DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 February 1932, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

[FEB FBESS ASSOCIATION.] FOUND SHOT. HAMILTON, February 17. With a bullet wound in the chest, and a rifle lying alongside, the body of L. R. Russell, 35, solicitor, of Hamilton, was found in his office, early this morning. SOLICITOR’S THEFT. NAPIER, February 16. Walter Hislop, a solicitor, was found guilty in the Supreme Court this morning on two charges of theft of trust moneys. The defence held that there was sufficient cash in the strongroom at the time of the earthquake to cover the shortage in the trust account and that the cash was destroyed by the fire. Accused was remanded for sentence. / MOTORIST FATIGUED. GISBORNE, February 17. Accepting the defendant’s explanation, that the accident occurred while he was so affected by fatigue that he was temporarily unable to control his car, the Magistrate (Mr Harper) today fined Robert C. Fisken £2O, on a charge of driving in a manner dangerous to the public. The prosecution was the sequel to an accident in which a cyclist was knocked down and injured by the car driven by Fisken, who failed to stop or report the accident. The Magistrate commented that, when a motorist reached the stage of fatigue that renders him unable to control his machine, his plain duty was to stop, until refreshed.

BANDS CONTEST.

WELLINGTON, February 16.

The Adjudicator for the New Zealand Band Contest, Mr J. J. Kelly, arrived from Sydney this morning by the liner Ulimaroa. Mr Kelly is the conductor of the Hamilton Citizens’ Band, which is the champion band of the Commonwealth.

Mr Kelly received his musical training in Edinburgh, and he studied for some time under the late Alexander Owen, who toured New Zealand with the Besses of the. Barn Band. This is his first visit to New Zealand, but he has heard New Zealand bands well spoken of in New South Wales, and said he was anticipating some fine, artistic playing at the contest.

STRATFORD RAILWAY. STRATFORD, February 16.

Though work on the Stratford Main Trunk railway may be completed according to programme it is possible that the official opening of the line may be delayed somewhat, according to a statement made to the Stratford Borough Council last night by the Mayor, Mr P. Thomson.

Tho Mayor said that he had been informed by a Public Works Department engineer that it was hoped to pierce the last tunnel by July and complete the remainder of the. work about the same time in order that the line could be handed over to the Railway Department in September. “Owing to finances, it is possible that the opening may not take place until the end of the year. Owing to the short, age of finance, there may even be a slackening of work and some of the workmen may be dismissed,” he said

NEWSPAPER PROPRIETORS. AUCKLAND, February 16

The annual conference of the News paper Proprietors’ Association, which opened yesterday, was continued to rtay - » . At a preliminary meeting of the Association, Mr C. W. Earle, of Wellington, delivered his presidential ad dress. He said that the newspapers were to-day confronted on the business side with problems and difficulties, taxing the judgment and experience of th© proprietors to the utmost limits. These problems and difficulties showed signs of increasing, rather than diminishing. How ever, in spit© of reduced revenue and the added burdens of exchange and taxation, the high- standard of the news services supplied to the public had been consistently maintained. To-night, the delegates attended the advertising convention organised by the Chamber of Commerce.