NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3559, 23 August 1920, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

ANOTHER MOTOR FATALITY. DUNEDIN, This day. A motor accident yesterday afternoon resulted in the death of the Rev. W. W. Brown, Presbyterian minister, of East Taieri. Mr Brown left in his car, accompanied by Mrs Waddell, wife of the Bast Taieri schoolmaster, about two oi’clock to hold a service at Allanton. He had reached a point where two roads join, when another car struck his car. One of the back wheels of Mr Brown’s car came off, and the car turned over lAvice, striking Mr Brown, who died within three minutes. Mrs Waddell was very seriously injured. The Rev. Brown was a comparatively young man. a native of Invercargill, and took his course at the Otago University and Presbyterian Theological College.

TELEGRAPH LINESMAN’S DEATH. £IOOO DAMAGES AWARDED. WELLINGTON, This day. Annie Olsen was awarded £IOOO damages for the loss of her son, Albert Olsen, while erecting a telephone line on Tinaokri Hill. The Crown moved for a new trial on the ground that the verdict was against the weight of evidence and that the damages w.ere excessive. RAILWAY PORTER KILLED. WELLINGTON, This day. Herbert Mole, aged 20, a. junior porter at Thorndon railway station, slipped while trying to close a carriage platform gate, and fell on to the line. Two carriages passed over him and he was killed instantly.

THE NEXT CENSUS. TO BE TAKEN IN FEBRUARY. WELLINGTON, This day. The next census will be taken on the last Sunday in February. 1921. An Imperial census of the whole Empire will be taken as nearly as possible at the same time. UNKNOWN VESSEL WRECKED. GISBORNE. Aug. 22. Word was received by the police this evening that a steamer was in distress near Poutae Rocks, about ten miles south of Tolagoa Bay. Blasts fx'om the steamer were heard at 4 o’clock on Sunday morning. Reports vary as to the size of the steamer.

GISBORNE, This day. The postmaster at Tolagoa Bay reports that a party which went out from Rototahi yesterday saw on the reef a big vessel with two masts and no sign of a funnel. The vessel was about five miles off. and heavy surf was breaking all over her. The party returne to the shore in the evening, and it was then found that the vessel had drifted about two miles further in. There wag n® light or any sign of life on board. Up till last night no wreckage had come ashore. The position of the vessel is between Rotatahi and Puatere about eight miles south of Tologoa Bay, and two miles north of the Gable End foreland. Parties went out at daylight this morning but have not returned yet. GISBORNE. Later.

1 There is no further information so far a s to the identity of the vessel seen on the Puatae rocks yesterday. Men from the Station and a party from Tologoa Bay have gone out to search the beaches. It was owing to the absence of telephone facilities on Sunday that the Grahams were unable to report the incident earlier. Rototahi Station reports that the men who went to/the beach early this morning have returned without finding any trace of wreckage' on the beaches or obtaining any sight of the vessel that was visible yesterday. The Poherua returned to port at 10 o’clock without being able to throw any further. light on the reported wreck. She arrived off the Gable End foreland at 2 a.m. and stood by till after 6 a.m. The steamers Putiki from Hick’s Bay and the Tiroa from Gisborne, were then in the locality making a close inspection of the coastline, but up to the time the Poherua Jeff, they had apparently discovered nothing.

This morning’s investigations by parties from Tolagoa Bay and neighbouring stations disclosed absolutely no trace of any wreckage on the coast, ami the opinion is firmly held by local shipping authorities that a mistake has arisen