DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 February 1929, Page 5

DOMINION ITEMS.

GAS WORKS TAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association). WANGAXUT, Jan. 31. At the Gas Conference to-day. Mr A. MeYei.l. of Birkenhead, was elected a life mem her of the Institute. The 'clatter el improving the quality of the tiir produced at the. gasworks so as to ensure its use lor roading. was men'inned. and it was decided to refer the matter to the incoming Council, it being emphasised that a great waste is at present going on, through the tar not being as good as certain prepared matei mis lor this class of work. A SUDDEN DEATH. BLENHEIM. February a. Mrs Emma Grace Davis, housekeeper to Dr McClymont, of Havelock, was spending the evening in Blenheim at a friend’s house, when on rising to take her departure shortly after eleven, she suddenly expired, the cause being heart disease. A WOMAN’S DEATH. CHRISTCHURCH, February 1. Annie Paterson, aged 59, single, was found dead this morning with berbead and shoulders in a barrel of water at her home in Linwood. She went out to feed the fowls and did not return. It is presumed that she too a fit. A SETTLEMENT WANTED. WELLINGTON, Fell. I.' Sir John ITewitt, who is head of the delegation at present visiting New Zealand, makes an appeal to the Dominion to devise a reasonable way of Trending the balance lof the joint fund of the Red Cross Society and Order of St. John, which is available for post war activities. . After the war there was a bvrge sum in hand, ami £54,500 was allocated to New Zealand, it was given to the bodies mentioned above, but a dispute arose, the Red Cross contending the money belonged to the British Red Cross Society and the order of St. John had no interest, in it. •Sir John Hewitt considers this contention is ill-founded. Tn 1926 it was proposed a joint committee he set up to deal with the money. He strongly supports this and says it is inconceivable to him that a body of reasonable men should be unable to settle the matter, which is one of urgency. HALF-HOLIDAY CHANGE. THAMES, Feh. 1. A special meeting of the Borough Council last evening decided to revert to the mid-week holiday on Thursday. For the last nine years Saturday has been observed. Arguments brought forward were that Thames is now more an agricultural centre than a Tnining town and consequently councillors considered that the farmers view should be taken into account. There were four petitions presented, that desiring no change being signed by thirty-seven shopkeepers, Avliile forty-eight shopkeepers signed the other which was supported by 228 residents and 132 country people. Mayor Bongs id said it was clearly in the interests of business to make the alternation. The motion was carried unanimously. HARBOUR BOARDS CONFER, AUCKLAND, February 1. A fear that foreign shipping interests would capture much off New Zealand’s trade if the centralisation of shipments of primary products was enforced, was expressed at the Harbour Board’s conference. The unrest in Australia and other evils were traced to shipping from terminal ports, and the conference, alter a lengthy discussion, carried a resolution emanating from Napier which conveyed that the centralisation of shipping would be wasteful and detrimental to the Dominion and should not be encouraged. Mr Jull (Chairman of Napier Harbour Board) in presenting the remit said departmental officers were not in a posfton to guide this country in respect to its transport problems. Some of them were associated with local government loan boards, to which body applications for Harbour Board loans had to be submitted. Did the delegates see anything in that. Another factor to be considered was that centralisation has the possibility of encouraging foreign shipping services if anything were done to jeopardise the operations of the four British lines that at present handled New Zealand’s frozen meat, dairy produce and wool for overseas markets. Mr Bignall (Wanganui) seconded the remit, which was supported by Wallace (Tiinaru), Duncan (Nelson), Everett (Motueka), and Aitken (Bluff). A FIRE. AUCKLAND, Feb. 1. Six little children were hastily rescued from a fire that destroyed a five-roomed house at Mangere at 1.30 this morning. The house was owned by Mrs Edith May, and occupied by a milkman, Frank Box. Box was awakened by crackling and found the front of the bouse and bedroom where the children were, threatened by flames. All made a hurried escape by the front door, saving only a small quantity of clothing. The cause of the fire is unknown. A NEW JUDGE. WELLINGTON, February 1. ft is officially announced that AH Robert Kennedy, of Wellington, has been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court.