DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1934, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

[PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] RESERVOIR CRACKED TAIHAPE, May 16. The new borough reservoir cracked badly as soon as it was filled. It is officially declared that it has been irreparably damaged. It was built to replace the old reservoir, which was cracked and leaking. An engineer has been engaged to report, on the

old reservoir, with a. view to its full use again. MAORI SHOT TAUMARUNUI, May 16. The dead body of Wate Rehu, a Maori, aged 21, was found in a paddock at Wainiiha. There was a note signed by the deceased, saying goodbye to everyone. It was found in a disused whare. There was a shotgun, with a piece of flax attached to the trigger and to the deceased’s foot, found alongside the body. FOUND DEAD. NELSON, May 17. The body of the missing lad, Coleman, was found, this morning, in open country. The lad had evidently tripped over a manuka stump and fallen, being unable to rise again, and dying from exposure. It is considered probable that death had taken place at least 24 hours previously. ROYAL SOCIETY. WELLINGTON, May 16. The Council of the Royal Society passed resolutions relative to the deaths of Mr. G. M. Thomson and Professor M. Y. Summerville. It was resolved that, the title of Fellows in future be “F.R.S.N.Z.” All Fellows of the Institute are entitled to use these letters. The following were elected honorary members of the Society:—Dr. E. C. Andrews, Dr. P. Buck, Professor A. H. Compton, Professor W. F. Gatenby. Mr. L. C. King was announced as the winner of the Hamilton Award for his geological work. No allocation was made of the Hector Award. Thanks were extended to the Governor-General for his message.

LAD MISSING. NELSON, May 16. A lad named Murray Coleman, aged 16 years, has been missing from . a tramping party since yesterday, despite the efforts of fifty searchers. Three boys set out for Dun Mountain, via Aniseed Valley. Late in the dav they decided to turn back, owing to'thick weather. Coleman, being the strongest walker, went ahead with the object of getting out of the bush before night, and obtaining assistance for his companions, if necessary. His companions became exhausted, and thev decided to remain toegther for the'night, they being rescued by a search party early this morning. Large parties of searchers have been arranged for to-morrow. L\ND COMPENSATION CLAIMS WELLINGTON, May 16. During the hearing at the Supreme Court of two claims for compensation for land taken in the construction of the Tawa Flat railway deviation, a. question was raised whether the application in value due to the P ut ' ting down of the railway line should be •excluded in the arriving at the •■•.uni to be awarded as compensation. As the matter was regarded as important ii was announced by Mr. .Justice Blair that it was desired to have the opinion of the Full Court cn ths question. For that reason, tentative awards framed in an alternative form, had been prepared in the present cases.

POLYNESIAN SOCIETY WELLINGTON, May 16. “The present financial position of the Society gives us cause for great concern.” said Rev. H. W. Williams, Bishop of Waiapu, in his presidential address at the annual meeting of the Polynesian Society, to-day.

The Chairman of the Council, Mr. Johannes C. Anderson, said that last year no grants were received. Moreover the income from subscriptions had dropped considerably, ami unless assistance was forthcoming very soon, it would lie difficult to know how the publication of the journal could be continued even al a reduced size. The election of officers resulted: — Patron, Lord Bledisloe; President, Bishop Williams, of Waiapu: secretary, A. IT. Maclver; treasurer, D. W. Foster: auditor, H. Baillie. The retiring members of the Council. J. C. Anderson, W. R. B. Oliver and Dr. I. Sutherland, were re-elected. GIRL AND MAORI. NEW PLYMOUTH. May 16. The abduction of a girl aged a few days over Hi was admitted by a halfcaste Maori farm worker, John Southern. .aged 2.‘1. lit 1 was.remanded on bail for sentence. Soul horn was working for the girl’s parents. 'fhe evidence was that a mutual infatuation arose. After the girl passed the age of 16, they ran away to Stratford, where they tried to marry, but they had no license and .bad no consent from the girl's parents. 'l’hey lived al a boardinghouse us man and wife. The girl wore a wedding ring. The girl was a consenting party to all of the incidents. NEW PLYMOUTH, May 17. John Soulhorn, a half-caste native, who yesterday pleaded guilty to a, charges of abducting a Maori girl.i was admitted. this morning, to two J years’ probation. i Magistrate Woodward said the case' was not one of the more serious type of abduction, as (he girl was a consent-' ing parly. He made a condition of i proba.ion that Soulhorn have no communication with the girl, without her parents’ consent.