears and accessories were endangered by a fire which suddenly licked up the hack stairs in the premises of Pushtoo's Motor Sales Ltd., Albert St., near Wyndham Street. The flames sprang from a tool cupboard, in which was a>so kept a small quantity of lubricating oil; and a wooden staircase-' and some of the beams of the second floor were soon ablaze. Luckily the nearest motor <— r was 20 feet away. The City Brigade answered the call promptly and put the fire out with extinguishers. It is estimated that about £IOO worth of tools were destroyed.

SHIP’S MAST FALLS. AUCKLAND, June 17. An unusual accident occurred on hoard the American steamer, "Test Calc ra, at the central wharf. The wooden main topmast snapped oft' and fell on to the deck, where it broke into a number of pieces. The accident happened when the crew were hoisting a wireless aerial into position, it having been lowered on the vessel’s arrival, so as not to he in the way of the harbour board cranes while the cargo was being worked. The broken mast struck the deck on the port side of No. -I hatch, between a ventilator and the winch and had, it fallen towards the

stern, it would have certainly killed some of the waterside workers who were unloading from No. 5 hatch. The men who had been working at No. 4 hatch had finished their work and had left. The mast struck the deck lit a spot whore a man had been sitting driving the winch a short time before. The mast broke off near the lower masthead, where the wood had perished. A topmast to hold the aerial was fitted before the steamer sailed for Hobart,