DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1927, Page 1

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) THEFT CHARGES. DUNEDIN. July 22. Walter Charles McCombie, an insurant® canvasser, who, according to his counsel, was unable to eke out an existence on his meagre earnings, pleaded guilty at tho City Police Court today to having failed to account for i sums totalling £lB 15s 6d to tho Provident Life Assurance Company. The Chief-Detective said accused had admitted the defalcation. About thirty small amounts had been taken. He was a married man with three children, and his average earnings during the time he was employed by the Company was £3 Us. He had not previously been before the Court. Tho Magistrate adjourned the easel unti|l July 25 in order to allow the Probation Officer to submit a report.

COACH FOR OTAGO. DUNEDIN, July 22

Cablegrams from Air D. Hay (manager of the New Zealand cricket team) to the effect that he was having difficulty in finding a suitable coach for tlie Otago Cricket Association were considered at a meeting of the Association and members or the Citizens’ Coach Fund committee last evening. The meeting decided to adhero to a. previous decision that the coach must reside ill Dunedin for a period including three seasons, and to send a cablegram to Air Hay conveying that information and asking him to send further advice a month lienee.

ST I! YOU XIX E POISONING. HAMILTON. July 22

At G. 40 Inst evening the son of the licensee was walking down the corridor of the AVaikato Hole! when he heard loud cries of distress. On rushing to the loom whence the sounds emanated he found James Corrin. single, aged 30, had taken a, dose of strychnine poison. 'The victim is at the hospital in a serious condition.

CAR’S "WILD CAREER. WELLINGTON, July 22

After knocking over six iron posts and bringing down two shop verandahs, a motor-car. the driver of which has not yet been traced, wobbled its way up 'Hinton! street at 2.10 this morning, carrying with it three of the posts. According to the story told to tho police by a man who was sleeping on a balcony nearby, the ear was coming down Luxford street and in turning into Rintoul street, it carried away tho posts, which were on the right hand side of the road. One of these stuck on the car and was carried as far as Stoke street, some hundreds of yards away in the direction of the city. Here the driver stopped and cast it off, afterwards pursuing his erratic course. There were no traces of broken glass, nor any indication Hint the car had suffered any damage. The man who witnessed tho affair was unfortunately unable to take the number of tho vehicle, and it seems unlikely that the idoi> + :, ~ -o' ihe driver will ever be discovered.

BOY CRIMINALS, CHRISTCHURCH, July 24

The hoy of fifteen found guilty of robbery with violence, and later arrested after being caught red-banded when trying to break into a city shop with a. jemmy, was before the Lower Court to-day, the. case having been referred back to the Magistrate by the Supremo Court. Mr Mosley, S.M., committed the boy to the ear© of the Child Wei fa re Office and ordered the mother of the boy to repay tbe amount stolen, CII 15s. CHRISTCHURCH. July 24. "Indifferent at bis work, untruthful practically at. all times and an alleged petty thief,” said Chief Detective Lewis, describing a boy aged Id years, who appeared at the Children’s Court to-day. charged with defrauding city firms of cigarettes by false pretences. Ho was the younger of two boys concerned in an extensive scheme of fraud of this character. The (boy pleaded guilty ami was committed to the care ol tbe Superintendent of Child AVelfaro. CHRISTCHURCH, July 23. A youth, of 17 was remanded to bail till Tuesday for the Probation Officer’s report, on ten charges of fraud—obtaining goods by false pretences, theft and attempting to obtain goods hv false pretences. All charges were admitted. The accused phoned firms stating he wound send a boy for cigarettes. of which £l4 9s worth were thus obtained by fraud. The hoy had several times run away from home and with another lad stole bicycles recently lo clear out of the city. It, was stated for the defence that when under four years of age the accused was in Grevmoutli run over by a cab, and his injury affected his mentality.

MAN BURNED TO DEATH. AUCKLAND. July 24. Sydney Edwin Lodge, a single man. aged abou 72, employed as nightwatchman, was burned to death in his hut in the yard of A. and 1. Burt s foundry, in Graham Street, Freeman’s Bay, early this morning. A neighbour, who saw flames coming from the hut about a. quarter to four, rushed over, but the building was burning so fiercely that lie could do nothing. \\ ben the Brigade had extinguished the fire. Lodge’s charred body was found in the ruins. EIRE AT WELLINGTON. M'ELLINGTON. July 24. A fire broke out this morning at 4.54 o'clock in a large four-storey brick and concrete building. No. (38 Mill's Street, owned by 11. D. Bennett, a large portion of it being practically gutted. The building was used as offices. No information is available as to tho origin, nor any particulars of the insurance. MOTOR CYCLIST KILTED. M'ELLTXTOX. July 24. Through colliding with a motor lorry on the New North Hoad yesterday afternoon. Edward Clifford Xicliolls, aged 22 years a motor cyclist, received injuries from which lie died in the hospital. Nicholls was single, and it is believed that his parents reside in Svdnev. The accident occurred at the spot where half of the road is under repair.

CATHOLICS PROTEST. BLENHEIM. July 25. The following resolution was passed at a largely attended meeting of Catholics last night:—This meeting of Catholics, Blenheim Parish representative of the Catholic community of Marlborough, protests strongly against the provisions of the Religious Exer-, cises School Bill on the grounds (1) that the Bill if earned into law would inflict grave injustice on Catholics of

New Zealand, since it would require them to contribute to the maintenance of a plan of religious instruction which is manifestly denominational and tantamount to tho creation of a State religion ■ (2) that such a departure would mean the most inevitable violation of rights of Catholics as citizens and tax players; (3) that this Bill violates the right of conscience as applied to Catholic pupils and teachers in State schools, notwithstanding the misnamed conscience clause. This meeting, representative of more than one-fifth of the electors of the district requests their representative in Parliament to consider their studied convictions.