DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 March 1928, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS.

T. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) DRAPER’S FEDERATION. ANN GAL CONFERENCE. >pig. AUCKLAND, .March 11. ng The eighth annual conference of the irt New Zealand Federation of Drapers, lie Clothiers, and Root Retailers opened m this morning, Air T. Forsyth, M.P., id- presiding over an assembly of fifty ■ti- delegates from all parts of the Doll- minion. les The Advisory Board’s report stated irs that during J 927 the Dominion suflerto 1 ed from severe depression, due 1o spdbe den drop in the prices of exported iw produce, and the consequent adverse so trade balance of 1925-24. The drapery, in mercery, and boot trades, had all had as their full share of the bad times. 1m•al portant matters were dealt with by nd the executive last year, and through is- their association with the Employers’ Federation, they would he concerned ty in a conference on the industrial and at economic question which migut prove in- to he historic, ft was only through g. the strength of their .irgaii'snimi fiat up any influence could be oxen v.l upon go a general policy, and it was the id | simple duty of every member to unit. hold the organisation, not only finani(l <-hilly, blit, with practical interest and in participation in it* work, ig Tbe chairman, in reviewing the ■ I’- business to he transacted, said that a k- remit on superannuation was the most ig important. It was to he hoped that bo some workable arrangement would be er arrived at. Tbe haphazard wav of emfo phiynicnt as it applied to shops could nt well he considered by the conference, m ! He was pleased to note a derided imu- provement in last year’s trade statisz- ties. The outlook was most encourag•a 1. ir>Sd. Mr A. R. Rendcll (Auckland) was ds elected president for the ensuing year. ed T off A. CONFUSED DEFENDANT, ng i it ADMITS wrong charge. It, ' —■ ; 10 WELLINGTON. March 11. w j Although one frequently hears of a | v i person being accused of an offence ,jH committed by another, it is seldom i anyone pleads guilty to an offence | )u : com til it led by someone else. Such, ,| f , | however, was the ease in the ALigis- ! trate’s Court yesterday. rv i A man was charged with not having n'd : any lights on his moior-cycle. and [• when his name was called out a Hindu ~,) stepped forward and in broken luiglM list: pleaded guilty. After the Alagj istrate had imposed a fine of 10s the m Hindu left the court room. On a constable discovering That t Inwrong man had been lined a mossenger was sent out to call the Hindu re hack. When he returned the situation ( | e was explained to him and he smiled , blandly, but did not appear to lie very j,_ inueli wiser. Alter some delay he gave his name, which in no way resembled that of the man whose ofU fence he had admitted. o £ The clerk of the court: Do you own j. a motor-cycle ?, j The clerk of the court then decided that the charge had better lie read | )t very carefully to the Hindu, and in his efforts to make tile offender perj feetly clear on the subject lie eatisei! much amusement by saving: '‘You are I charged with being in (barge of a l’ motor vehicle, to wit a horse express. The Hindu, who again smiled blandly. answered “Yes.” lc The offence having been admitted the Hindu was lined. 10s and one? 10 more, left the court, no doubt wondor>l_ ing what all the fuss had been about, re UTS WIFE’S LETTER. :1c 'CHARGE AGAINST TRAVELLER. WELLINGTON, March 1-1. A - ravel fer, whose name was suppressed, war charged before Mr Salmon, S.M.. to-lay with wilfully detaining a registered letter which ought to have been delivered to bis wife at New Bl igllton. It was stated in evidence that he >f said he had a. right to take delivery ], of his wife’s correspondence. Subsci, quently tbe letter was returned to tbe •e Chief Postmaster. Detective Jarrold gave evidence that n accused told him that he left his wife ill December, 1920, owing to domestic troubles, and bad asked the New d Brighton postmaster to send all eorresd poiidence to him. He was goiiig to it hand the letter over to his wife peri- sonally. He was committed for trial in d the Supreme Court. Bail was fixed at •- £SO. IIDENTITY PROVED. s A lAN WITH ASSUMED NAME t AUCKLAND, March 14. s The body of the man of about 50 . years of age which wn,s found in Graf- . ton Gully early on the afternoon of I* November Bth. last has now been dei finitely identified as that of Norman Clough, a native of Australia. At the j time it was thought that his name was - Thomas Williams, as he was known bv i that, and was drawing a war pension - under it. r Hie inquest was resumed this morn- ? ing before the Coroner'(Mr W. R. AHs Kean), when .James Williams. off Afount Roskill, stated that lie had roni son to believe that Williams was not i the correct name of deceased. AY it- • ; ness was born in Brunswick, Vietfiria, Australia, and knew a family there named Clough. There was a .son nam- ’ ed Norman Clough, who would be ■ about 50 years of age if alive at tbe ■ present time. He enlisted and went 1 to tbe war as witness’s brother. 1 “Thomas AVilliams.” Witness had met “Thomas Williams” in Auckland on 1 several occasions, and knew him to 1 lie Norman Clough. He had told wit- 1 ifess that Norman Clough had enlisted f as his brother “Thomas Williams” and 1 also that he was drawing his pension under that name. AVitncss identified I a watch and chain found on deceased 1 as those belonging to Norman Clough. } The Col-oner said that he was satis- 1 fled that the real identity of deceased I was Norman Clough and that he had * been going undej- the assumed name of I Thomas Williams. j The inquest was concluded this afternon when the evidence of the man who found the body was taken. ii AUDITOR’S 'CLAIM O

DISMISSED BY APPEAL COT7RT. WELLINGTON. March 14,. The Court of Appeal to-day heard the case Yeatnian v. the Wellington Board of Education. Yeatnian claimed £<42 for auditing the board’s hooks and the hoard paid him £75. The late Judge Alpers held that the claim was excessive, though £75 was too little, but, in view of the evidence decided against Yeatnian. Appellant moved for permission to take fresh evidence, and the Court heard argument upon this, at the end of which it dismissed the application. It dismissed the appeal as well, allowing costs to the board on the lowest scale. CATTLE STEALING. OFFENDER SENT TO GAOL. : HAMILTON, March 14. In the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Blair sentenced Walter Thomas Bunt-

ing to eighteen months’ reformative detention for cattle stealing. Bunting had bought the cattle from Frank Rose, ostensibly for a client called M’Crny, who was non-existent. He sold the cattle on his own account. The judge rejected the request of the defence to refer to the Appeal Court a question as to whether the charge should be false pretences.