NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3576, 11 September 1920, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

; RETURNED SOLDIERS. PENSIONS AND LAND AUCKLAND, Sept. 10. At .a meeting of the Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Association, rhe secre! ary mentioned the mater of pensions, saying that while all classes of workers gained increased wages , and cost of living bonuses nothing was done for the pensioned soldier. The “association was trying to get the permanent disablement pension raised to jat least £3 10s a week. The meetingpassed a. resolution upholding the protest of its executive against the allotment without ballot of sections in the Reparoa Estate. This resolution ■is to be forwarded to the Minister of Lands. THE MASTERTON TRAGEDY. FURTHER DETAILS. MASTERTON, This day. Additional particulars in connection with the terrible tragedy at Fernridge show that a party of twenty-four engaged in the search, and spread across a wide stretch of country. The body of Hay was found first, and was lying in water on the bank of the Waingawq River, with a shotgun, on top.' It was found that the mouth and hack of. the head was shattered, arid it was evident that Hay ha<j placed the muzzle of the gun in his mouth and had discharged it with the assistance of a boot-lace on his foot. The search party then returned to the homestead; and resumed the search for the child. They found the body in a creek about two hundred yards from the homestead. The body was covered with gorse. and the head had been split open with a sharp instrument. An axe was found in the creek about a yard away from the child’s body, and it was apparent that this was the weapon with which the deed had been committed. DISASTROUS FIRE. WOOL SCOURING WORKS DESTROYED. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Damage to the extent of £20,000 was caused by fire., which at an early hour this morning consumed the wool securing works of Mr. Walter Hill, at Woolston. Valuable scouring, tanning, and fellmongery machinery, which cannot be replaced within eighteen. months, was destroyed, and' the (loss includes five hundred bales of wool valued at £2O per bale. The Ou’buiMings were saved, but. the principal works were practically burnt to the ground. Some seventy men have 1 boon thrown out of work.