DOMINION NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1918, Page 5

DOMINION NEWS.

—-——■ -■ '■• ■'■'■ ..■■.■■l.—.. BETTING PROSECUTIONS. By Telegrai'n—Press Associatiox Wellington, Last Niglit. At the Magistrate's Court, the charge against Henry Martindale -i betting in tl.e Now Commercial Hotel was dismissed, the evidence showing he was in the. Central Hotel at, the time the alleged offence was said to have taken place. Dc-i cision was reserved in the ease* in which Michael Henry Fitzgibbon, John Ambrose Sullivan and Unrnet Harold Lavler were, charged respectively with being the occupier of premises used as a gaming house, with using the premises as a gaming house, and with assisting in conducting a gaming house. MINEKS ~LEVY DISPUTE ENDED. Westport, Last Night. The miners at the Westport Coal Company's Millcrton mine who objected topay a levy on behalf of the Australian victims of the recent strike, have now, all paid the levy, and work will be w sumed at Millerton to-morrow. THE OTIRA TROUBLE. Christchurch, Last Night. Very little has been done towards a settlement of the strike at the Otira at the Otira tunnel. Owing to the absence of the resident engineer, Mr. F. W. Purkert (Public Works engineer) went up to-day to inquire into matters. The strike was the outcome of a lamp boy being i ut on io liring two boilers, which work was beyond bin., as he has a crippled hand. It is alleged that when ho informed the authorities of this, he was told that he would be r qdaeed, as the. injury to his hand was not received at the tunnel. He was dismissed on Fri'ay last, and the union informed the man-i agement (hut Ihey would cease work on Monday if Hie lad was not reinstated, As he was not, the men came out. Work was proceeding apace; in Hie fnunc 1 before the strike, as the ground wicouil" tered was the softest yet met. CHURCH UNION. Christehurch, Lust Night. In his presidential address at the Congregational Union to-night, Rev. A, Hodge (Napier) said that it had been suggested that the lirst step towards ;i united New Zealand church was a union of their own body with the Presbyterian Church, but whenever the question waa seriously mentioned there was a suggestion of absorption, and the lion and the lamb episode was supposed to illustrate the position'. As long as they had any fear of absorption, there would be n'o closer union. The re-union pf the nonepiscopal churches must mean merging, and merging often would mean absorption, but absorption did not mean satisfaction or annihilation. Why,, he asked, should the Cougrcgationalisfs be atraid of absorption? If they could liol bear to drop the name, why not let It be the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, with which is incorporated the Congregational Union.