DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1923, Page 5

DOMINION ITEMS

(Per Press Association.) BOY DROWNED. WELLINGTON, August 15. Marton Gibson Hoy, fifteen, was washed from his horse and drowned while attempting to cross the Rangitikei river near Parewanui. The body lias not been recovered. OLD PEOPLE DYING. ASHBURTON, August 14. I'he harvest oi old age is raging here. Thirteen inmates of the Ttt-

ranga Old Men’s Home have died in the last twelve days out of the total complement of 112. The late, winter ami spring usually usher out many aged people, but the present numbers are abnormal. The aggregate age of the. thirteen was 1057 years, the average being slightly over 81. I’RI SONERS SEN TENCED. AUCKLAND, August 15. At the Supreme Court, James Chas. Colcord, twenty, for indecent behaviour in a. picture house, was sentenced to two years’ reformative treatment. \ similar sentence was imposed on Thomas Harry AV Re, who stole furniture valued at over £lOO from a house in Grey Lynn, during the owner’s absence.

THREE KINGS EIGHT. AUCKLAND, August 15. For over twelve years the Auckland Merchant Service Guild has conducted a nagitation with the object of having a light, placed on the Three Kings. Up till now, the Ministry of Manne refused to acce.de to the demand. To-day ,the Guild received a comm unicat ion from Mr. Anderson, Minister of Marine, stating that it is proposed to make provision on this year's estimates for . the light. R.S.A. AND PENSIONS.— DUNEDIN, August 14. AL a meeting of the U.S.A. Executive, strong exception was taken io the pensions legislation which was compared unfavourably with the old Act. It was declared that the Gov-

ernment had s’mply rushed through a. piece of '‘window dressing, ’ without giving the associations' an opportunity t.) consider it A resolution on those lines was passed, also a resolution expressing determination to continue the fight for more, equitable consideration. DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL DUNEDIN, August 14The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution supporting the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in regard to the Dairy Produce Control Bdl as follows :--"That the Chamber views with serious apprehension the action of file Government in adopting scheim s which have for their object the'control of lhe shipping and marketing of the primary products oi this o,,untry, and that the Government be urged to eliminate all the Qompulsory clauses in the proposed Daily Produce Export Control Bill.’’ RURAL SCHOOL HARDSHIPS WELLINGTON, August 15. The condition of school and teachers’ residences in the Auckland district was revealed in a letter from the, Auckland Education Board to the Education Department, a copy of which was furnished to the 'Wellington Education Board, and considered to-day.

itruaj . The letter emphasised the task ot accommodation for teachers in rural areas. In one case a teacher with three children was living in a disused shelter shed. In many rural areas it was quite impossible for settlers to find accommodation for even a single teacher. No house could be found for married teachers. The need for residences in rural areas was imperative . Regarding the lack of school accommodation, the Department had determined that the minimum floor space per pupil in average attendance should be twelve square feet. Since 1916, in Auckland, the average attendance had grown from 4-2,000 to nearly 56,000. The accommodation had not been extended to meet this increase. The co-operation of the Millington board was requested in an agitation for a loan of a million for the purposes mentioned. Members expressed sympathy with the Auckland Board but decided that the present moment was not oppoitune to raise a million loan for purpose specified.