DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1928, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph— Press Association.) INTOXICATION ALLEGED. CHARGE AGAINST DOCTOR. DUNEDIN, May 7. In the City Police Court this morning James Henry Crawslmw, District Medical Officer of Health, pleaded not guilty to a charge of being intoxicated while in dhargo of a motor-car on May Ist. He was represented by Air A. C. Hanlon. Witnesses stated that accused was intoxicated, and when advised to get out of his car insisted that he could drive it. The police were sent for and had difficulty in getting accused to the station.

All the witnesses for the prosecution were emphatic that accused was decidedly intoxicated.

Dr James Fitzgerald, for the defence said that Dr Crawslmw was suffering from a complaint for which whisky was a specific. He had. scon accused on the night of the arrest and did not consider that lie was intoxicated.

Other evidence stating that accused had had only two glasses of whisky and soda and possibly one other drink, was given by G. R. Ritchie, manager of the National Mortgage and Agency Company, Professor (lowland and George Herbert Gowland, sub-manager of the Bank of India at Bangkok. 'Flic Magistrate, Mr IT. W. Bundle, reserved his decision till .Monday, stating that he would view the locality where the accused was arrested.

A DEPARTMENTAL INQUIRY. WELLINGTON. May 7

Ti has been decided by-the Railway’ Board to hold a permanent inquiry into the working of the Middleton shunting yards at Christchurch, owing to renorts of the unsatisfactory working of the shunting staff and traffic d'elavs that have been caused by the

'■ingestion of waggons in the yards sin—' the opening. Rein ys to the unloading cf stork for the Addington Kaleyards oil Tuesday nights have also ea’. sied complaints. The inquiry will probably commence within a few days. The hoard will prol--llily- <-oil'-ist of the Chief Electrical Engineer, and Chief Mechanical Engineer, and the advisory representative who suggested the scheme. The traffic staff will probably he represented by a member of the shunting staff.

BANKING RETURNS. AUCKLAND-, May 7

I n comic, tion with the pending publication of weekly instead of quarterly hanking returns. Professor H. Belslnnv (Professor -of Economies at tin Auckland University) states that the banks arc ty> ho congratulated on making the change. He was not prepared to say that the now weekly returns would be of much immediate benefit, as time would he needed for study and conipa ri son.

Asked whether the returns would hi of direct value to the business man Professor Bclsliaw answered that the periodical reports Hint would ho made upon the figures would certainly la- o' value to him. Later lie might lean: to make internretat ions for himself. r IM PR OVID IF. NT LOAN AUTHOR IS ED. Cambridge, May 5. A pill of the ratepayers of the Cam bridge district of the "Waikato Count,' Council was held yesterday on the pro vasal to raise-a loan of £4409 to pro vide the district’s share of the <y>st o' tar-scaling 9.1 mi'on of the HamiltonCiunhridge main highway.

The uronasal was approved by 17! votes to 31.

A WINDFALL. BA ELIO A. May J. The Ohii-.ennui County Council ha received a “ windfall ” of £’o3l.

Tlie goods news came in u letter, frpii the Treasury. “ The Auckland distric: goldfields suspense account, to whicl all goldfields revenue collected in th Auckland provincial district since tin early days bar, been credited and tliei disbursed to the local authorities am natives, has recently boon closed,’ wrote the Receiver-General. “Th balance remaining in the account dis closed that various amounts lemainei undistributed, and a search of old re cords has revealed that, owing to th insufficiency of details concerning certain amounts credited to the account ii past years, such amounts were no: definitely allocated to the local million ties concerned. The investigatioi showed that £lO3l 7s 2d is the portion due to the Ohinemuri County Council.’

TOKANUI AI ENT A L HOSPITAL'. WELLINGTON, May 5. Three additional buildings arc to bt erected at the Tokanui Mental Hospi tal, at a. cost of £32,152. The con tract has been let to Air E. A Willoughby. This extension is in accordance witi the Department’s policy of providin; greater facilities for the eiassifieatioi of mental patients. Each building wil lie of brick, two storeyed, and entirely self-contained, accommodating about 40 patients. The plans were prepared by a Government architect.

SAIALL HOSPITALS CON DRAINED AUCKLAND, May 5.

“One-man hospitals are not good for the country. AVith the good roads and improved means of ambulance transport I hone to see country hospitals reduced through the length and breadth of the Dominion/’ The Director-General of Health, 1)i T. H. A. Valentine, made t-liis statement to-day to a deputation of Markworth residents. tic declared that thc.re was really no need for country hospitals. The country had paid a great deal for base hospitals, hut it was found that relatively county hospitals were costing a great deal more for less service. Quick transport in most districts brought patients to the base institution.

In answer to a question the Direc-tor-General said: “Although I have stated what I think of small hospitals, I still stoutly adhere to the advisability of the establishment of maternity hospitals. If Warkworth Hospital is to he solely a maternity home I am perfectly prepared to discuss the situation.”

AUCKLAND BUS UPSET. FOUR SERIOUSLY INJURED. AUCKLAND, Alav 8. The collision between a bus bound for Tepapapa, containing a full load of about twenty passengers, and a ear driven by G. D. Hopkins, with one passenger, occurred at the intersection of Wlietura-Jigi Road and Greenlane at 5.15 to-night. The vehicles struck at right angles. The bus capsized, throwing the driver, Henry Day, clear. The top of the bus had to lie torn clear to extricate the passengers, who mostly were women and children. Four of the women were fairly seriously injured, their names being:

Airs Elizabeth Sullivan, broken nose and cuts on the face.

Airs Elsie Gavin, shock and injuries. This patient is to he X-rayed to ascertain the full extent of her injuries. Airs Julia Geraghty, injuries to the head, the full extent of which is not known until an X-ray examination is made.

Miss 0. 12. Thompson, shock and in tornnl injuries.

All four belong to the Tepapapn district.

Hopkins the driver of the car escaped with a cut on the forehead, and his passenger was uninjured. The inability of the passengers to get out of the bus caused great confusion, and there was a state of panic until the emergency door at the back was opened. However, it was not until the top of the bus had been wrenched off that all the passengers could ho released, and the injured taken to the hospital.

POLITICAL. HAMILTON, May S

Mr S. C. 0. Lye has definitely decided to contest flic Hamilton seat against the Hon J. A. Young.

Mr Lye is a- farmer at Malang), is a member of the Waikato County Council and managing director of the Wai-kato-Thames By-Products Company. At the last election he stood as a Nationalist in Raglan and was defeated by the late Hon R. F. Bollard.

MOTOR INSURANCE. WELLINGTON, May S

The Accountants’ Chambers were packed to the doors last night, when the Wellington .Automobile Association met to consider a motion to rescind the resolution of the meeting last March, adopting Lloyd's as the official insurance -scheme.

Moving the resolution to rescind Mr T. C. A. Ilislop said it was wrong for the Club, the members of which represented all walks of life, to apnroach one company, offering it all its business at a special rate. There was sufficient competition to assure members of fifteen , per cent under the tariff rates, and even twenty per cent without incurring the slur imnlied by the original motion.

JH a- long discussion, it was alleged that the executive had been guilty of carrying on propaganda; Mr Craig, among others, stated that five per cont of the twenty per cent* rebate was to go to the agents of the Association, who insured. Towards the close, Mr T. V. Wilson endeavoured to express the attitude of the North Island Union. Several would-be questioners were discouraged. It. was late when the vote was taken. The resolution was rescinded by K>l to 63.

SCHOOL TKACH MILS’ DEMAND WELLINGTON, May 8.

Remits deling with the desirability of having smaller classes in State Schools were considered by the Now Zealand Educational Institute to-day. A motion was carried that the Minister of Education lie asked to redeem the promise of his predecessor to rohn e the size of classes.

Tho urgent need for a reduction in the size of the classes was pointed out to many speakers. By having largo ■lasses, the child was being penalised in fairly.

Another remit passed was that vborb necessary, school buildings houtd immediately he so re-modelled ,that in no cases shall two or more, "lassos have to he taught in the same •pom at the same time by different teachers.

It was also advocated that infant leparl nionts of all schools ho staffed ■iidopcndoiitly and on a basis of thirty mpils to an adult leach "J’. A .xub-eomipiltee was set up to 'raiiic reasons why smaller classes aie losiral.lc iho same to he published.