DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1929, Page 6

DOMINION ITEMS.

FIRE AT THAMES BATTERY. (By Telegraph—Press Association). THAMES, Fob. 11. Alt outbreak of fire <m Saturday at 9.30 in the evening occurred in the smelting room of the big Aloa.uatan battery, when nearly the whole of that room was destroyed. Fortunately there was no wind, otherwise the huge three storey structure might have gone. The Brigade, with only one lead of hose, effected a remarkable save. The origin is not known. It was lucky for the company as they bad only finished work at 12.30 that day, and they had removed all their nujlted gold and silver. Everything was all right then. The insurances total £SOOO. This is the last battery at the Thames. NEW SYNAGOGUE FOR WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, Fob. 10. The foundation stone of a new .Jewish Synagogue, on the site of the old one on Wellington Terrace, was laid to-day by lbe Rev Van Staveren, Chief Ra.bbi for the Do-minion. FIRE AT OAAIARU. OAMARU, February 10. At 4.30 this morning an old hail at DiMitroon, which had been in a dilapidated condition for a number of years, was completely destroyed by fire, together with an adjoining butcher shop, owned by Gordon -Sutherland. T lie origin of the fire is a mystery. The insuranes are not available.

FORT Y-FOUR HOUR. WEEK. CHRISTCHURCH. February 9. In the general engineers’ boilermakers’ and moulders’ dispute toda tlie employers agreed to accept the -I I hours week. Mr T. O. Bishop (Secretary of the I roll moulders’ Association) said that this decision had not been an» easy one. He Imped the employer? would realise the position, and that- on other points in the dispute the re- would be an agreement that would give the industry measure of relief as to costs.

.MENTAL DEFECTIVES. NEW BOARD’S PERSONNAL ANNOUNCED. AUCKLAND, Fehiru ary 10. It is understood that the constitution of the Board appointed under the Menial Defectives Act, 1928, is as follows:—Doctor Valentine (Direc-tor-General of Health); Doctor T. .1. Gray (Director-General of A rental Hospitals), Mr T. B. Strong (Director of Education). Mr B. L. 'DaHard (Con-troller-General of Prisons); Aliss Jean Begg (General Secretary' of the Auckland V.W.C.A.). Doctor Russel (Deputy Director General of Alental Hospitals), Mrs Peter Fraser (Wellington). Dr Russel is the psychiatrist. Airs Fraser has been Official Visitor for the Porirua Alental Hospital for a number of years. Aliss Begg lias had large experience abroad, especially among girls at Sleigliton Farm. The Board will function almost immediately.

A WAGES ISSUE. WELLINGTON, February 11. Conciliation Council proceedings Commenced on Friday in the Union Coy’s. Cooks and Stewards dispute. When the proceedings resumed on Saturday Mr Smith for the Union Coy. said the granting of the demands for new wage) would mean the immediate expenditure of another L1>2,000 per annum, let alone claims that would lie made In other ratings. He suggested in al' .seriousness the claims should he dis missed as frivolous. The peak of tin hill in his opinion had been reached in the mailer of wages and conditions, an' s’ere u s nothing to warrant tlu empi ijees (ms. This morirng the claims o'l the galley >•! ‘f'i's are F-ing considered, entfiilin,.demau !- ana. .niing to about L2 10) a n . 1 *i though in the case of the butchers it is L I 11s. WAMINE’S MAIL.

WORK OF EXPERTS. | WELLINGTON, Feh. 11. About -IdO bags of mail were brought lift .by the Wahine cm her trip from Lyttelton on Saturday night. All the mail matter on the vessel is stowed under lock and key in No. 3 hold in the aft-part of the ship and in view of this fact, it is thought in some quarters that the pillaging was done before the bags were placed on the Wahine. It is understood that in each ease tho string fastening round the top of the bags was cut. and then retied. The seals were left intact. None of the hags containing ordinary mail matter was tampered with, and the fact that attention was devoted solely to hags coil tanning registered letters is held to suggest that the robbery was the work of experts. EUROPEAN MAILS. DAMAGED IN TRANSIT. i WELLINGTON, Feb. H. When the mails were landed from R.M.S. Mnkura to-day, a. considerable quantity of letters and newspapers from England wen: found to he wet. In several cases, the addresses on the mail matter were not decipherable, while a quantity of letters and newspapers were •reconditioned to-day for delivery. The mails were for fellingon and other places in the Dominion. ft is believed that the mails were wet while crossing the Atlantic to j

New York, during a. period when heavy storms bulleted snipping, and large quantities of water came aboard even the largest liners. ROYAL- HUMANE SOCIETY AWARDS. CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 11. The Court of Directors of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand today made the following awards for bravery:— Memorial Certificate and Silver Aleda.l to the relatives of tlie late Thomas Uielby Dillicar, aged 60, and of Clarence Hunter, aged 19, who were drowned in the surf at Ocean Beach, South Auckland. Both went to the assistance of two boys who were in trouble. Dillicar rescued the boys, but Hunter got into trouble, and Dillicar went to bis aid. Framed Certificate to Lily Otene, of Puaha. aged 10. who rescued a Alaori 'boy. aged 8. from death by burning on December 3, 1928. A letter of commendation to John William O’Donogliue and Vernon Maurice O’Donogliue, aged 12 and 11 respectively, for rescuing a child from drowning in the Avon River on December 8. AVEB9TER UNDERGOES OPERATION. ■WELLINGTON, Feb. 11. R. J. Webster, the swimmer, of Auckland, who failed on Sunday in ibis attempt to swim across Wellington harbour, is to enter AVellington Hospital immediately to be operated on for appendicitis.