DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1928, Page 1

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. AFSTB ALI AX D UTIES. WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. The Hon. W. D. Stewart, -Minister of Customs, explained to-day why New ■ Zealand was unable to agree to the immediate imposition of the new Australian duties on butter and cheese. To have agreed immediately to the imposition and not wait for the six months, said Mr Stewart, would not have been fair to the New Zealand dairy industry. The statement that Australia had offered no objection t<; the increase by New Zealand in flour and wheat duties, without Australia first receiving six months notice, was not analogous, he said. The new tariff on wheat and flour did not necessarily mean an increase in the duty of those products. They were an adjustment rather than an increase in duties, whereas the Australian duties were virtually prohibitive, no notification of the proposed action was received by New Zealand until after the prohibitive duties had been introduced into the Australian Parliament.

RUSH FIRES. AUCKLAND. Jan. 24

Serious hush fires arc causing extensive damage in the Woodlcigh district, £G miles to the west of Rangiriri, am three miles from the sea on the west coast. A house has been destroyed and some sheep perished in the flames. Hundreds of acres of pastures have been destroyed, and several areas of beautiful bush ruined. The fire, which is still raging, is located in hilly sheep country. i lie house destroyed was on f->. Mannering’s farm. Most of the contents were removed liefore the flames reached it. Settlers cleared a fire break to stop the fire’s progress, but the wind changed and the lire went in another direction. lIOMESTEAD DESTROYED. AUCKLAND, Jan. 24. Eire totally destroyed a two storeyed house of ten rooms at East Tamaki this afternoon. The house was leased to Mr J. Hamilton, who was share-milking for the owner, Mr R. Harris, of Papatoetoc. ’Hie origin of the fire is unknown : as Mrs Hamilton and family had loft early this morning for Auckland. Mr Hamilton was working on the farm during the day, but lmd no knowledge of the fire until the alarm was given by a neighbour. An attempt was made to save some of the furniture, but the rapid spread of the flames prevented this. The bouse was a very old one, with thick walls of scoria rock, and was used as a fori during the Maori War. Since then storey of live rooms bad been added and improvements made on the ground floor. The absence of water made any efforts to save the house futile, hut the outbuildings were not destroyed. The insurance on the building is LStlf! with the New Zealand Insurance Cov.

MIMIC NAVAL RATTLE. AUCKLAND. Jan. 21

Spectacular gunnery and torpedo practice were carried out (his morning bv the 11.M.S Dunedin, which accompanied by 11.M.5. Diomede. H.M.S. Laburnum. 11.M.5, Veronica, and the sloop Wakakaiiru. staged a mimic battle off Little Barrier. A dense smoke screen from tbo Diomede, representing low visibility conditions. was first thrown across the Dunedin’s path. At high speed tlie Dunedin broke through the smoke and at once opened fire with six-inch guns upon a target representing enemy light to‘'ces several miles away. 'lbis highly spectacular phase of the operations was followed by a torpedo attack, when a broadside of six torpedoes was tired at a target representing an enemy battle squadron, and subsequently by anti-aircraft practice, which brought into pla.v powerful four-inch high elevations guns as well as one-pounders and pom. poms.

Later the Diomede carried put similar manoeuvres. The results are to be compared on a competition basis. Landing operations for both marines and sailors will lie begun at llawera to-niglit. The ships are based at Kawau. and arc enjoying perfect weather. RECORD MAKO SHARK. AUCKLAND. Jan. 21. The world’s record maho shark, weighing 6301b5, was caught to-day off Cape Brett, by Lord Grimthorpe. of Leeds. W AIR A RAP A FARMERS’ PROPOSAL. MASTERTON. Jan. 24. At a meeting to-dav ol the Wairnrapa Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union, the following resolution was carried. “Tlifit a professor of economies be asked to outline a formula as n guiding principle to the Arbitration Court in the fixation of wages, such formula to aim at the rise and fall of wages in proportion to the value of the Dominion exports.

VIOLENT PRISONER

AUCKLAND. Jan. 21

A pica of guilty was entered in the Police Court this morning before Miff. K. Hunt, S.M.. by Owen Byrne, aged 32, to stealing n pair of sand shoes valued at -5s lid. the property of K. K. Footwear Co., and to wilfully damaging one tunic valued at £3 las, the property of the New Zealand Government. Sub-Inspector McCarthy said that accused was noticed by a visiting constable from Wellington in Ponsonby Road standing in front of a boot shop with a bag. Prisoner took the shoes off the rack, slipped them in the hag and made off. He was chased and overtaken by the constable. A uniformed constable was sent lor, and accused picked up a piece of rock and threatened to throw it. He was arrested and taken to the police station, where he was locked up. He became very violent in the cell,' and a constable went to see what was wrong. When the constable would not let accused out accused attacked him and damaged his tunic beyond repair. Accused had a number of convictions for theft and resisting the police. There were two other articles found in the bag, but it had not yet been ascertained from where they had come. The magistrate said that accused ha 4 bad many chances. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment on the first charge, and ordered to pay the damage on the second. RAILWAY APPOINTMENT. WELLINGTON. - .Tan- 25. Mr P. G. Rouseli, has been appointed to the position of General guperin-

tfindent of Transportation in the htailway Department. Hp joined the servjcp in 1893 §ni ha? hp#!» »P t,D for a year.