DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1928, Page 2

DOMINION NEWS.

( By Telegraph—Per Press Association. FILM CENSORSHIP. WORK FOR THE YEAR. AV ELLINGTON, Alarch 15. Up to the cud of February over 5,000.(Ktt) feet of picture film had passed before the eyes of the New Zealand film censor, for the eleven months of the financial year, and from the work in hand it was expected that the total would reach G. 000,000 feet. This includes special features, usually 5001) to GOOO feet long, comedies, sceuics and news such as go to make up supports for the average picture theatre programme. Although excisions are often made the work of censoring undesirable features is not such a heavy task as it was at one time, as voluntary hoards of censors operate both in ■Great Britain and the United States. Less censoring is necessary in British films, hut more latitude is taken in some of the American and other imported pictures, and in titling, and the reusin' has always to he on the watch for features which may offend the moral or religious susceptibilities of the people of the Dominion. Quite a number of American titles fail to secure the approval of the censor, either because of double entendre, or the use of expressions which are vulgar. and, while colloquial in America, would be regarded as offensive aqd undesirable in New Zealand. AA’hile some of the scenery is magnificent yet the censor states that these films are not over popular in New Zealand, certainly not popular enough to rank as features, and if thov are of any length they have to he cut ui) and used as supports. Good comedies are the greatest favourites with picture patrons. COURT OF APPEAL. DIVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS. WELLINGTON. Alarch 15. Afembers of the first and second divisions of the Court of Appeal have heen appointed ns follows: . First Division—Tlie Chief Justice Sir Charles Skerrett. Justices Sim. Reed, Adams, and Alacgregor. Second division—The Chief Justice Sir Charles Skerrett. Justices Sim. Recti. Ostler, and Blair. VITAL STATISTICS. AA'EL LING TON. Alarch 15. For tltc month of February the total live births registered for the urban areas amounted to 1052. as against 112 S in January, a decrease of seven-ty-six. The deaths in February were 488, a decrease of sixteen as compared with the previous month. Of the total deaths males contributed 247 and females 21. Thirty-four of tlie deaths were of children under five years of ago, being 6.97 per cent of the i\liolc number. Twenty-five of these wcie under one year of ago.

'' STATEMENT BEFITTED. AUCKLAND, March 15. Mrs A. Miller, chaperon of the New Zealand girl swimmers, when shown the cablegram from Sydney, contra's dieted Airs Chambers’s statement that d the Jformer s,nid lit was not possible for 0 .Miss Edna Davey to proceed to Europe 0 with the Dominion girls. Atrs Miller '■ W ;is not even consulted about thematter. ,o 0 DECISION RESERVED. s - WELLINGTON.‘March 13. iS The Court of Appeal reserved its ’ s decision in the case of Kerr versus the *■’ Avon Dairy Coy. in u INQUEST VERDICT. PUKEKOHE, March 10A verdict of suicide was returned at e the 'inquest concerning the death of .Tames Carroll, aged oG, single, a farm l<? labourer employed by E. T. Muir, of 1 Tp Kohanga. near Tuakau, who shot himself. He left a note saying: “Tired of this life; so good-bye.” d CAR THIEF IMPRISONED. '' DUNEDIN. March 1(1. Robert Gardner appeared before Mr [ IT. AY. Bundle, 5.M... in the City Police Court this morning, for sentence oil two charges of converting motor cars j. to his own use. One charge was in reI speet to a car owned by Harry Turner and valued at £4OO, and the other 0 charge in respect to a car owned by ! James Patrick Herelihy, and valued at ~ a. similar figure. Accused was sentenced to two months s imprisonment on each charge, the senf tences to he cumulative. DRIVER’S LICENSE CANCELLED. DUNEDIN. March Hi. When AYilliam Foster came before the Police Court this morning for sens tence on a charge of being intoxicated 1 while m charge of a motor car at Shag y Point, it was stated that since the ease was beard, he had been charged e mi another information with the same g offence. .1 Mr J. L. White, for accused, sng1’ crested that sentence should he deferred till the latter charge had been dealt - with. He would give an undertaking t that defendant would not drive a car f in the meantime. Th< ; Magistrate (Mr Bundle, S.M.) , said he had deferred .sentence in order t that inquiries might he made. His 1 reason for adjourning the matter was , that if the case was an exceptional or isolated one. he would consider the question ol not cancelling the license. The report he had received was not a 1 very favourable one. It stated that Foster often smelt of liquor when he was going around houses in his business as a hawker of fish. Air White again requested that the case he taken on a future date. His Worship would not agree to that course. He said the first case must he taken by itself. Delendnnt would he convicted, and would he fined £lO. with expenses (365). Defendant's driving license was cancelled, and lie wa.s prohibited from driving lor two.years. VALUELESS CHEQUE. HAAVERA, March 15. Drinking habits were submitted as responsible for the conduct, when Harold -Middleton Lee, farmer, 40, today pleaded guilty before Justices, and was committed for sentence on two charges of forging and uttering and also a third count of attempting to pass a valueless cheque. Accused admitted forging the name of a well known farmer, James AVinks to three cheques for £B, £9 7s. and L 3 ' for goods, and for goods and cash he seemed the full value of the latter two from different clothiers. AA’lien questioned concerning tlie . ! cheque for LS, lie agreed to have it 1 submitted to the hank. Returning m the afternoon for the change, tie found the police waiting to arrest him. I SENSATION AT RAILWAY STATION CHRISTCHURCH. March 17. ] A sensation was caused at Christchurch railway station last evening when a man. in attempting to hoard j tlie train for Lyttelton as it was leav- f, ing the platform, slipped and fell under the carriages. The alarm was given and the train pulled up with a jerk. [ Porters rushed a stretcher to the scene, but to the surprise of everyone, the man crawled from beneath the carriage unhurt. Three carriages had passed L over him before the train was brought > to a standstill. ft