DOMINION NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3, 3 January 1914, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS.

CHINESE HOUSES RAIDED. [Per Press Association.] Wellington, January 2. Three houses occupied by Chinese in Plaining Street were raided by the police tnis evening. Four Chinamen and one European were arrested on different charges of playing unlawful games. A quantity of gear for the conduct of Pak-a-poo lotteries was seized. THREE CHINESE FINED. Wellington, January 3. Three Chinamen were each lingd £SO to-day on a charge of having used their premises as a common gaming house. ’The cases arose out of the raid made by the police last evening, and premises in question were stated to have been used as pakapoo agencies. SOUTH ISLAND BANDS. Dunedin, January 2. The adjourned annual meeting of the South Island Bands’ Association was held to-night, Mr S. A. Staples presiding. Delegates from ten bands were present, and seven were represented by proxy. ■ Mr Hill refuted a statement made at Invercargill, to the effect that Mr Wade had not judged at any contest prior to’ the Bailarat contest, and stated that Mr Wade had been requested to allow his name to be placed on tfie list of judges of the Scottish Brass Bands’ Association, on which list appeared only the names of musicians of the highest repute.

PRIVATE HOTEL DESTROYED.

A disastrous fire at Mataura early this morning resulted in the complete destruction of Moffatt’s Private Hotel of 34 rooms, T. J. Piery’s painter and papeihanger’s shop, a portion of McConnell and Co’s, large store, and the stables attached to the hotel and McConnell’s.

The origin of the fire is a mystery. It is presumed that it started in the front of the hotel, which is a large two-storey wooden building. It was discovered by Mrs Moffatt, who gave tho alarm. Twenty people were staying in the house. The stairs were found to be impassable and the women and children were rescued by the male boarders from upstairs windows. The fire spread across the street to Piery’s inflammable stock and on the other side across a wide right-of-way to McConnell’s and

the hotel stables. The newest twostorey portion of McConnell’s store was saved.

There is no fire brigade at Mataura and no water - was available. The insurances total £2685, but the damage is considerably greater.