DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 May 1928, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

;By Telegraph—Per Press Association,

THE UNEMPLOYED. WELLINGTON, May 25. Dissatisfaction with the dilatory manner in which the authorities are tackling the problem of relief works was expressed at a crowded meeting of unemployed in the Trades Hall this morning.

Mr McKeen, M.P., expressed greater dissatisfaction with the City Council’s activities than those of the Government, because the Mayor, knowing definitely the Government was prepared to subsidise on the same basis as last year, had done nothing. Mr ]{. Semple condemned the atti-, tude of the Premier as dictatorial. It was not the one to put things right, but was that of an autocrat. Ilow, ho asked, could a man keep his dependants on casual labour at twelve shillings a day, making allowances for medical and other expenses? Messrs Bromley and Parser, M.P., also spoke, the latter referring to the appeal for subscriptions for a Dominion .Museum and Art Gallery, said that flesh and blood should come before the beautification of the city. The dilatorilie.ss of the civic: authorities was inexcusable.

It was decided to convass the city in an endeavour to attract all classes of citizens to a, meeting on Sunday.

SOLDIERS’ MORTGAGES. BLENHEIM, May 25

The onions disability under which returned soldiers are placed if it should become necessary for them to dispose of houses subject to soldiers’ mortgages, was referred to at tbo annual meeting of the Marlborough Patriotic Association by Mr Girling. M.P. He said that if a soldier desired to sell his house, he had first to endeavour to find another soldier as a purchasei, and, failing that, could sell to an ordinary civilian, hut the Department raised the rate of interest from the four and a-half per cent, paid by the soldiers to the current advances rate of five and three-quarter per cent. The result was that, as plenty of houses carrying ordinary State Advances mortgages at four and a-half per cent, were on the market, soldiers were being unduly penalised, and naturally found extreme difficulty in finding purchasers for their homes. He had taken tho matter up with the Department, but had received no satisfaction so far.

Tlie Association decided to write to the Minister for Lands pointing out the injustice of the system from the discharged soldiers’ point of view.

BARMAID FINED. AUCKLAND, May 25

Miss N. McDonald, barmaid at Masonic Hotel, Devonpovt was convicted and ordered to pay costs in the Police Court to-day on a charge of failing to comply with a demand by the Health Inspector for a bottle of brandy for tho purpose of an analysis. Inspector York said that in company with another'inspector he visited tlie bar of tlie hotel and paid 2s for two nips of brandy. He asked the defendant for brandy out of a bottle which ho pointed out, and was given tins. However, the defendant refused to sell him the bottle for 18s so that he could have the contents analysed. She had snatched t]ie bottle out of his hand, and placed it hack on the shelves, tollin,r him that if lie wanted it ho would have to come behind the counter and get it. When slie snatched the bottle From him, his nip of brandy was upset. He also lost bis. warrant. Witness stated that he then went behind the counter ami got the bottle. Witness added that he told the defendant that he was an inspector and produced his warrant. Counsel for the defence said that the inspector should not have gone behind the bar. There was iio doubt that the defendant at first did not understand wlio the inspectors were, and that she was endeavouring tw he loyal to hoi

employer. Magistrate Hunt, in announcing his decision, said that inspectors must not lie obstructed in this way. Andrew Begg, licensee of the hotel, then was charged with using a bottle bearing a label, without destroying the label, for tlie bottling of liquor

for sale. Evidence given by the Inspector showed the brandy in a bottle containing a certain label was not that spirit, but another. . Counsel said this was quite so. Hus particular bottle was placed high up at the end of the shelf in the bar, a.ul was kept for use in the kitchen and for household purposes. It was good brandy, and no cheaper than the other spirit. . . “You cannot tell me that specif kitchen brandy was kept in the bar ’ said Magistrate Hunt, in imposing the minimum penalty of £2O upon the licensee. SISTER OF “BULLY” HAYES death at whangaroa. AUCKLAND, May 24. More tlian ordinary interest attaches to the death of Mrs Catherine,Alai v Stewart at* Whangaroa last Monday, by reason of the fact that she was a sister of “Bully” Hayes, whoso extraordinary career as a navigator ana rover in the South Seas is now historical. Mrs Stewart was ninety years of age, and had lived in the north of Auckland all her life. She had six .sous and. two daughters, and left seventy-five grandchildren and twentysix grandchildren. Mrs Stewart was twice married.

“T can just remember the notorious ‘Bully’ Haves,’ ” said one of her sons, Air T. Smith, this morning, and lie recalled a few interesting incidents in “Bully’s” career when lie was skipper of small craft plying between Whangaroa and Auckland. Even in his young days. “Bully” had a penchant for smuggling, but he had a witch of a little schooner and the revenue cutters of those times had difficulty in pursuing him. Air Smith recalled that there is a small is’and off Whangaroa where the notorious “Bully” used to dump occasional cargo when the hunt became too hot. On one occasion “Bully’s” father bad to pay £2OO in tbe way of a fine, and “Bully” then decided to try the South Seas.

PRISONERS ESCAPE. AUCKLAND, A fay 25. Two habitual criminals, Frank Bailer and John Buckley, escaped from Atomit Eden prison to-night. Up to a later hour the prisoners were still at large. It is not known how Bailer and Buckley made their escape. At 0.15 p.m. they were paraded for school, and marched there, with others, under the charge of a warder. They vv# missed when school was commenced, and an exhaustive search 1 showed that the men were not in the gaol hounds. On the way to the school, the party had to go through one of the wings, and it is thought that they slipped away. There a grilled floor gives on to the yard. an,d from there, it is thought they seated the walls outside. Search parties were sent out- when the alarm was given, and the surrounding police stations have been notified of the escape. Both men can drive tv motor car,

Both Buckley and Bailor are New Zealanders, with relatives in Auckland. They were both convicted on several charges of breaking and entering and theft. Buckley was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and declared an habitual criminal in October, 1925. Bailer’s sentence was of five years’ imprisonment, passed a year ago. Both men had a number of previous convictions.