LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19709, 9 November 1927, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The police raided the billiard saloon of Arthur H. Clmim at Greymouth yesterday afternoon, and also the residence of James Hassall. Both men were charged later before justices of the peace with keeping common gaming houses. James Hoflcrnaii was charged with assisting in the conduct of the former, and 14 men found in the saloon were charged with being in a common gaming house. All the cases were remanded till Monday, except those against four of the accused, who are seamen and whose vessels wore timed to leave last night. Tho court decided to deal with their eases, in which the police offered no evidence and the informations were dismissed.

The Rangitikci district is seriously perturbed by numerous thefts and burglaries following forced entrances to two houses a week ago and also tho theft of two bicycles. The thief stole a quantity of clothing from a dwelling early yesterday morning, the goods later being found under a hedge nearby. Later a nigiitwatchmau accosted a young man, who was believed to be concerned in tho case, but the latter made a clean escape, dodging out of his coat, which had been gripped by the watchman. It is reported that two houses were entered at Bulls during the uighi, a small sum of money and also some clothing being taken from one. The thieves were disturbed in the other house and made off in a motor car. Several articles of clothing which were stolen a week ago have since been found in vacant sections.

An inquest into the circumstances of the double fatality in which two single men, John Ward, aged 25, and Walter Thornton lleynolds, met their deaths in an accident on tho night of October 15 at Hamilton, was continued yesterday, when the coroner, Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., returned a verdict that the deceased died from injuries received in collision between a motor cycle ridden by them and a car driven by a man named Blair, aged 19, who caused their deaths by driving tho car in a man nor and at a speed reckless and dangerous. Blair was subsequently charged with driving a car in a manner dangerous to tho public, thereby causing the deaths of two men. A remand was granted until November 15, bail being allowed in tho sum of £2OO. Blair, who came from Australia, hud only been in the dominion for six weeks when the fatality occurred, and did not have a driver’s license.