NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, 6 April 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

CABLE RESTRICTIONS. WELLINGTON, this day. The Postmaster-General announces that advice has been received from the Eastern Extension Telegraph Co. and Pacific Cable Board respectively, that, owing to congestion in cables, only cable messages to England that can be accepted at present for trans-

mission "via Eastern" are full-rate messages, and for transmission "via Pacific" full-rate and E.P.M. (soldiers' week-end) messages. This means that in the meantime "deferred" messages to England cannot be sent by either route, and that "E.F.M." messages to England cannot be sent "via Eastern/' "E.P.M." and deferred services from the United Kingdom to New Zealand are suspended by both routes. Free messages of enquiry regarding condition of wounded soldiers are still accepted. They are sent "via Pacific" only, and are subject to considerable delay. ' ,

TftO ÜBLE AT M OTUI HI. ONE GERMAN ASSAULTS j '" r ANOTHER. I CASE BEFORE j AUCKLAND, April 5. j A. German civilian.; jiamed PreitzSchmallkuche,': -interned on Motuihi Island, was charged at the^fPolice Court, before Mr. Frazer, "S."M., with assaulting another German/ i : Fraz Albin Volkomer, on February "llth last; so as to cause 1 bodily harm, y h: '■ ], Evidence showed that the''trouble arose through an alleged statement of" complainant to one. of -Jhg iguasrds that the:mem in; C barracks and that cadets were especially marked out. "Volkomer. i was of having more sympathy with the British than with the Germans. He denied this, and as an outcome of further quarrelling, accused struck him, fracturing his jaw.

The accused admitted the blow, said the fracture was accidental. The Magistrate (to complainant): Have they been calling you a Socialist, and that sort of thing? Witness (smiling): I know lam a Socialist. And they have been pitching into you?—There has been some discussion, but they never told me anything about it. Schmallkuche, in answer to a question on this, said: I don't remember calling him it r but he is ar'Socialist and an I.W.W. man. The Chief Detective remarked that some of the men had apparently been making general statements at the meal-table, intended to apply to Volkomer. Schmallkuche added that he and others had been annoyed because Volkomer used tG talk about German soldiers "having the courage to desert," and used to rejoice over news in the paper about strikes in Germany. Volkomer replied that he had not shown any ;joy, but had argued with some of the other men that strikes were political, and that they coulc not expect everything to go smoothly in Germany. 'Accused, who claimed to be a military prisoner, pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was allowed in the nominal sum of £lO, the bondsman to be a military officer. This course was adopted in order to permit accused being returned to Motuihi. The military, however, declined, and accused was committed to Mount Eden Gaol.