DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1930, Page 5

DOMINION ITEMS.

OPIUM DEN RAID.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.)!

HAMILTON, Feb. 5

The police raided Chinese premises in Ward Street, Hamilton, on Saturday night and confiscated a complete opium smoking outfit. Chinese were arrested arid to-day at the Magistrate’s Court, Yin Joe, 67 years, was fined £2O for being in possession of opium and £ls for smoking opium; Yat Hang, 40, and Ah Joe, 18, were fined £2O each for being found on premises where .opium was unlawfully smoked.

i ; A CAR ACCIDENT

TAUMA RUNUI, Feb. 5.

As a result of a ear going over a /bank and falling 250 feet oni l .;.McGovern’s hill near Matiere last bight, four people were injured and removed to Taumanmui hospital. W. ( Denialnianehe has bruises and abrasions on the back. Mrs Demalmanche and Miss Deinalmanclie bruises and shock, and Stanley Jones, aged 7, a fractured humerus. Two other occupants of the car were uninjured. They all had a miraculous escape from death, the car landing on its wheels in the Oil uni river. .

DEATH FROM RIFLE. SHOT;

DUNEDIN, Feb, -j o.

Frederick Reynolds, aged 26, .who shot himself with a .303 rifle at West Wanaku on Friday morning last,, died in the Cromwell Hospital twenty-four hours later. The; deceased had no relatives in the Dominion'. At the inquest a verdict was returned that deceased. met his death by a gunshot wound self-inflicted.

AERIAL VISITOR

BLENHEIM, Feb. 5

A mono-coupe aeroplane, piloted by Captain Sparks, of Wellington, with the owner, O. B. Cotterell, of Lower Hutt, as passenger arrived here at 6.2(1 last night after a pleasant forty minute run from Wellington. The machine will continue its journey to Christchurch probably this evening.

BETTING FINES

A TOTAL OF £145.

HAMILTON, Feb. 5.

Arising out of a recent police raid on the bookmaking premises, of Harry Abraham Samuels Taylor, of Hamilton, who was fined £3OO recently, fifteen charges of : bet ting with a bookmaker were preferred in the. Magistrate’s Court this morning and fines totalling v£l4o imposed. Foui*teen were fined, £io each, and one £5. Counsel described the cases as the first of the kind in Auckland province since the Act came into ( force ten years ago, probably the only ones in the Dominion with the exception of those in Christchurch about two years ago. In view of;the heavy penalties on bookmakers, counsel said most people were unaware they were liable to heavy fines. Magistrate Wilson said the oases were not a novelty. The warning) issued was already ten years old ; and he fixed the penalty -because of the enormous amount of racing in New Zealand. If itookmaking was permitted and tolerated it would be possible for every man to waste time and money betting at races every day of the week. It is a. great economic loss to the country which prosecutions of this nature were intended to stop, he added.

HON. ATMORE.

BLENHEIM, Feb. 4,

Hon. H. Atmore received a civic reception last night. He is visiting the schools -of the district to-day and will be reaching Christchurch to-mor-row.

CHILD’S DEATH

CHRISTCHURCH, February 5.

Receiving- severe burns through Tailing into a tub of caustic to-day, a boy named Mundy, aged two years, living in' William Street, died later at. the hospital.. j- - 'v