DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1928, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association

HARBOUR lAIPRO VEM liNTS

OAMARU, July 3

The Harbour Board to-day decided to improve tho wharf accommodation and enlarge the swinging area of the hni'bour at a total cost of fifteen thousand in order to provide for the largest boats visiting the Dominion. Funds are in hand to start inmicdiatclv.

R ESER VEDoJ UDG AI ENT,

AUCKLAND, July 3,

Justice MacGregor delivered a reserved judgment at the Supreme Court in an action bv John Burns and Coy. Ltd. claiming £‘36o damages against the. vessel and owners of the Canadian ‘Explorer in respect of damage by rust to coils of wire carried by the vessel from Sydney (Nova Scotia), to Auckland. The Judge gave judgment for the defendant company, holding that there was no evidence before the court that the damage was caused by negligence oil the part of the master or owners of the ship or by their servants.

CL AIAI FOR DA ALICES. WELLINGTON: July 3

Reserved judgment was given to-day by Aiagistrato Page, in a case in which Arthur Wilson, farmer, of Johiisonville, claimed £176 damages from Robert Hogg, Samuel Hogg and Lionel Bromley, in respect to alleged sheep worrying by dogs. The question, usaiil, was were the dogs .adequately identified. The professed identification was based mainly on three items, the view of the terrier obtained on the third night of tho worrying, by plaintilf, and n companion, the view of a sheep dog obtained by a neighbour, and tlie sound of the barks claimed to bo identical with the barks beard previously. He had come to the conclusion on the whole evidence that plaintiff had discharged the onus on him. Judgment was given for plaintiffs with costs according to scale.

HARD LA HOUR SENTENCE. CHRISTCHURCH, July 3. •Magistrate Mosley- to-day sentenced Cyril Louis AA’altcr AA’ithell, 27, a cook, to six months’ hard labour for theft of a motor cycle, and a month’s gaol on various other charges ol theft, fraud and forgery. Tho police said accused had been given every chance and appeared hopeless as far as relorinatiou was concerned.

SHIP'S WHEREABOUTS A AIYSTKRY. AUCKLAND, July 3. The Northern Steamship Cov’s auxiliary schooner Houturu crossed the Ahuiukau bar on Thursday evening bound for Hokianga, hut has not since been reported, and is causing some anxiety for her safety as she must have encountered a fierce gale soon after getting to sea. The Houturu should, under ordinary circumstances, have arrived at Hokianga oil Friday. She may have run before tho gale and made for shelter or have experienced difficulty in getting hack to the coast, being a flat-bottomed craft. She may have been carried a considerable distance off the land.

Inquiries to-day elicited replies from Capo -Maria, Ahipara, and Hokianga Heads that she had not been seen at either of these places.

JUDGMENT GIVEN. WELLINGTON. July 3

Judge Sim gave judgment in the Supreme Court to-day, upholding tho assessment of £31.000 as representing the goodwill of four Wellington hotels in an appeal of the Public Trustee, as solo executor of Hamilton Gilmer, against the Commissioner ol Stamp Duties. His Honour held that the interest. of the owner in license and goodwill could not he included in the unimproved value ol land and was not an improvement within the meaning of tho act.

FALSE PRETENCE CHARGE. DUNEDIN. July 3. John Petley, middle aged, charged with false pretences was sentenced to three mouths’ imprisonment. The; police said accused had a most formidable list. The Magistrate, in sentencing accused. remarked that he must have worked the country from Dargaville to Bluff.

Accused, on a further charge of failing to comply with ail order to support five children, was remanded to Auckland.

DOCT'rR’S APPLTCATI ’ON. WELLINGTON. July 3

Dr P. J. Henneasy, who on the 28th November, 1927, was fined £SO and his license cancelled till 31st March, 1930, for being drunk in charge of a ear, applied for a remission of cancellation.

Counsel described the hardships which were very severe on tho doctor. Owing to his inability to carry out calls. 11 cimessy gave evidence saying, inter alia, lie could not afford a choffeur.

Mr Salmon, S.M., said he fully considered tho matter and at tho time recognised the hardship involved. This was a part of the penalty. Ho had a duty to the public, and was not going to wait till someone was killed, jn eases of this nature, especially a second offence as in this case, a man’s license should he suspended for a long period, if not for all time.

THREE MONTHS’ GAOL. AUCKLAND, July 3. A suggestion by tlie police this morning that Cecil Francis Hunt, aged 24, who came before tlie Court ioi vagrancy, knew more about the recent big robbery at Melt'/.cr Bros, pawnshop in Victoria Street than be cared to tell, was contested by a lawyer, Mr Sullivan. Hunt had a long list of previous convictions for a young and was sentenced to three months on to-day’s charge.

A NARROW ESCAPE. THAMES, July 3. Alt extraordinary occurrence took place at Wesleyan Valley, about a mile from Thames, yesterday evening, when u youth, Roderick Fraser Langsford. was found hanging on the electric power lino carrying only four bundled volts. On the same post was a line carrying eleven thousand volts, but fortunately the- fuse had blown out further up tho line, otherwise the man would have been killed. After forty-five minutes lie was released, but his screams of agony attracted n lot of people, who feared to touch him. He is now unconscious in hospital.

SLAUGHTERMEN fined. GISBORNE, July 3. Holding the men to have been guilty of a technical breach. Mr Bevvy. S.M.. imposed a penalty of five shillings each on seven slaughtermen. charged by tlie Inspectof of Factories, witli being parties to the strike at the Taruberii Freezing Works on April 30. The Magistrate remarked hitherto relations between employees and employers had been harmonious. In this case tho men, unfortunately went outside their rights, objecting to tlie engagement of learner men. They maintained they should have been consulted and this appeared reason-' able, but there was nothing to provide for it in the award,