DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1945, Page 6

DOMINION ITEMS

PATIENT’S DEATH. TAUMARUNUI, December 5. An inquest into the death of May Campbell O’Connell, a patient at the Chateau, National Park, concluded before Coroner W. Thomas with a verdict that the deceased died from exposure while she was lost in the bush at National Park, and that every endeavour had been made by the Chateau authorities and police to find deceased when she escaped from the institution, the search lasting six days. THEFTS AT HASTINGS. HASTINGS, December 5. A smash and grab raid on a jewellery shop occurred .in Hastings in the early hours this morning. After smashing a hole in a plate glass window of Kc-ssell and Ingram’s shop in Heretaunga Street, the offender reached in and extracted a small collection of assorted rings. More valuable articles such as watches and fountain pens, as well as other rings, were not disturbed. A beer bottle, found by the police in the vicinity of the premises, is believed to have been used to smash the window. A robbery at the home of R. A. Colwill, of Pattison Road, Hastings, was made yesterday morning, shortly after 10 o’clock. The intruder apparently entered the house through a fanlight, window, and after ransacking various rooms, decamped with an assortment of jewellery, clothing rind a small sum of money, all of which was apparently packed in a suitcase, for one such article is missing. STATE HOUSES DAMAGED. WELLINGTON, December 6. State houses in the course of construction have been receiving attention from vandals, said Mr. Semple to-day. A deputation of builders had this week waited on the Director ol Housing bitterly complaining about vandalism taking place in and about the houses being erected at Auckland. . Mr. Semple added that trie same sort of vandalism was occurring at Wellington and elsewhere, but to a lesser extent. In one case in Auckland, a house just handed over for occupancy was broken into and the front door, including the hinges, was removed. From another house, a lavatory basin and all the taps in the bathroom were removed, and. in the third case the contractor’s shed was broken into and a kit of tools, worth about £3O, belonging to a returned soldier, were stolen.