DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1927, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) ENGINEER RESIGNS. GREYMOUTH, Oct. 3. J. Lythgoe, Engineer of the Grey I ower Board has forwarded his resignation. POLICE SUPERINTENDENT MURRAY. DUNEDIN, Oct. 3. Obituary.—Police Superintendent Murray, aged 00 years. Murray joined the force 30 years ago, serving first on the clerical staff at Christcbuich. Ho succeeded the late Superintendent Mathieson here late in December. Murray enjoyed good health till three weeks ago when an operation was found necessary.

A DESPICABLE THEFT. C” USTCHURCH, Oct. 3. A despi ible case of theft occurred at Durham Street school room on Saturday when Hie prizes for the Sunday School children, valued at £25, were removed from the table. The prize giving was to be held at the anniversary’ tea on Wednesday evening next, and teachers were in llie hall oin the Saturday evening arranging the prizes. While they went out of the room, some intruder entered and made away with all the prizes.

.MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEAR \NCE, CHRISTCHURCH. Oct. 3. Detectives and others have been searching for clues in connection with the disappearance of Lionel Comerfield, accountant for AA’ard’s Brewery, who has not been beard of for some days by bis family or anyone else. A’esterday afternoon a coat, since identified as belonging to Oomerfield was found on the south bank of flic Waimnknriri below the railway bridge. In the coat was a letter addressed to the manager of the brewery at which the missing man worked. Ibe scar-.b of the river is being continued.

AIOTOR CYCLE COLLISION. DANNEVTRKE, Oct. 3. A collision on Saturday evening between a, motor cycle, ridden by Albert Charles Smith Phillips, a Danncvirkc Power Board linesman, and a motor car driven by Hooper Smooth, a farmer, of Atangnhoro, resulted i:i Phillips being admitted to the hospital with a broken right thigh, broken left arm and severe facial and body abrasions.

FOOTBALLER. GETS CONCUSSION AUCKLAND, Oct. 3.

In a. League match, Newton versus Richmond. G. A [or man (captain of the Non ton team) sustained concussion of the brain and a broken jaw.

ROY’S DEATH. AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. \ three year old boy George Booth Beiidinghchl was found drowned on Sunday in a vat of liquid tansonp in the factory of Warnock Bros, Ltd , Grey Lynn. George and his brother, Roy, aged five. left, their parents home. Summer Street, Ponsonby, at 10 a in. and when they failed to return at dinner, the parents made a search. Tt appears that the boys climbed under a broken door at the back of the soap factory. George’s body was recovered by the factory foreman in a large vat filled with liquid tan to a depth of about four and a half feet. He applied artificial respiration without success.

THEFT CHARGE. GREYAIOUTH, Oct. 3. William Henry Harding pleaded tniilty this morning at the Magistrate's Court to the theft of £24 15s gd, the property of the Blackball Accident Relief Fund Society, of which he was treasurer. He was placed on probation for two years and ordered to make restitution at the rate of two pounds monthly. A GISBORNE PETITION.

WELLINGTON, Sept. 30. The appointment of an independent Commission to thoroughly investigate and report upon the past expenditure 1 of the Gisborne Harbour Board in the construction of works, and to decide whether or not the expenditure lias been excessively wasteful or unnecessary is asked for in a petition presented to Parliament to-day by F. T. Knight and 668 others of Gisborne. Petitioners state that the Board lias intimated that it proposes to depart from the original plan upon which the ratepayers voted for loan moneys, and as the' moneys at present available for construction of the balance of the works are rapidly approaching exhaustion, it 4s asked that the Board be prevented, restrained, or advised from undertaking any work not incorporated in the original scheme, and from rais-

ing any additional money until a further poll of the ratepayers is taken. Amongst other delinquencies, petitioners allege that a shipway estimated to cost £SOOO, cost actually £16,000. the steamer Monowai bought to tie sunk for a breaker at a cost of £3OOO was useless, £BOOO was spent in a quarry from which no adequate amount of material was available, and £SOOO was wasted on the manufacture of concrete piles fora wharf which Air Furkert, the Government Engineer, recommended should be abandoned.

UNUSUAL COURSE

AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. An unusual course was adopted by Judgo Stringer at the Supreme Court in the ease of John MacDonald, 38, found guilty of indecent assault on a male. Counsel said AfcDonald was a man of good character whose physical condition was probably responsible for his offence and surgical treatment would no doubt effect a cure. After hearing evidence of two doctors, Justice Stringer said if he was assured the treatment would be carried out in the interim he would J>e prepared to order prisoner to come up for sentence in six months. If in the interim cause was removed lie would admit accused' to probation. He was admitted to bail for two weeks. Accused collapsed in the dock and was carried out of court.

GAAIING HOUSE FINE. AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. At the Police Court, Marion Glavis pleaded guilty to keeping a common gaming house in Yietoria Street, recently raided by the police and was fined £25. Several men, mostly Dalmatians, found on the premises were each fined £2 or seven days.

SUPREME COURT. AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. At the Supreme Court, Thomas Yining Gallagher, on eighteen charges of' theft from his employer, was ordered twelve months’’ Borstal. Henry Richard Jeffrey and Sydney Ashcnden, for breaking and entering with intent, received twelve months’ imprisonment. RAILWAY TRANSFERS. NAPIER, Sept. 30.

Notice has been given to a hundred men in the Napier railway workshops to prepare for transfer to either Hutt or Otahuliu within twelve months. This confirms the expressed intention of the Department to centralise the work of repairs on the railways. From time to time lately the staff at Napier has been reduced by transfers and when the hundred now advised are moved, only twenty or thirty will ho left to effect minor repairs.