DOMINION NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 September 1928, Page 1

DOMINION NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association MINISTER'S CRITICISM. WAI.TOA, Sept. 3. A vigorous attack ou Mr Poison. President o-f tho Farmers Union, am the Country Party policy was made by tho Hon. A. D. M’Leod at Waitoa tonight. ■lt had been said that he objected ti, executive officers of tho Farmori Union entering politics, stated tin Minister. What ho objected to war tho nnifin entering party politics which resulted in the primary producers having Jittlo or no real power in directing the country’s political actions. Mr Poison was indirectly making use of the unions funds by allowing the union organisers to participate in organising in certain district!, directly against Reform party candidates. Further direct organising wa? being done by paid servants of thr union in favour of 'the Labour party and Mr Poison was aware of the fact. In tho Waikato, Taranaki and elsewhere, said Mb M’Leod, Mr M’Alpine and other accredited organisers of th: union had been at work for some time. He had received letters from farmer.' stating that they had been advised to oppose tho Government at the coming elections, and oven support Labour candidates, especially members of the Farmers Union, irrespective of the pledges the candidates were compelled to give.

Mr M’Leod asserted, and said lu> would prove it true, that there would ho no country party candidates in electorates represented by Labour or Labourites offered, where such were members of the Farmers Union.

The Minister replied to statements made by .Mr Poison, relative to -finance and said that Mr Poison’s views on agricultural banks, State subsidised o-operative shipping and absolute and compulsory control of farmers’ produce had changed absolutely FARMERS AND REFORM. ANSWER BY MR POISON. NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept. 4. A reply to an attack made by Hon. A. D. McLeod, on the politics o'f Mr W. J. Poison and on the Country Party, was made -by Air Poison (head of tho N.Z. Farmers’ Union) in tho course of an address to tho electors at Okau yesterday. Mr Poison referred with amusement to the Minister's "misrepresentation of fact, ’ in his recent spee-ch at Waitoa. It was, he said. Mr McLeod's usual method of reply. It was so wel. known that he (Mr Poison) had kept tho Farmers’ Union out of politics and that he was not a member of the Country Party, that it was not necessary to answer Mr McLeod on that point. The fact was that the Minister's anger was due to the fact that he (the speaker) was opposed to Reform, and, apparently, only those Farmers' Union Presidents, who, like. Mr J. Bitchener, M.P., supported Reform. should he allowed to voice their political opinions. The allegation that ho (Mr Poison) had used the organisation of the Farmers’ Union, or had allowed it to be used, for political purposes, was grotesquely untrue. The fact was that Hon. Mr McLeod had been thwarted in his endeavour to exploit the Fanners’ Union for political purposes. Hence his‘rage.

SCHOONER IN DISTRESS. WELLINGTON. Sept. 3. While on her voyage from Foxton to AVellington the auxiliary schooner Portland encountered exceptionally heavy weather last night in Palliser Bay and her mizzen and mainsail were carried away shortly before midnight. Owing to the strength of the wind the schooner was unable to make headway with her auxiliary motors, so she signalled for the assistance of a tug. The Harbourmaster (Captain .1. Dawson) received the message at an early hour this morning from the signal station on Beacon Ilill aiiil the Board’s tug, Toia, in command of Captain Campbell, was despatched at 2.30 a.m. to take the vessel in tow.

A search was made in Fitzroy Bay and the Portland’s lights wore picked up tbout 11 miles south of Turakirae Head. Tlio disabled schooner was taken in tow at 5.30 a.m. and she arrived at AVellington at 9.45 a.m. .without incident other than the loss of her sails. No damage was sustained by the Portland.

DENTAL TRAGEDY. CHRISTCHURCH, September 4. Mrs C. L. Thompson died at her lioino, Ricoarton Road to-day, while under an anaesthetic for the extraction of teeth. Mr L. R. Thompson (no relative of the deceased) was the dentist, and Dr Vivian was the anaesthetist. The operation was half done, when she collapsed, and all efforts to revive her proved unavailing. -An inquest was opened this afternoon, but was adjourned to permit of ft post-mortem examination.

KILLED BY TRAM. AUCKLAND, September 4

.Mrs Dukes, wife of Doctor E. S. Dukes, was killed to-night through being struck by a tramenr in upper Symonds Street during heavy ram. When the tramenr was pulled up, it was discovered that Mrs Dukes was wedged under the motorman’s platform, and she Could he extricated only by obtaining a jack. As these are not. carried on tramcars, one bad to be secured from the nearest jack station, ten minutes elapsing between the time Mrs Dukes was struck and her extrication. Her injuries included a fracture of the skull, and she died on the way to the hospital.

JURY DISAGREES IN BAGBY’S CASE. MASTER-TON. Sept. 4. The Supreme Court tn-dav was occupied with the ease in which Walter Scott Bagbv, a well known jockey, was charged with having on April 11th. 19‘>8 committed rape upon a Masterton ~'irl eighteen and a half years of age. A second charge against Rugby was that he had indecently assaulted the and tt third charge was that he committed an indecent act in a place to which the public have access. Hie last charge was struck out, on- the ground that the scene of the alleged offence was not a place to winch the public have the light ol access. Mr Justice Ostler was on lhe 1 and accused was represented by T. M. AVilford. He pleaded not godOMr R. liurridge conducted the case m the Crown. , The offence was alleged to have taken place at the rear of a dance hall. The complainant stated that she Returned to tlio hall alone only in time to dance part of the last dance A number of witnesses fm the de fence testified that the complainant returned with Bagbv in time to dance in the last two dances,

The jury retired at 5.55 p.m. They returned at 10 p.m. failing to agree. A new trial was ordered for the Oetobtr Session of the Supreme Court in Wellington. hospital BOABD IMPOSED ON. CHItISTCHUItCH, Sept. 4. Arthur David Saul was fined £2 by Mr Mosley, S.M., to-day for having imposed on the Hospital authorities by representing himself as unemployed with a wife and two children dependent on him. Saul, it was stated had a motor van with which ho earned £1 weekly, but on July 31, he applied to the Hospital Hoard for relief, filling in the prescribed form, but making no mention of his motor truck, nor did be state that bis wife and children lived at Dunedin, and that he had not paid them anything since 11)25. Ho was given an order for a pair of shoes, valued at £1 3s 6d, which he bought. man hangs himself. NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept. 4. “I am fed up with poverty and ili health and am taking a short cut out of it,” stated a letter addressed to the Coroner, which was in the pocket of a man found hanging from an overhead railway bridge near the New Plymouth station to-night. The man was Andrew Binnie, a native of Scotland, aged about GO. He is believed to have come from Palmeiston North. Ho was not dead when cut down, but lie died in tbe hospital. DUNEDIN BUT?GLAIRY. DUNEDIN, Sept. 4. On Monday night the premises ol W Low dentist, were entered and between CIO and £l2 was removed from (be safe. Tt is thought that entrance was gained through the door not having been securely bolted.