DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1927, Page 2

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. MISSING BOY FOUND. WHANGAREI, Oct. 6. A fifteen-yearold boy recently tired of home life and commandeered a bicycle and disappeared. He was discovered yesterday in a seaside cottage at Wailcnraka, where he was in possession of an airgun, an alarm clock, and a wristlet watch. Ho will appear at the Juvenile Court to-morrow. AMBULANCE MEN. LEAVE FROM MILITARY DRILL. WELLINGTON, Oct. 6. In a letter to Sirll. Heaton Rhodes, director of the St. John Ambulance in ' tlio Dominion Major-General R. Young I says that lie is prepared to give leave I from drill and half-dav parades to St. I John Ambulance trainees, and proI viding they efficiently carry out their j ambulance training, to count this as | effective militarv training. The trainees will still be required to carry out six days’ training in camp each year and a certificate will he required from tlio ambulance authorities that training has been carried out satisfactorily.

CHARGED WITH THEFT. WHANGAREI, Oct. 6. In the Magistrate’s Court this morning, Charles Rae and Ernest Harry Rae were charged with stealing forty boxes of cigarettes, valued at £GO from the warehouse of Irvine Clark, Xnzae Avenue, -Auckland. Accused, who were remanded to appear at Auckland- on October 14, are well known in Whangarei, where they ran a portable skating rink last winter.

GTJMDIGGER’S SUICIDE. DARGAVILLE, Oct. G. At an inquest on a man named Stipan Lovick (Lo-vett), a Dalmatian, single, aged twenty-seven, who cut his throat in a hut on a gum field at Aranga, evidence showed that deceased had been peculiar in the early morning and complained of not being well. It is surmised that he was feeling the effects cf the sun, as he had been working out in the fields the day before without a hat. The act was done very suddenly, as a few minutes beforo he asked a mate to leave the room while he changed his clothes, as (he intended to resume work. A verdict was returned of suicide while temporarily insane.

WEATHER SUMMARY. WELLINGTON, Oct. G. The weather summary for the month of September is as follows:—The total rainfall was above normal over the North Island, except at places in the central region and between Wanganui and Wellington. In the South Island, Otago had more than the average, Blenheim also reported an excess, hut elsewhere there was a deficiency. The greatest differences from the mean are shown on the eastern coast, Gisborne having 76 per cent, above and Christchurch 73 per cent below. There were no general heavy rains during the month, but there were several occasions on which heavy local falls occurred. On September 5 and 6 very heavy rain was experienced in Otago as the effect of a low pressure centre passing in that region. Floods resulted in some of the rivers, and much of the low-lying country was under water at the time. On September 27 and 28, cyclone centres off the East Cape brought heavy rain to Gisborne and tlie Hawke’s Bay districts. The most generally unsettled period was between September 17 and 27, when dull, misty, showery conditions prevailed, and on September 25 some snow fell in the South Island in the rear of intense Antarctic disturbances. Anti-cyclonic conditions, with fair weather, ruled in the beginning, from September 13 to 17 and at the close of the month. Although dull weather was frequent, there were no severe cold periods, and from observers’ remarks, conditions appear to have been favourable for lambing, and the month generally a good growing one.

PROBATION SYSTEM. AUCKLAND, Oct. 6. The Rev E.' G. Budd, after 28 years’ service as Anglican chaplain at Mount Eden Prison, has .resigned. The Rev. Jasper Colder has been appointed successor. At the annual meeting of the Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society, Afr Bud said that he had great hope of tlio effectiveness of probation, properly administered. It was most important that young offenders, wherever possible, should be kept out of prison. He agreed with the Controller of Prisons (Air Dallard) that the present arrangements for the oversight of probationers were inadequate. Possibly the society might take over some of the work.

Archbishop Averill remarked that it would be a great advantage if persons on probation could be brought under religious influence. Probation officers, in their official capacity, could not do this. There was a need for something akin to a “Big Brother” and “Big Sister” movement.

RATES ON NATIVE LANDS. WELLINGTON, Oct. 6. A deputation of representatives of local bodies, chiefly of the King Country and North Auckland districts, waited on Alt" Coates to-day with reference to difficulties in which local bodies are placed through large amounts of rates outstanding on native lands. At Air Coates’s suggestion, the position was stated both from the point of view of native owners as well as the point of view of County Councils.

It was agreed at Air Coates’s suggestion that a committee representative of both sides, with the addition of the Secretary for the Lands Department, meet in the afternoon, and draw up recommendations for the consideration of the Government. NAPIER WHARF DISPUTE. NAPIER, Oct. 7. As the result of a meeting of the local Disputes Committee this afternoon, the waterside workers agreed to proceed with the working of the Pakura. Aleantime the dispute will be referred to Wellington for the National Disputes Committee to arbitrate upon some time next week.

PILE-DRIVING ACCIDENT. GISBORNE, Oct. 7. While working on the new harbour works this morning, a harbour board employee, named Alexander Alead, became entangled in a rope attached to a pile, and sustained a triple fracture of the leg, besides other injuries. BANKRUPrs" VERSATILITY. WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. According to a statement to a meeting of his creditors by Edward Lemhan, journalist, now of Wellington, but formerly of Taihapc—but who, in the course of nine years, had been a soldier, a railway officer, a journalistic editor, a rabbiter, a showman and a builder’s labourer—he would not have gone bankrupt liad the Duke an Duchess of York attended an axemen’s carnival which bankrupt organised on Newtown Park, and for winch he offered £7OO in prize money. Most of the creditors reside in Taihape, the debts to unsecured creditors amount-

ed to £236 4s 6d and assets to £IOO. Bankrupt could make no offer. The creditors’ meeting adjourned sine die to enable the Taihape creditors to attend a further meeting, if desired.

HAZARDS AND POKER

WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. During the slack times on the wharf the employees are in the habit of indulging in games of chance. The time being slack yesterday afternoon, 22 wharf employees decided to follow their fancies and play at hazards and penny poker. They appointed a man to keep watch at the breastwork. A large box was used as a table, and forms were placed round it, 15 men playing at hazards, and nearby eight others indulged in penny poker. Suddenly Detective Tricklebank and several constables from the Police Station surrounded the gamblers and arrested them. Tlie look-out man boltted, but he was overtaken by a motor.

A late sitting of. the Magistrate’s Court was held by. Mr J. H. ‘Salmon, S.M. Tlie whole 23 were convicted, and , each was fined £2,. or in default seveiK days’ imprisonment. They were given seven days in which to pay.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL PROJECT. WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. A representative meeting was lieUl'-to-day, presided over by the Mayor, to organise a national movement to provide a. memorial to commemorate the passing of the Summer-time Bill, and to express appreciation of Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P.’s sen-ices in connection with it. It was resolved to a national organisation, with Sir Truby King as President; the Mayors of the cities and boroughs of the Doininon to l>e vice-presidents and a Dominion representative Com niitteo of Managment to be nominated to organise the movement throughout New Zealand. The maximum subscription was fixed at one shilling.

RAILWAYMEN AND MOTORS. OAMARU, Oct. 7. A large meeting of representatives of all branches of the railway service at Oamaru and the surrounding districts, in discussing tlie question of motor transport as affecting . themselves as railway employees, carried the following resolution unanimously: “That this largo and representative mass meeting of railway employees pledge themselves to reciprocate with only those traders who patronise the railway transport.”

FOREST SERVICE CRITICISED. WELLINGTON, Oct. 8. W. McArthur (President of the Tim-ber-growers’ Association) states there is grave dissatisfaction with the operations of the State Forest Service. There was a startling discrepancy be-. tween the actual cost per acre and the • statement in the annual report. He gave figures which he asserted showed tlie cost was £6 2s and not £1 15s and even that did not include everything fairly chargeable. It took £74,358 to collect £401,473 from the sale' of native forests and in. 1927 the cost was nearly 25 per cent. He considered a searching investigation was needed.