DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 March 1928, Page 1

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. TAM A FLAT TUNNELS. ALL TENDERS REJECTED. WELLINGTON, March 17. The Government has decided to reject all the tenders for the construction ol tunnels on the Tawa Flat deviation which will give the- railway an outlet from Wellington to the West Coast on almost a level line. One tunnel is three-quarters of a mile long. The second is two and three-quarter miles long, and is to take a double track railway. Announcing ihi.s decision the Minister of J’ublid Works, the Hon. Iv. S. Williams, stated that his Department will carry out the work. “The reason for declining the tenders,” said the Minister, “is because the prices arc much in excess oi the Department’s estimate, and the Government is confident that the work will he carried out at a price a good deal below the lowest tender.” The Government has done a considerable amount of tunnelling work and has a good many men at present engaged in this class of work. It is expected to make an early start on these tunnels. WORKING ON SUNDAY. BUSY STOCK AGENT. PAIHATUA. Mail. 17. A case of interest to farmers and slock firms was heard to-day, when a number of stock agents were charged with working on Sunday drill ting sheep at the saloyards. One defendant explained that, the drafting' could, not have been done in l ime on the morning of the sale. '1 he same course had been adopted in previous years on the occasion ol fairs. It was necessary to have the owe lair mi Monday, to avoid clashing with the regular sales in neighbouring towns. The Magistraltc( Mr Stout) said a town that really relied on the farming | community should not object to a certain amount of drafting on Sunday where the work was necessary. He agreed, taking the ease on its merits, that the work quite possibly could not have been done iu time on Monday morning and dismissed the charges. DA IB V PRODUCE. AUCKLAND, March 17. I.ocal distributors are raising the price of butter Id as from Monday. The new rates will he Is Old (less id for cash) for all first, grade brands, and Is Ltd (less Jd for cash) lor second grade. The retail prices respectively are Is 8(1 and Is (Id a lb. HIGH EH WAGES. EFFECT IN DUNKIRK. DUNEDIN, .March 18. s. • ( Dealing with the general account milyr a further provision of from £ISOO 1 to £SOOO is the direct effect on the Dunedin City Council of the recent award of the Arbitration Court increasing the wages of general labourers. The Finance Committee of the Conn- , ei! has . considered the matter, and ' states that there is no source from v hicli rluit Mim can he obtained excepting bv :u: increase in the general ii'l.i of Li. rhr- council is, however, ' already committed to an increase ol Id in the general rate to meet- the £SOOO expended on unemployment relief last year. The committee is of 1 opinion that there can lie no justiliea- 1 tion for increasing the rate beyond the 1 Id to which the council is committed. 1 .and that the only alternative is to adjust tlie finances on the basis of employing ' a reduced number of hands and it accordingly recommends that that course be followed, and that the departmental officers he instructed accordingly. A further opinion of the committee is that the time has arrived for giving effect to the suggestion which has many times been made, that corporation works should be done by contract, and accordingly it is recommended that instructions be issued to the departments that tenders are to be invited lor all works which can possibly be contracted for. A TRESPASSER. AN EX-JOCKEY FINED. AUCKLAND. March 17. “ Horses not like a magnet to him. He was looking after some and merely went on the course to see them,” said .Mr W. P. Fennell, who appeared for ail ex-jockey, It. I’. Ayres, who was charged at tiie Police Court with trespassing oil the trotting track at Epsom during the recent race meeting. “He has two previous convictions, one for fighting and another for gam- ; ing,” said Chief-Detective Hammond. “ Otherwise there is no harm in him and a small penalty will meet the ease.” “ The previous convictions are nothing at all,” said Mr Fennell. “The one for gaming was merely a fine of Cl for playing a game of put and take with a Haweta police sergeant. (Laughter.) Ayres was fined ;C1 and costs 10s. BAILIFF ASSAULTED. WANGANUI, March 19. John Curran, a bailiff, is at present an inmate of the hospital as a result of being attacked on Saturday afternoon by some unknown assailant, who punched and kicked him. His face was badly lacerated, his knee injured, and Ilia shoulder dislocated. FOUND HANGED. AUCKLAND, March 19. A law clerk named Geo Muller, aged 25, a single man, missing from his home at Stanley Point since March loth., was found hanged at Takapnna this morning. His body was suspended from a willow tree by a rope. SEAMEN DEALT WITH. AUCKLAND. March 19. Three seamen arrested in connection with the thefts from the Star Hotel were sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. The fourth seaman, for being unlawfully on the premises forfeited his bail of £lO. CHANGES FOR- FIRST TEST. CHRISTCHURCH, March 19. Read and Mill replace Dickinson and Rowntree. who are unable to play for New Zealand in the first test. FOUND DEAD. ASHBURTON, March 19. ' A farmer named Frederick "Watts, aged 55, married, residing at Rangitata Island was found dead on the road at Tinwald this morning. Deceased had been ordered by a doctor to remain abed for a month, owing to . heart trouble, hut he remained only a fortnight and set out on a bicycle for Ashburton.

AN APPEAL ALLOWED. WELLINGTON, March 19. The Court of Appeal, Chief Justice Skerrett, Justices Sim, MacGregor and Adams, is hearing tho case of tho Public Trustee v. Lowe King. The respondent lodged a proof against the estate o George Ghee, a Chinese merchant for £539, money alleged to be owing to him on a partnership for carrying on an illegal game of fan-tan. The claim was supported by deceased’s books, which showed this sum was owing to King. The Public Trustee, finding the estate insufficient to meet liabilities, rejected the- proof, but lost tho case in tho lower court and now appeals. Mr Myers K. C. and Mr Johnstone for appellant and Mr Donnelly and Mr Long for respondent. The appeal was allowed. DAIRY FACTORY BURNT. NEW PLYMOUTH, -March 19. Information lias been received that Capo Egmont Dairy Factory was destroyed by fii-o early this morning. The factory was a wooden building erected about 30 years ago. The origin of tho fire is a complete mystery. It apparently started in the butter room. A quantity of produce was destroyed, but some cheese in a concrete storeroom was saved, though it is possibly damaged. Tho boiler room was also saved. The factory and contents were insured for £11,300 in the Phoenix Office. Further particulars are unavailable yet. THIEVES RAID. CHRISTCHURCH, -Bareli 19. Two general stores in North Canterbury were raided by thieves on Saturday evening. It is believed that the thieves were the same party, in both instances using a motor ear. At Baleairn they were evidently disturbed as they departed in baste in a motor ear. taking only tobacco. At Woouend they made a thorough rummage of the store. They emptied sacks of potatoes and sugar on the floor and used sacks to carry away the loot. They took cigarettes, tobacco and men’s clothing, of a total value of about £IOO. Two robberies occurred in the .suburbs during the week-end. A tobacconist’s shop in Kerry Road was broken into, and cigarettes and tobacco worth £l7 was' stolen. At Dallington the Bridge store was robbed of between £lO and ££2o, the cash being in the till. CHARGE OK BOOKMAKING. CHRISTCHURCH, March 19. Leslie Joseph Shadbolt, on a eliargo of carrying on the business of a bookmaker. appeared before Mr Mosley, S.M.. in the Lower Court to-day. He was remanded till Thursday, bail being granted in self for £SO, and one surety of £SO. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. MASTER TON, March IS). Jack Cooper, alias John Myldchrcost Quale, nu a charge of breaking and entering the house of Donald Trass. Upper Plain, in September, 192(5, and stealing therefrom a. number ot articles and £l7 10s in notes of a total value of £2l !!'-•. was committed by Mr Free, S.M.. to-day in the Masterton Magistrate’s Court, to the Wellington Supreme Coma for P*al. Hail "as allowed. Accused admitted the (bell ol the articles, hut denied oiCaking and entering and stealing, and alleged that the door of the house was open. On the second charge of thelt of an overcoat valued at £2 10s. accused pleaded guilty and was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within twelve months. UOHRY GOES OYER BANK. AUCKLAND, March 19. As the result of a half ton motor truck going over a bank near Humia Falls, while returning from Auckland on Saturday evening, Stuart Joseph Henrys, farmer, of Hunua, was killed. a ml Richard Edward Smith, his brother-in-law was rendered unconscious. When Smith regained consciousness he found himself about 70ft below the road of the Hunua, Gogre. and being unable to extricate Fleur,vs ironi the wreckage, he found his way to the Hunua Quarry, some distance olf the road, in search of help. Telephone messages were sent by. the earetakei of the quarry to Constable Holland and Dr Page at Papakura. On thenarrival they found that Henr.vs was dead. His skull was fractured and Ins body injured. Smith, who was driving the lorry, is badly bruised, and bis head was injured. , The body of the truck is badly smashed. CHILD INJURED IN COLLISION. WELLINGTON, March 19. The three-year-old child who was injured in a. collision near Seatonn tunnel was a boy and not a girl and was named I„eslie Jones. The child underwent an operation early in the evening, and bis condition at- ten o’clock was very low. FATAL SEQUEL TO CAR SMASH. CHRISTCHURCH, March 19. On March 7th. James Colliding, agec 70 was riding in a motor car with Ins son-in-law. H. J. J««*. Ll,uoln ’ when the car struck a post. Colliding bad n collarbone broken and was taken to the Lewisham Hospital, where be died to-day from bronchial and heart trouble. ’ The accident occurred through ate i • ear, in giving way to another ear, running off the roadj^^