DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1920, Page 7

DOMINION ITEMS

tjfer Press Association.) FALL FROM FIRE ESCAPE. AUCKLAND, August B.—Ernest Webb, labourer, fell off a fire escape at the Tuakau Hotel last night, and dislocated both his hips. He is in the Auckland Hospital. SKELETON FOUND. HAMILTON. August 7.—At the inquest on a skeleton found at. Rotokajuri, the remains were identified from boots and portions of a bank boon as those of Charles Henry Keane, aged 51, who disappeared from Hamilton a year ago.

OLD MAN’S DEATH. AUCKLAND, August B.—William Reeves, aged 84, died in the hospital from injuries caused b} r falling down stairs some days ago. A son and two married daughters reside in Wellington. BURNED TO DEATH. TIT AIMES, Au mist 9.—Mrs. Varney a widow, aged 80, living in a small house, was burned to death early this morning. The cottage was outside the water area, and a bucket brigade was unable to save anything. DROVER’S SUICIDE. CHRISTCHURCH, August 10.—When ordered to the hospital at Culverden on account of sickness, a drover named Stephen Highstead, belonging to Rotherham, shot himself. FOUND DEAD. CHRISTCHURCH, August 10.—The body of J. Cork, aged 56 years, has been found in St. Leonard’s Creek, North Canterbury. There is evidence that Cook met with an accident while liding a horse. N.Z. MEAT EXPORT. TTMARU, August 7.—Three steamers chartered by the New Zealand and African Company—the Durham, the Hororata, and the Wangaratta—in the last three weeks lifted 517,708 carcases and 3647 casks of tallow and sundries for New York and Boston. RABBITER MISSING. TIMARU, August 7. —Boyd Thomson, a rabbi f yr on Mount Nessing Station, is missing. Ho visited the homestead last Sunday, and left for a hut on the ranges at 1 p.m. on Monday. He di d not reach there, but his mate supposed ho had remained at the homestead. The Weather was misty and there was snow on the ground. A search party is out.

SHORT WEIGHT. AUCKLAND, August 9.—Complaints of overcharge in regard to jam, sugar, dates, pollard, potatoes, and wine were investigated by the Profiteering Tribunal this morning. The Tribunal reports that a number of complaints of short weight have been reaching them, complaints with which’they are not empowered to deal. Such charges, of course, come into the province of the inspector of weights and measures. The Tribunal lias, however, decided to make special representations to this official with regard to several commodities in which gross lack of weight has been complained of. STEWARD’S DEATH. AUCKLAND, August 9. —Two days after the departure of them Niagara from Honolulu on her last, -voyage to Vancouver, the death of a - steward occurred under circumstances which caused a general feeling of regret throughout the ship. This young man, William Bond, had charge of the library, and was highly esteemed for bis courtesy by all the passengers who made use of the ship’s stock of books. He suddenly manifested symptoms of dementia, but not of a" violent nature ,aud was isolated under 'the care of two attendants. Taking advantage of the brief absence of his custodians, he locked the door of his cabin and jumped out of the port window. A lifebuoy at at once thrown to him ,and the steamer circled round the scene, but the poor fellow must have disappeared almost immediately. WITNESSES DEAD. AUCKLAND, August B.—A singular position in a divorce suit was explained at the Supreme Court in Auckland when the case of William Monro AATitt (Mr. Singer) against Jeannie AVatt (Mr. McVeagh) was called, Mr. Singer explained that the petition was based on alleged desertion, but the two witnesses, petitioner’s mother and his brother, had died. The marriage took place about four years ago, just prior to petitioner’s departure for the front. On his return, it was alleged, his wife refused to live with him; but there was no corroborative evidence to offer, and the petitioner could not proceed. Mr. McVeagh then moved that the petition be dismissed, which course Mr. Justice Saimond adopted. HOUSING SCHEME. WELLINGTON, August 7.—On behalf of Mitchell and King, Campbell and Burke, and the Hansford and Mills Construction Company—-three of the signatories to an agreement for the building of 500 workers’ houses in Wellington—the chairman of directors of the Hansford and Mills Company writes to the “Post” stating that none of the firms indicated has, or ever had, any knowledge of the Dominion scheme propounded by Mr. Fletcher. That scheme does not appeal to any of the three firms as being in any way practicable. On the other hand, the scheme propounded for Wellington has within its "scope all the elements of uncertainty. “It is in fact actually concluded that an agreement between certain capital organisations, and trade and labour organisations, has been involved. It lias made definite proposals which are open for acceptance or otherwise of the Government. Mr. Fletcher propounds a scheme for amalgamating in one organisation, all the conflicting of capital and labour throughout the Dominion, and we think such proposals wholly impracticable, and, -therefore, desire to record our disapproval.”