DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 July 1928, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. FAMILY ALLOWANCE ACT. CHRISTCHURCH, July 31. Frederick Lloyd John Morgan, aged 34, married, was charged under Section 14 of tho Family Allowances Act, with presenting a false document to obtain an allowance. He pleaded guilty and was fined 12, in default fourteen days. Defendant in an application stated ho was employed by a certain firm at a weekly wage of C2, whereas he had been employed by another firm at a weekly wage of £4 3s. This is the first ease of its kind hoard. LICENSEE FINED. AUCKLAND, July 30. Holding that if the convenience of the guests at a hotel required the door to be kept open after the statutory closing hour, the onus was east upon the licensee to take reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorised persons from using the door for the purpose of entering tho hotel, Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., convicted and fined C. H. Triggs, the licensee of the City Hotel, £2 and costs in the .Magistrate’s Court on a charge of keeping his premises open for the sale of liquor after hours. Other information laid against Triggs alleging the selling of liquor, or tlie exposing of liquor for sale were dismissed.

When the police visited the premises of the defendant, they found tho public entrance closed, but a private entrance open, and in the “ night bar ” upstairs there were thirteen men, and the licensee was preparing drinks. The licensee said the men in the room were boarders, but later it was found three were neither boarders not bona fide guests. None of these three was in possession of a drink.

“ I am forced to draw tho inference that these men went into the night bar for the purpose of procuring liquor, and would have succeeded if the police officers lmd not entered the room,” said the Magistrate. “ Although I have held, as a fact, that the defendant kept his premises open primarily for the the convenience of his lodgers, I am unable to hold that he took any steps to see that purpose only was served. This omission, in my opinion, justifies me in holding that the premises were kept open in the sense that people could get in from outside for the purpose of obtaining intoxicating liquor.

ADJUSTMENT OF PORTFOLIOS. WELLINGTON, July 31. A temporary ndjustmenet of portfolios lias been made in view of Hon W. Nos worthy's departure with the New Zealand delegation to the Empire Parliamentary Conference in Canada. Hon K. S. Williams takes over the Post Office, Hon Young the Tourist Depncrtnvcnt, Hon Rollesto-n the Government Insurance Department and Hon J. G. Coates takes Eternal Affairs. SUMMER TIME. WELLINGTON, July 31. The Petooe Borough Council passed: a resolution asking the City Council to call conferences to consider the putting into operation of a voluntary system of Summer Time in Wellington district. A QUAKE. WELLINGTON. July 31. A fairly sharp shock of earthquake was felt at 5.15 this morning lasting several seconds. The seisemological records at tho Dominion Observatory seem to indicate the centre was comparatively close. Tho shock in all probability was a local one. No damage is reported.