DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1928, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Por Press Association PETTY DEPREDATIONS. DARGAVILLE, Fch. 21. Dargaville has been suffering for ti past two years from the depreclatio of a petty thief, and all efforts to a prebend him proved unsuccessful un a fortnight ago, when two postal not returned from Tattersall’s to the loc post office proved his undoing. The notes were part of the proceeds stoli from the till of a local grocer, w noted that they were missing and du notified the Postal Department, w’ kept a watch to see when they we rewarded, for they duly arrived ba from Hobart with the sender’s endors meat. From then on all was pin sailing, and Joseph J. Letiea, a youi married man who bad endorsed t notes, was arrested. On a search of his house being ma a wholesale collection of grocerii ironmongery, drapery, hams, bare clothing and other articles, enough stock a shop. Was found. I.etica appeared at the Police (’on this morning and pleaded guilty to s charges of theft from practically the business places in Dargaville. I was committed for sentence to t Supreme Court, Auckland. The arrest of I.etica clears up a go deal of mysterious disappearances goods and cash in small amounts Ire a number of business people’s pi mises, some of whom had made elabc ate preparations for the capture of t thief or thieves, but without sucre until Tie caught himself in a ve simple manner. .MOTOR. VEHICLES. THE RISING TOTAL. WELLINGTON. Feb. 21. Figures made available by the Ho K. S. Williams, .Minister of Publ Works, regarding the number of mot vehicles registered in the Dominii at the end of January, 1928, show total of 172,798, which compared wi the figures for .January, 1927, iiu cates an increase of 10,3)3. I lie ma rise was in the number of cars, whi increased by 0563. The return f January 31 for both North and Sou Islands was as follows: — North South Island. Island. Cars 70,001 42,053 Commercial vehicles 17.370 7,813 Cycles 20,004 14,927 Total 107,375 05,423 ( 00K STRAIT INCIDENT, l’l BLIC INQUIRY ORDERED. WELLINGTON, Feb. 21. The Minister of -Marine has decide in the interests of public safety, th the circumstances attending an occi rence which caused much alarm passengers on the Picton steam Tamahine and the Sydney steam oaunganui recently, when they a peared to he in danger of cnllidin shall lie* investigated at a public i qnir.v. lie is taking this action under I terms of Section 2.39 of the Shippi and Seamen Act. which enables < ficia! mfpliries to he held into oect rences which do not cause an aetu marine casualty. The Court usually comprises a Ma istrate with an assessor, and il h power to make all order for pa.vnienl costs by any party which it considi Idameworthy, and it lias to report the Minister of Marine. A. lIUHRTED VISIT. TOURIST AGENT IN DO.MI.NIO AUCKLAND. Feb. 21. New Zealand's possibilities from tourist’s point of view are being i vestigated by Mr Hoy A. Murray, ei passenger agent for the Matson Na gation ( ompany at San Francisco. .’ Murray lost no time on arrival Auckland this morning by the U mama from Sydney in hiring a mote car and speeding Rotorua-wards. N a single minute of his short stay New Zealand will be wasted, for I leaves on Saturday bv the Tofua f the Islands. At Honolulu he will t join the Ventura, his own company steamer, and thence proceed back San Francisco. “No, I will not have very mu time here, and that is the reason th: I want to see as much as l possib can in New Zealand.” said Mr Murra who considered that there was eve possibility of the. Dominion receivii more American tourists in I he lie: future. “Though, strictly speakin this is not my company’s territory he said, “ we are encouraging 01 people to take a trip through tl Islands and connecting at New Zealai for Australia, because we realise tin the more tourists we encourage travel the better it is for everybod; Mr Murray remarked that torn were now being arranged from Austri lia. to Hawaii, as well as from tl American Coast to this island. WOOL PRICES. £4,009,000 MORE TO NEW ZEALAND. AUCKLAND, Feb. 22. On the strength of the sucrcssfu wool sale, which was concluded ii Auckland yesterday, a pronounced feel ing of exhilaration is apparent to-da; among these who are concerned will ! the nroduction and sale of this stnpl product. “The two sales this year hate bcei , phenomenal.” said Mr 11. J. Marquet , chairman of the Auckland Woolbrok ors’ Association. He added that then had never been better, apart from tin boom sale of December, 1924, when tin catalogue averaged 24d per In. Mr Marquet and others in the woo trade agree that the prices reeeivoc for the clip in the Auckland provincf this season will probably show an advance of £6 IRs per bale over lasi year’s prices. Spread over the Dominion as a whole, the increase will probably be about £5 per bale. The average in Auckland last year wa£l6 40s per bale for the first sale. This season the average was £22 per bale and for the sale just completed, it looks like being £24 per bale, or an average of £23. •‘Allowing for the continuation of increased quantities on the ratio already established, and providing the present good prices hold, there is good reason for believing that- the increased returns to the Dominion will Do something over £4.000.090. This is splendid news for New Zealanders, for the beilefits will be reflected throughout the land. FOOTWEAR prices. PASSING ON THE INCREASE AUCKLAND. Feb. 22. Following substantial advances in the price of leather, local boot retailers are. faced with the problem of meeting greatly increased costs. A wholesale representative of an English firm informed a reporter that his firm had notified a rise of 3s 4d per pair on standard high grade lines. This is on the Home cost. By the time this inerensa has boen adder! proportion-

atelv to landing charges, approximating 40 x>er cent., warehousemen’s charges and retailors’ expenses, the l " increased cost to the purchaser will not Ire less than 6s Bd. Even at this figure, the wholesaler said, his principals were not prepared to give “firm.” quotations, limiting them to ofcjers received before Febls ruary 11th, Whether or not any furP ' ther incrase is to lie made, he tlpes not know. Meantime, it may he some consolation for the hoot wearer to ‘ know that the price of hides has lately so dropped somewhat, but whether this " fall wJI prove permanent or tomporI* ary remains to he seen. Moreover, the • benefit of any casing of the hides market can scarcely have an immediate le effect on tbo price of footwear, which ' v is governed by tire cost of leather at the time of manufacture, in IK DESTRUCTIVE FIRES. 10 _ TAUMARUXUJ, Fob. 23. in tno Oh lira district fires arc burn--0 ing lor fully five miles along the road ii ’ towards Waitanga. Yesterday Thomas 11 ’ Shepherd’s mill at Waitanga was in danger and the settlors and mill bands worked bard all day pumping water Imm a creek. The fight continued lx until mid-night. Shepherd estimates 'll he lost fifty thousand feet of sawn * e timber valued at £730. The mill and IC a whare were burned. The school nearby and Shepherd’s home were saved. Collins and Boiscn, two farm"l ers. estimate their loss at twenty and 111 thirty sheep respectively. A large e ~ area of country is now burning, eausr‘ ing alarm in the hack blocks, ic ss TWO DESTRUCTIVE FIRES. r - v MOW PLYMOUTH. Feb. 23. Early -this 'morning the Royal Oak cheese factory at Omata was completely destroyed by fire, apparently originating with the electric motor driving a fan ill tlie cooling loom, 'flic building was insured for L'2,(!()() and the machinery tor L 1,300. The Control Hoard '• had a policy over 170 crates of cheese i° also lost. II An hour or two later an eight-room. 111 od house close by was also destroyed. a It was occupied by Evan Maine and !' owned by Donald Muse. 'flic insur- ’■ ances are L‘l,ooo on the building and C2OO on the furniture. It is a total loss. It has no connection with the ,r factory fire. LOAN TO HARBOUR. BOARD. THAMES. Feb. 23. The Thames llarholir Hoard recently obtained authority to raise 6(1,000 for the completion of the harbour works hv means of debentures. These were offered to debenture holders of the original COO,OOO loan, while the advertising campaign was in preparation. The Secretary to-day received an offer from an original debenture holder in Hawke’s Bay offering to take the whole amount. The offer was accepted, saving the Board the cost of advertising, :l - FI UK AT WESTPORT. M OREVMOUTH, Feb. 22. r " The Fire Brigade was called out at 2.13 o’clock this morning to quell a L ' r fire in the ceiling of the oil stores on ('*' the south side of the railway station at I’ - 'Westport. Mr McLean, railway niglitwatchman, gave the alarm. The hrin" gade got to work speedily and extinguished the lire before much damage was done.