DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1927, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS.

BV TKLECHAPH —rIIESS assn., copyright BREACH OF PROBATION.

AYANGANFI. June 29. At the .Magistrate’s Court, Francis Charles Gomez, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of theft, was brought up again and charged with ti breach of his probation. Tito thefts amounted to .€1 15s. Detective Reveli' said that accused was hard up, and committed the theft to get food for his wife and child. Fntil a few days ago he had not worked for months, and was destitute. Accused said lie had been out of work for eight months. He could not stand seeing his wife and child without food, and the baby without mlik, so lie went out and stole. Being an immigrant, lie had been refused work. Superintendent Ching said the accused had work in three places, but apparently had not filled the requirements. However, lie was willing to give him another chance. Food had been given to the family by neighbours. The Alagistraie remarked that this was accused's fifth conviction for theft, besides other convictions, and there was use throwing- dust in tiie eves of the public. He did not want it to go out that a man with a clean . record was forced to go out and steal. There was no sense in putting that out to Hie public. Accused had better getrid of the self-pity that was in his mind. A good deal of the present

irouble was due to thrilti'essness. He would be given another chance and would lie assisted to get work.

lie was then ordered to make restitution of the stolen property and tc come up for sentence if called upon.

WORK REFUSED. LABOUR SECRETARY'S PROTEST. AVKLLIXGTO.V. June 28. "You can’t pass tio-eonfideiice motions in us and then expect us to come crawling tiller you. \\’e are not going to allow a body of men. 59 per cent of whom are not trade unionists at all. to come here and tell ns that we are not doing our job properly, If you are going to do that. then we might as well tell you to go and do I In* job in your ow n way.” This was the statement made by Air AY, Bromley, secretary of the Fnemployment Committee of the District Council of the Alliance of Labour. at a meeting of unompluvotl to-day, following the submission of a motion urging the unemployed to refuse any work that may be offer ed them, unless they are paid ai trade union rates. Air Bromley submitted that the motion was olio oi no-coiilideme in the comm it I ee.

A.f;ter a rather protracted discus -ion. at times heated. Hie motion iva declared carried by a small majority

SHOP HOURS. WELLINGTON, .luim 29. When the assessors in the New Zealand simp assistants’ dispute roomimudataon. the employers’ advocate said lie had made an error. He desired to have provision made for fifteen minutes' extension, and for late nights. Xmas and New Year’s eve. The workers’ advocate declined La re-open the matter. The re; ornmciida! ion was signed the employers’ advocate reserving the right to apply to the Court to re-open

This h.e did. I hr. workers advocate , opposed ii. saying he had agreed to certain other provisions, to which he . would not have agreed, hut for the . (.Mieessioii regarding limit's ol work. ’l'liu Court ordered tlm Conciliation . Council L» reconsider the dispute. THE KAAYAItAU RIYER, .! DUNEDIN. Juno 29. Ti.* waters of the Kawarau River are proceeding slowly as the result of continued heavy frosts. Work, however, is practically at a standstill. A few isolated claim holders are prospecting, but most of them are awaiting a lower level. EXPLOSION’ IN’ BAKERY. CHRISTCHURCH. June 29. i Scattering iron, bricks and rafters in till directions, a steam cylinder in id to premises of J. C. Free and Sons, j butchers and bakers, of Loexton, exploded early this morning. Air C. Bishop, baker, who was on the promises at the time, had a reI markable escape from death. The morning was very cold, and ii; is thought that this had caused the water in the exhaust pipe to become 1 frozen, thus preventing the steam I from getting away. The result was

that tremendous pressure was generated eventually iho cylinder was overtaxed. The hurst portions of the broken cylinder went out through the roof, scattering the rafters, and sending bricks and iron flying in all directions.

Tito escaping steam and boiling water filled the room in which AFr Bishop was working at the time. He made n dash for safety and managed to get out of the death-tray) without injury.

FARMERS’ PROTEST. CHRISTCHURCH. June 29. The North Canterbury Branch of flic Farmers’ Union lias decided to protest against the importation of Australian potatoes, on the ground that numerous diseases are prevalent in Australia-, and to ask that an embargo bo placed on any further importation.

FORESTRY LEAGUE. WELLINGTON. Juno 29. The annual report of the N.Z. Forestry League, presented last night, stressed tlie work of the League in preserving several historic spots throughout the Dominion as national monuments. The President. Air A. B. Hunt, suggested the advisability of investigating the practicability of cutting the mature timber from N.Z. forests and leaving the balance to grow for successive crops. He stressed also the. menace of the erosion of mil- lowlands as an ever-increasing danger, which if not checked, would mean to the Dominion a fabulous loss of wealth in the years to come. He attributed it to the thorough denuding of the watersheds of their forest growth, thus causing the copious ramfall of hillv lands to rush unchecked in torrents in the watercourses of the flats, thereby carrying yearly out to sea considerable areas of valuable land. lie assumed that the State would properly control its own lands in this respect, but uufortunately, many of such areas were held hy private persons, who could not he ex-

pected to pay interest, rates and taxes for the (benefit of their fellow men. He trusted the League would devote its energies to this aspect of forestry with renewed vigour.