DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 May 1942, Page 6

DOMINION ITEMS

HOUSE ON FIRE. AUCKLAND. May 21. A two-storey house, erected 60 years ago, and,owned by Mr. Peter Pilkington, which at one time served as the Te Arolia Post Office, was burnt to the ground early yesterday morning. It was unoccupied. FAILING TO REPORT. AUCKLAND, May 21. The whereabouts of the 60ft auxiliary yacht Thelma, which was missed from her anchorage early in January, was mentioned when the owner of the vessel and his companion appeared before Mr, J. H. Lux ford. S.M., on charges of failing to report to go to camp. Most of the original crew of the vessel returned to Auckland within a week of its disappearance, but the vessel itself was not reported for some months. . .. t t The accused were Ronald Ernest Johnson, who was charged with lading to report on March 26. and Gordon Keith Noakes, who was charged with a similar offence on April 2. Detective-Sergeant J. Trethewcy said that the men had returned from Tahiti, to which they sailed their vessel, and were arrested on reaching' New Zealand. . Warrants were issued when they failed to appear in answer to summonses on the present charges. Both left New Zealand in the Thelma in January, and their whereabouts was not known until the vessel was reported early in April. The Magistrate remanded both men Io appeal - in the Defaulters' Court on Monday.

PRISONERS SENTENCED. INVERCARGILL, May 22. In the Supreme Court, before Mr. Justice Kennedy, to-day, William Lawrence and James Mam;, who were found guilty on Wednesday of having unlawfully killed John Meagher at Makarewa on February 22, thereby committing manslaughter, appeared for sentence. Lawrence received reformative detention for one year, and Mann was released on probation for 12 months. Addressing Lawrence. Mis Honor said that his counsel had done all that could be done for him, and had said all that could be said on his behalf. “By your violence you killed your stepfather. You might well have gone away, and kept away. Though you have been provoked at one stage, you might well have stopped short of inflicting upon your stepfather such dreadful punishment.” Referring to Mann, the Judge said that the jury recommended leniency, and he was in complete agreement with that, and proposed to give effect to it. John Kevern, charged with failing to stop after a collision, and also with failing to ascertain if anyone were injured, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labour on tach charge, the terms to be concurrent. Kevern had already served a term of imprisonment on a charge arising out of the same incident, and was deprived of his driving license.