DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1942, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

BOY POISONED. AUCKLAND, May 22. While playing at home, William Mark Longbottom, 11-year-old son of Mr. F. P. Longbottom, of Avondale, swallowed a poisonous garden concentrate and died within a few minutes.

SOLDIER ABSENTEE. WELLINGTON, May 22. A soldier who was absent from his unit for nearly a year has been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment with hard labour by a Court-martial in the Wellington district. He is Gunner Ernest Donald Savate Robson, aged 27. The charge on which he was found guilty was desertion on active service, when, having been warned to proceed for overseas service, with intent to avoid going overseas, he absented himself without leave from June 25, 1941, till he surrendered himself in civilian clothes to the civil police at Palmerston North on May 4. 1942.

FALSE PRETENCES WELLINGTON, May 22 Helen Graham Gawne, a married woman, pleaded guilty at the Magistrate’s Court to-day to seven charges of obtaining from the New Zealand Government sums of money totalling £29/8/6 by false pretences. The Magistrate, Mr. Stilwell, placed her on probation. Detective Sergeant W. McLennan said that the defendant was drawing an allowance on account of her husband, who is a prisoner of war. She had represented to the Army that she was the wife of another soldier she knew, and she had drawn an allowance on his account also. It was regarded as a serious matter. Mr. C. J. O’Regan, for the defendant, said that the man concerned had taken the initial step by filling in papers representing that the defendant was his wife. She had acquiesced.

FRUIT MARKETING. HASTINGS, May 23

The H.B. fruitgrowers, last night, rejected almost unanimously, a suggestion that the industry revert to the system of free marketing, with a Government subsidy of 2/- a case, in preference to the present system of a guarantee of an average minimum price. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Brash, Dominion President of the Federation, who said he believed the Government in present circumstances looked on the assistance it gave, not as a subsidy to fruitgrowers, but as a subsidy to consumers in the way of cheaper fruit. It was made clear by Mr. Brash, that the Government never promised an individual guarantee, but that payment should be an average lor the whole Dominion. DELINQUENT TAXPAYERS. WELLINGTON, May 22. Emphasising staffing difficulties inconsequence of war conditions and the necessity lor reducing the volume of work and the administrative cost to the absolute minimum, the Commissioner of Taxes has declared his intention to pursue a vigorous policy in future in regard to delinquent taxpayers. “I do not want to harass taxpayers,” he said, “but the obligation to furnish returns by June 1 has been widely advertised and those who do not comply with the legal requirements must be prepared to take the consequences. Those who have been in the habit of depending on default assessments might, in future, get a summons instead.” The Commissioner added that applications to have proceedings withdrawn once they had been instituted would not be entertained.

UNIVERSITY DEGREES. WELLINGTON, May 22

The New Zealand University announces that the following degrees have been conferred: Doctor of Science: Brian Wilfred Doak (Canterbury University College). Master of Aris: John Laird, second class honours in philosophy (Auckland University College). Bachelor of Arts: Marion Bright McLean (University of Otago). Bachelor of Commerce: William Norman Waite (Auckland University College). lan Kerr McGregor (Victoria "University College). Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with honours: Eli'ord James Penman (Canterbury University College). Master of Agricultural Science: Arthur Daniel Stewart, second class honours in field husbandry (Canterbury University College). Bachelor of Agricultural Science: John Arthur Blyth, Dudley Cameron Lane, and Daintry Elizabeth King Walker (all Massey Agricultural College). . Bachelor of Medicine and Bacnetor of Surgery: Murray Lionel Benson, John Cowlev Hazeldine, and William Arthur Dysart Nelson (all University of Otago).