NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 223, 13 June 1908, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(.BT TELEGBAm —PRESS ASSOCIATION.)! -9

CHARGE OF BURGLARY. THE OTIRA CASE. ~ Creymoutli, June 12.' At the Magistrate's Court, before Mr. Turton, S.M., John J. Todd and Frank Healey, alias Walsh, were charged with having, at Otira on May 27, burglariously entered the Otira Railway Station and stolen therefrom the sum of £132 10s., the property of the New Zealand Government. Great, interest was taken in the trial, ar.d the Courthouse was crowded all day.' Over thirty witnesses have been summoned to givo evidence. The evidence of the.porter and stationmaster went to show that the office had been entered by means of forcing tlie window. Tho had been blown to pieccs, and on the floor were an iron bar and some files. There were also a quantity of moss and mail bags around the safe. Several witnesses residing in Kumara and Otira gave evidence that they had seen accused riding' bicycles' on tho road to Otira tho day previous to tho rob-, bcrv, and returning next day-. One witness stated that he saw the men meet in Kumara, . one having arrived from Groymcmth the night before, and the other from Hokitika in the morning. The Court adjourned until Monday morning at 10 o'clock, bail being fixed at £200 each and sureties of £100 each. CONDEMNED FRUIT. Auckland, June 12. Mr. Kettle, S.M., gave his reserved do» cision to-day in the case Arthur Tooman and Company v. Rcilly, Scott, and Gill, of Dunedin, claiming £77 7s. lOd. Defendants agreed to purchase 200 cases of bananas to arrivo,. if in good condition. They appeared to be in good condition on arrival at Auckland from Fiji, and were transhipped to Dunodin, but they were then declared to be rotten with fruit fly and condemned. The Magistrate said ho was forced'to the conclusion tho fruit was not of good quality when it left Auckland. Ho ordered a nonsuit with costs, leaving tho parties to make an amicable settlement of the counter-claim for loss of profits on the bananas.■ THE RAILWAY SERVICE. ' . Napier, June 12. At a meeting of the Napier branch of tho Railway Servants' Association, the followng resolutions wore carried the system of classifying the service in two divisions be abolished; that men injured in tho service should be paid from tho time , of. the accident, irrespective of the period they are oil; that political rights be granted to all railway servants; that temporary transfers" bB abol« ished, and that'a test case be made re broken service not. counting , for superannuation. , UNIFORM HOLIDAYS. Wanganui, June 12. At a meeting of tho Wanganui Employers Association a resolution was carried recommending that all holidays should be uniform throughout the Dominion; that for this purpose the • holidays under the. Factories Act should bo universally adopted; that the Government should bo requested to amend the law' in- that the Arbitration Court shall have no _ power to > add any holidays not specified in tho Factories Act to any award, aud that when existing ■ awards expire all holidays not mentioned in the Factories Act shall cease to exist. It: was decided to forward, the resolution to the Minister for Lab-, our, and to kindred associations. IMPORTED RAILWAY MATERIAL.

■ „ „ ■ Chrlstchurch, Jime 12. Mr. T. H. Davey, M.P. for Christchurcli East, sent the following telegram to tho Hon. W; Hall-Jones, Minister for Railways, yesterday:— . "Visiting Addington Workshops to-day, I discovered that engine rods, axle-boxes, ai\d springs, sufficient for. eight engines had just, been landed t front For years, repeated Ministerial assurances have been given that wherever possible railway material should be manufactured' in our workshops, or, as an alternative,'in New Zealand, this being strongly emphasised by Sir ' Joseph Ward on Monday last. A satisfactory explanation ufay bo forthcoming, but at present it appears that, despite innumerable promises to tho contrary, material is being imported, which could easily be made by the workers in tho Dominion." Chrlstchurch, June 12. Thp Minister for Railways has replied to Mr. T. 11. Davey's telegram to the effect that tho parts imported were intended for ono engine only, and were such as could not bo manufactured in tho Dominion.

Napier, June 12. Interviewed with reference to statements mado by Mr. Davey regarding imported material for locomotives, Sir Joseph Ward said his colleague would attend to them. The policy of the Government was to obtain all ■necessary material from manufacturers within tho Dominion, but there' were patent rights over which the Government , had no control. PAKARAE SHOOTING' AFFAIR. j Gisbomo; Juiie 12. Miss Petersen, the victim ; of the recent shooting at Pakarae, is. making good progress towards recovery. It, is proposed to pre-, sently remove hecr to town/ where an operation for tho removal of the second • bullet, which lodged at the baso of tie skull, will be performed. To get this bullet out 'it is proposed to perform, tracheotomy, administer chloroform through the windpipe, and operate from the roof of the mouth.' ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. Dunedin, June 12. A young man'named Andrew Armstrong, employed as a cowboy on a farm at West Taieri, was admitted to the Hospital to-night, having attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat. Armstrong is about twenty, live years old, and arrived in tho Dominion about eighteen months ago. He lost a quantity of blood, but is progressing favour, ably. , ' 'A SHUNTER'S DEATH. . Inucrcargill, June 12. Leo Patrick. Kenny, a shunter recently, transferred from Auckland, fell under a moving truck, sustaining shocking injuries. Both legs and an arm had been amputated and the skull was fractured. Ho died this mcming without regaining consciousness. Deceased leaves a widow, but no family. TARANAKI LAND BALLOT. ' New PlymoutH, June 12. At the Crown Lands Office to-day a ballot was conducted for nineteen sections, totalling 14,747 acrcs of Crown land in the Otunui block between Taumarunui and Mangaroa. Tho land was offered under the renewable lease for terms of' 66 years, with perpetual rights of renewal for successive terms of 66 years. From three to nineteen applications were received' for each section, all but fivo being taken up at the ballot, and those woro applied for during the afternoon. THE WAITEMATA SEAT. . Auckland, Juno 12. Mr. E. W. Alison, M.FP. for Waitcmata, has announced that, owing to ill health, lie will not seek re-election, « THE WRECK OF THE MURITAI. Auckland, June 12. Tho inquiry regarding the wreck of tho Muritai was. opened to-day. Mr. Mays (solicitor for the Customs) said tho course of the inquiry would ho directed to tlm course followed from Piercy Point,., forty miles northwards, to the scene of the wreck. The eourso was directed here to, clear tho. Hen and Chickens by four miles, the second mate on the bridge being directed, the captain in tho event of tho weather thickening. . Tho evidence would show that, although tho weather was so dense, that tha island could not bo seen at a distance of twenty-five feet, the second officer only called the captain at 'the moment when the vessel struck. The captain gave evidence to tliis effect, and stated that lie refused to ci:o tho second officer a discharge after tho wreck because lie considered ho committed an act, of disobedience. After Captain evidonco the inquiry was sojourned till t#> morrow. ;"