DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 July 1945, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

CAMP ESCAPEES ' ■ WANGANUI, July 22. Two prisoners escaped from the Waikune prison camp, three miles from the National Park, late on Saturday night or early this morning. They were Geoffrey Redmond Turner, aged 25, and Hugh Neville Coughey, aged 24. A police search is in progress. A motor-car has been reported stolen from Raurimu. DEHYDRATION FACTORY CHRISTCHURCH, July 23. Because of a lack of potatoes and other vegetables, the dehydration factory at Riccarton had been closed down until September 8, and the sialf is to be transferred to tobacco factories in Wellington. This was anonunced to-day by the Christchurch manager of the Internal Marketing Division (Mr.J. A. Manto), who said the factory had had to struggle to keep operating .to full capacity this Winter, because the abnormal weather had seriously reduced supplies. THEFT OF MONEY. HASTINGS, July 23. The theft of a money belt, containing about £6OO from a Chinese whare at Haumoana on July 13 last was admitted by two men,'William Manaena, labourer, aged 19, and Owen Desmond Prue, millhand, 18 years, at Hastings Court this morning. It was stated by the police that about £lOO was still missing, the greater part being in the money belt when it was thrown into the Tukituki River. Despite an extensive search, the money was still missing. Accused were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. CHINESE AND OPIUM AUCKLAND, July 23. One of the biggest hauls of opium ever made at Auckland was effected by a Customs officer when he accosted a Chinese, employed as a cook on an overseas ship, leaving the central wharf this morning. In the Police Court later, Shun Hung Fook admitted before the Magistrate (Mr. Goodall) a charge of unlawfully importing into New Zealand five pounds of prepared opium. Prosecuting for the Collector of Customs, Mr. G. S. R. Meredith said that when Fook was accosted he first refused to allow the Customs Officer to search him, and offered a bribe of £lt)0. When he was searched five pounds of opium were found. Counsel added that this was by far the biggest amount of opium found in Auckland for many years. In accused’s cabin a further three pounds were found, but this was not the subject of any charge. The Magistrate imposed a fine of £125, in default two months’ imprisonment. SAFE STOLEN. HASTINGS, July 23. An office safe in the butchery of J. B. Fletcher was removed lust evening, and after being opened and rifled, was subsequently thrown into the Ngaruroro River, in the vicinity of Pakowhai Bridge. The police recovered a portion' of the missing money, but the safe is still in the riverbed. It was learned that one of Fletcher's delivery vans had been used to convey the safe from the shop. Apparently the safe had been taken to a vacant section, and the back had been broken open with a cold chisel and hammer. According to the information of the police, it was then taken to the river and dumped. Mr. Fletcher was unable to say the exact amount in the safe, but there was £5O in war bonds and books and papers. At a sitting of the Hasting Court this morning, three men, Fraser Morrell Thomas, a butcher’s assistant, aged 17. Kenneth Raymond Sudby, a machinist, aged 19, and Kenneth John Forster, farmhand, aged 18, appeared before J’s. P., and were jointly charged that on July 22 at Hastings they did break into the shop of' J. B. Fletcher and, commit theft. They were remanded for a week.