DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1927, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

(by Telegraph—i'er Press Association.)

OBITUARY. .SEi.filJ-N, l<c[it. 2b. Obituary—Wilson Heaps, over 89. a prominent citizen of Nelson loi many years, formerly Cooector of Customs, Sheri If and Stipendiary Magistrate for Alotucka, Takakn and Colling" ood. MISSING CAR. OANNEVTRKK, Sept. 20. The car belonging to George Carmichael, taken from outside a place of entertainment one evening last week, was located in a Scenic Reserve near the Borough, having gone over a elifF, and being suspended by a tree stump. It bore the appearance of having been ■on fire.

A FIRE. DANNEVIRIvE, Sept. 20. About 2 a.m. to-day, a fire occurred in a nine-roomed wcoden house in Swinburn Street, owned by .fas Livingston and occupied by AV. T. Eyre, manager of the local picture theatre. The central part of the building was gutted. Eyre arid his brother-in-law "ere the only occupants of the house, All’s Eyre having recently gone to Lborne Eyre was shortly vacating the premises, and had lieen packing his furniture prior to removal. The building was insured for £9OO in the London and Lancashire, the furniture for £SOO in the State Office.

RAILWAY SECTION OPENED. DARGAVILIjiE, Sept. 2G. The official opening of another section of the Waiatira-Pukehuia Iviriko-puni-Dargaville railway took place on Saturday. Although the weather was atrocious, large numbers of settlers attended to take part in the ceremony, which meant so much to them as it saw the completion of another section of tho Railway which will bring the town and district in closer touch with Auckland and the Alain Trunk Line by railway communication.

The section opened on Saturday is between Pukehuia and Kirikipani, crossing the northern AVnioroa river by a fine concrete peer and pile "bridge. 'Hie completion of this section leaves only thirteen miles of railway between Kirikopuni and Dargnville, and as there are no great engineering difficulties and the country is easy, it should not he more than three years when the whole line is completed. The new terminus of the railway brings Dargnville within seven hours of Auckland City and will have a most important hearing in the future pros. l>ccts of the district. The opening ceremony was performed by Hons Carey and J. C. Carrington, APs.L.C. in the absence of Hon G. J. Coates and Tv S. Williams who forwarded messages of apology. The proceedings were, most enthusiastic. At the conclusion of the ceremony the guests numbering several hundreds wer entertained at afternoon tea by the settlers in the immediate vicinity of the railway.

FIRE VICTTAf SUCCUAIBS. AUCKLAND, Sept. 2G. Matthew AVishart, who was trapped by flames in a fire which occurred in a house in Howe Street on Sunday morning and was rescued in an unconscious state, being severely burned, died later in the hospital. Airs Hoaton, wife of the tenant, rushing upstairs to awaken, the sleepers, roused all except AVishart, in the vicinity of whose room the fumes were suffocating. He could not he aroused by calling and his room was unapproachable. Fire brigadesmen found Wishart unconscious on his bed. Hie fire was confined to his room in which it originated.

A SERIOUS FIRE. PALMERSTON X., Sept. 25. A fire oil Saturday evening seriously damaged an eleven-roomed house in Ferguson Street. Two children in the house at the time of the outbreak were rescued before the fire gained serious proportions. The house was insured for £I,OOO and the furniture for £SOO. It was owned by Mrs Hosking, and was occupied by Mrs East, the children’s mother. Mrs Peart occupied a flat on one side of the dwelling.

HOUSE BURNT. AUCKLAND, Sept. 20. A fire at 1.35 a.in. badly gutted a two-storey wooden building in Queen Street, Onelninga, owned by J. T. Morton. It was insured for £4OO. lb was unoccupied for two weeks. The alarm was given by a person unknown, and the fire was then raging on the ground floor at the back, also in an upper room.

LABOUR PROTEST. PAHIATUA, Sept. 20. The local branch of the Labour Party resolution an emphatic protest at tlie policy of the Public Works Department, and also the government, in enforcing contract work upon relief workers, whereby alleging that these workers employed on Pahiatua. track will not be enabled to earn even the relief rates of 9s and 12s per day.

A FIRE IN GARAGE. WAIPUKURAU, Sept. 26. The private garage of J. It. Paku, auctioneer, was destroyed by fire at 12.30 this morning, containing an Oakland sedan ear and Studebaker motor lorry; also tools and a load of furniture valued at about £l4O. The only insurances are £250 on car and building £7OO. The cause is unknown but both motor vehicles were used yesterday.

ARB ITR ATION ACT CR IT ICISED. WAIROA, Sept. 20. At the annual meeting of Wairoa Farmers’ Co-op. Meat Coy. Ltd., Mr Jessep (Chairman of the Company and Vice-Chairman of the New Zealand Meat Produce Board) said lie a year ago called attention to the ever increasing cost of production and forecasted that unless the cost of production was lowered and the country districts absorbed the surplus of labour, unemployment would lie increased tenfold. It now was seen that this estimate was exceeded. No attempt bad been made to reach the root of the trouble and deal with the fundamental facts. Loans were being raised on all sides to spend on unproductive works for relief of unemployed. It was a crime that unemployment should exist in a young country with such undeveloped potentialities and unlimited markets for products. The main factors causing unemployment were unquestionably the working of the Arbitration Court which instead of the original purpose of arbitration became an institution for determining remuneration without regard to value of the article produced. From an economic point of view it was a ghastly farce; blighting 1 efficiency and stopping the whole moral fabric of the- country. The Court’s award in tlie case of v tlie watersiders, for instance, contained a series of restrictions, but there was no stress laid on the need for efficiency or inducement to facilitate the handling of produce. Similar restrictions applied to the farming industry would mean a serious increase in the price of butter, meat and wool. “Until this Act is 1 abolished and the effect of its destrucI tire influence upon New Zealand Indus-

try wiped one, unemployment must go on increasing.” A resolution was carried unanimously that the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act he repealed. Copies are to he sent to tho Premier and the Hawke’s Bay members of parliament. COLLISION FINE. PALMERSTON N., -Sept. 28. The sequel to a collision at the Post Office level crossing on August 29th between the north-bound New Plymouth express and a petrol wagon, too place at the Alagistrate’s Court this morning when the driver of the hitter vehicle, James AlcCueen, was charged with having attempted to cross at a time when the line was not dear.

The engine driver, stated SeniorSergeant O’Grally, sounded the whistle on approaching the crossing and the warning bells had been ringing. Defendant had been very lucky that he and the lorry got out of the smash so lightly. His Worship: Both defendant and town were in luck.

Senior-Sergeant O’Grady said the lorry was carrying 550 gallons of benzine at the time. Bad visibility, and approaching traffic and pedestrians were blamed by the defendant for not seeing the train until just as be was on it. He stated to counsel tor defendant that the lorry had only its tanks half full.

A fine of £3 was imposed and costs 10s. AUCKLAND RAID. AUCKLAND, Sept. 2G. The thirty-two men arrested in connection with the Saturday night raid were before the Court this morning. Some were fined £3 and some remanded on a charge of being found on premises without lawful excuse.