NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1247, 2 October 1911, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Iliy Tclesraph—Presa Association.! I o | A COLLISION. .DECISION OF NAUTICAL COURT. Auckland, September 30. 'I'ho Nautical Court gave its decision tliis morning in the inquiry into the collision between the steamship : Wakatere «nd tho scow Iluin. Jt expressed the opinion that the collision was duo to the want of a vigilant look-out 011 the Wakatere, that the second oilicer (M'Aithur) was neglectful in not picking up_ the ecow's light earlier, and that ho failed m his duly when he did pick it tip by not putting tho helm hard aport and giving a blast on the whistle. The Court ulso 'expressed tho opinion that scows should not );o left 111 charge of inexperienced people. H'Arthur has been at sea many years, and was never in trouble before. The Court would not deal with lii.s certificate, but he must pay the costs of tho inquiry. A DARING BURGLARY. ABOUT .{&SO STOLEN. Napier, September 30 A daring burglary was eli'ectcd at tho corporation offices during the night, tho thieves getting ajvay with about XGBO, representini a fortnight's wages of tho borough staff. When tho office was opened this 'morning everything appeared as usual, tho outside door of tho strongroom being locked. There were no signa of violence on the locks or doors, and it would appear the . uiiwelcomo visitors possessed duplicate keys to lit the locks. CUSTOMS RETURNS. A EECOED AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, October 1. Tho. Customs returns . for September show a record amount for Auckland collected in duties on imports. The total amounted to .£O!,!iSS, which is about .£25,000 in excess on the average month and the highest for one four-week period in tho history of tho local office, the best previous total being for the moiTuh of August, when the collections reached' ,£00,326. In September last year Customs duties totalled .£(>0,073. Tor the past quarter the revenue of the country benefited to tho extent of .£2.30,432 in duties, while for the same period last year tho sum was ■£203,805. The beer tax yielded as again&t J2OH for the same month last year. In exports there has been a gradual uecrcoso throughout the months of this year, and in comparison with tho tame month in 1910 there has been a reduction during September, the difference in the main items of the port being approximately £15,000 in value. MINES COMMISSION. Dunedin, September 29. Tho Mines Commission, which held a sitting in. Dunedin to-day, has completed its labours in Otago. The commission will leave here on Monday, and expects to hold a sitting at Wcstport 011 Wednesday. The commission has now examined eight gold mines, one gold dredge, and twelve coal mines, and 10D witnesses have given evidence before it. COLD SNAP IN THE SOUTH. Dunedin, September 20. There lias boon' a cold snap throughout Olago, with a fresh covering of snow on the high levels. Ueports from tho country say that had the fall bsen a week later tho effect would ha~o been disTimaru, September 30. Reports from tho back country show that Thursday flight's snowiall was the heaviest on this side of the ranges. Four to six inches fell, on the Fairlic and Ashwicl: flat country ,but only one inch at Burke's Pi'.as,-and-less- at Tekapo. Heavy loss.of liunbs i 9 probable.. "DIRTY WORK." Timaru, September 30. ■ Some delay occurred in starting tho work of discharging coal from the I'ukaki, the wharf hands told uir refusing on tho ground of always being given "dirty work." Fresh men came forward, and tho work was gono on with. THE CIVIL SERVICE. Cbristcburch, October J. At the annual dinner of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealaud Civil Service Association last night, the principal subject discussed was classification, several speakers expressing the hope that a scheme would bo submitted shortly.