DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1940, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

[PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] BATHER DROWNED. WELLINGTON, February 19. When a party of four bathers, comprising two men and two women, got into difficulties at Titahi Bay about three p.rn. yesterday, Harold Robert Wood Knight,. single, aged. 26 years, whose parents at Mataura, was drowned. ■ The other three members r; of tne party reached the shore after some difficulty. The body has hot yet been recovered. --

KAITANGATA EXPLOSIVES. DUNEDIN, February 20._

Concern was felt at the Kaitangata coal-mine during the week-end, when it'was found that the magazine at tlie pithead had been broken into, and a - 'Stick lof Samsonite was missing. Fearing that sabotage, yyas the motive, the manager stopped the machinery and called in the. police. As a result of inquiries by. detectives, the missing stick was discovered in a part of the machinery, and a juvenile will probably be charged.

NELSON ELECTRICITY.

NELSON, February ■ 20.

The Government'has agreed to take over the Cobb River hydro-electric scheme, which is to supply the. Nelson district with electricity, if an offer it has ni“ade"tb th ; e'Htifiie (Cobb River) Company is accepted. This decision .was.announced by Mr Semple to delegates from interested local bodies, this morning. The Minister said that Mr J. Wood, Engineer-i'n-Chief of the Public’ Works Department,” considered "that it would probably be about two years before" the CObb'kclfeffi'e'cOtiTd' Ke—completed.

TRANSPORT COMPETITION. ’ DUNEDIN, February 19

Statements were made at the recent transport conference at Wellington that the Railway Department road services were not co-operating with other forms,* of road transport to- effect co-ordination, and that they were cutting too much into the town carrying business. At a public sitting of the No." 4 Transport Licensing Authority at Invercargill on Friday an application by the Minister for Railways for a town carrier’s license was refused by the Authority (Mr V. Raines). The Authority expressed the opinion that the Railways Department should not compete with town carriers. He added that for the carriage of its own property, , such as tarpaulins, a town carrier’s license was not required.

INSTITUTE OF OPTICIANS. WELLINGTON/ February T 9. Reference to the influence of the wax on optometry was made by Mr. R. Brooke-Taylor in his presidential address at the'annual conference of tne Institute of Opticians of New Zealand, which opened to-day. Mr. Brooke-Tay-lor said that the younger members ot the profession were enlisting, and as the war progressed there would probably be a shortage of refractionists and mechanics, but the organisation of the association should enable it to make the most of the man-power available. The influence of war and sterling arrangements on the supply ofi optical goods had not yet been seriously felt, but the present condition could not be expected to last. Delegates from, all centres in New Zealand Are attending the conference which will occupy five days. ROTORUA POLICE STATION. ROTORUA, February 19. The foundation stone _ of the new, Rotorua police station building was officially laid to-day by the Minister in charge of the Police Department '(M”. Frase'r). Mr. D. J. Cummings, Commissioner of Police, who was in charge of the Rotorua station between 1915 land 1916, and Inspector C. W. Lopdell, in charge of the Hamilton police district, were also present. The building, which is nearly half completed, is constructed of reinforced concrete, and provides much-needed accommodation for the nine constables and two officers now stationed in Rotorua. The old building was constructed to accommodate the two constables and a sergeant, who comprised the Police Force in the district when the station was built.

Mr. Fraser, who dealt with a number of matters affecting the Health and Education Departments during his three-day visit, returned to Wellington by air after the ceremony.