LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 18159, 27 December 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A New Plymouth - message states that a prisoner in gaol named Morris Scott Johnson died in hospital on Christmas eve, death being due to natural causes. Johnson^. who was 50 years of age, was undergoing three years’ reformative treatment. A very thrilling spectacular event was provided at the Lyttelton regatta yesterday, when A. E. Astwood made a triple parachute descent from au aeroplane piloted by Captain Euan Dickson. The machine came over Lyttelton at a height of 4,000 ft, and after it had manoeuvred over the harbor the parachutist climbed out on to the wing, from which he dropped. Each parachute opened promptly, and the final drop was made on to an open paddock just behind Lyttelton.

A Wellington message announcer, that the Hector Observatory reports that a large active sunspot group is now visible on the sun’s eastern hemisphere. The position of the largest spot is approximately in latitude 4deg 42min north and longitude 98deg 24min. A group of spots will cross the sun’s central meridian tomorrow, and should be a grand object in the telescope during the next week. The largest spot is easily visible to the naked eye> using a shade or a piece of smoked glass.

An amusing Incident, happened in Wanganui in connection with the display of Christmas goods being made by one of the local tradesmen. For advertising purposes a fine looking Christmas pudding had been placed in the shop window, and it proved to be quite an attraction. Several customers had to be advised that- it was merely a dummy imitation of the real puddings, and all went well until a newlyinitiated shop assistant sold the dummy. The result can be better imagined than described. When the boiling of the pudding commenced the bread with which the “ shell ” had been stuffed soon became soft, and with consternation the good housewife saw her big fine “ duff ” shrink and collapse. What _ was said to the tradesman is being held in reserve for the Blue Book, says the ‘ Chronicle.’

Tense excitement, prevailed on the Marine Parade the other day, when a man’s clothes were, found in the empty bathing enclosure, and there was no sign of the owner of the clothes on land or sea (says the Timaru ‘Post.’) Promenaders scented a deep-sea tragedy and rushed about “in a pretty twitter ” everybody asking questions which none could answer. The mystery was solved when a bather came trotting along the parade and claimed the clothes, explaining to the excited little crowd that he had accomplished a long distance swim across Caroline Bay from, the Marine Parade to the rafts, and had then walked back along the sands!

Tim question of the suppression of names of accused persons came up in the Now Plymouth Magistrate’s _ Court on Friday (states the Taranaki ‘ News.’) Counsel for a raaif who had been remanded to aqswer a charge as to an indictable offence asked for the suppression of the accused’s name on account of the suffering that would be caused his wife. “ Pari of the penalty of a crime is the publicity given to the name of the offender,” said Mr A. M. Mowlem, g.M. “In all cases in which crime is alleged innocent people are always made to suffer. A man ought to think of the effect of Ids conduct upon his relatives, and I do not think it is for the court to do what an accused person is not thoughtful enough to do.” There were cases in which, on conviction for an offence, Mr Mowlem added, a sufficient punishment was the recording of the conviction on the records of the court, but that was not always the case. The mere fact of entering a conviction was not of itself a punishment, but that, plus the publicity, often was a sufficient punishment. In view, however, of -the fact that counsel asked merely for the suppression of the name for forty-eight hours, so that he could get to the wife and acquaint her of her husband’s misfortune before the papers conveyed the news, Mr Mowlem. in the exercise of the discretion, granted the request for the period stated.