DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1928, Page 2

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—P.er Press Association.) CHARGE AGAINST DOCTOR. DISMISSAL CRITICISED. DUNEDIN, May 15. Commenting on the dismissal of the charge against Dr J. H. Crawshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Otago, that he was in a state of intoxication when in charge of a motor car, the Dunedin "Star"’ says editorially: “We cannot help feeling that the result of this test, case will he twofold. It will not enhance the opinion of the working of law in the eyes of the mass of the people from tile aspect of impartiality, where class distinction i.s involved, and it will not encourage- the police to cope with the particular abuse in respect- of motor traffic on which this clinigo was based. It is most repugnant to us to traverse in this manner a magisterial finding, but when those two considerations enter—and indisputably they do—the- duty of a newspaper is plain.”

VITAL STATISTICS. AY ELLINGTON, May 17. A “Gazctt"-” issued this evening shows that for the month of April, 1928, the total live births registered for urban areas amounted to 1029, as against 1138 in March, a decrease of 1(19. Deaths in April were- 462, a- decrease of 26, as compared with the previous month. Of tlic total deaths males contributed 252 and females 210. Forty-seven of the dea-tlis were of children under five years of age, being 10.17 per cent, of tlio whole number. Thirty-nine of these were under one year of age.

CAR GOES GAYER BANK. AUCKLAND. May 17. AVhile negotiating a sharp bend on the Mawliango Road, near Ta ill a pc, a car containing Air T. C. Lowry, the well-known cricketer, and his brother, Ralph, skidded and plunged over a steep bank. Mr Tom Lowry was not injured, and his brother escaped with minor abrasions. The car was extensively damaged.

A TORNADO. AUCKLAND, May 17. A graphic account of a‘tornado that swept through the Hoctaitui Valley, twenty miles distant front Morrinsville, on Monday, is given liy Mr C. Rlobinson, a settlor whose house was in the centre of the disturbance. The tornado swept past at a velocity of eighty miles an hour, cutting a track one hundred feet wide. There was a terrific noise and Mr Robinson could not hoar himself speaking. A heavy concrete chimney was blown down, causing the roof of the building to sag. The suction was so- groat that wallpaper was torn from the walls of one room. A small shod' was pulled out of the ground by the foundations. The roof was torn off a cowshed. Sheets of iron were scattered about a paddock and tins were lifted 500 feet in the air and dropped three-quarters of a mile away. Cabbage trees fifty years old wore torn out by the roots.

On an adjacent section owned by Maoris, a chimney vyas blown clown, and carried a hundred yards away. All the water was sucked out of an open well into the air and dropped with a crash on to the ground. The noise of the disturbance was heard half a mile away.

MOTOR ACCIDENT. TIMARU, May 17.

AVhile travelling north along the Main North Road this morning, and when about half a mile from the branch road to AA'aimatc. the front left-hand" tyre of a sedan motor-ear, driven by Mr George C. Carr, burst. As the ear was approaching a camber on. the left-hand side of the road-, it could not make the grade, with the result that it went on to the bank, sinking a cabbage tree., finally being brought to a standstill against a concrete culvert. The handrail above the culvert was demolished, a portion of the wood striking the radiator, but missing the engine. The windscreen was shattered, hut no other serious damage was done. Mr Carr, who resides at Warner’r Hotel, Christchurch,'received a- slight- injury to one hand, hut his two companions were unhurt.

[Mr Carr is Manager of the Rimu Goldfields Ltd.]

WATERSIDE!! RUN OVER. OAMARU, Mav IS

When the steamer Wingatui was being loaded this afternoon at the Holmes Wharf, a railway truck passed over John Bain, a married watersider, aged 65 years, who suffered shocking injuries both of his legs .being, broken. It appears that Bain went to remove a sling out of the way of a rake of trucks lieing shunted up to the hatch when he was truck down by the front truck. Rain was removed to the hospital. His tight leg was amputated. His condition is critical.

CHEAPER. PETROL. WELLINGTON. May 18

It is understood that the Canterbury movement in regard to cheap petrol may come to Wellington. Mr Shott. Secretary of the Automobile Club, approached on the subject, said the proposal had not yet been submitted to members. He could not commit the dub in any way, hut if the majority of members favoured the proposal, no doubt it would he taken up. BOY DROWNED. GISBORNE, May 18. While playing on a. bridge over the Taruheru River this afternoon, a nine year old boy, named Douglas Barradet, whose parents reside in Wipere St. fell into the water and was carried away and drowned. The body has not yot been recovered.

INJURIES PROVE FATAL. ASHBURTON, -Mav 19

Alexander McMillan, aged 29, of limvald, died in the hospital- last night from internal injuries resulting Uirougli a horse rolling on him on Friday, May 11th. He leaves a widow and four children.

INCOME TAX MATTERS. WELLINGTON, May 19. Hon. Mcl/eod, referring to last year’s income tax adjustments, said his party wore well aware they would affect their own supporters. If it were equitable that before the war men paid 05 income tax how could it he argued that now lie should pay only 05 os. He had discussed the increases with several of his friends and had not found one able to say that there was a reasonable ground for complaint. In some cases the difference was about the price of a seat at the opera or a very mild flutter on the racecourse. Dealing with the land tax, he admitted there were few statistics to give one, hut lie believed the man on the land was asked to pay a higher percentage of direct taxation in relation to the money invested than any other section of the community. A farmer got no such exemption as the income-tax payer did.

LAND BOARD DENIAL. CHRISTCHURCH, May 19. 4t a meeting of the Canterbury

Land Board, a resolution was passed: “This Board regrets that tlie published reports of two recent cases inferred that the blame for taking action is on the Lands Board or Lands Department. Tin's is not the case, the Board’s records being available to the press to hear this out.” The resolution refers to proceedings at the Supreme Court here when two returned soldier farmers were charged with broaches of the Chattels Transfer Act.

AIONCRIEFF-HOOD RELIEF FUND WELLINGTON, May 19.

Apart from sums of some £4OO paid direct to Mesdames Moncrieff and Hood, the fund collected amounts to £1571 nett. At a meeting of the committee it was proposed to invest this with the Public Trustee in preference to purchasing annuities as first intended, the latter being too expensive. Half of tlio whole amount was to go to Airs Moncrieff, mother of the airman, and the other half to the two widows.

Opposition was offered to this distribution and on the motion of the Mayor it was determined to ascertain the feelings of the donors of the large amounts as to the methods of allocation.

LEAVE OF APPEAL REFUSED. DANNEVIRKE, May 19. In the butter fat case yesterday leave of appeal was refused by the magistrate stating it was purely a question of fact. 1 here was an expressed contract between the authorised representative of the company and tlio plaintiff's manager that the defendant company would pay out a pi ice equal to that, if not greater, than that of any other butter factory operating in the district. If defendant company had not intended to include one rival company it should have expressly stated so in its advertisement and circulars.