HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 24 October 1930, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

(Our Own Correspondent.) HOKITIKA, October 23.

What might have been a very destructive fire broke out this morning in Revell Street at the stationery and fancy goods shop of Mr Jas Toohcy, adjacent to Little’s boot shop, the fire being noticed about 6.30 o’clock by au employee of O’Connor’s Hotel, who gave the alarm at once, and a boarder at the hotel went and rang the firebell. The Fire Brigade, on arrival, found the inside of the shop aflame and full of smoke, but with a hose from a nearby stand pipe and a good pressure of water the flames were soon got under without Little’s bootshop or the Divinia hairdressing saloon receiving any damage. The contents of Toohcy’s -hop, including stationery, books and fancy goods, were practically ruined bv lire, smoke and water. It was lucky that the outbreak was seen so quickly and the alarm given, as otherwise in this con jested portion of the town, a very serious conflagration could easily have occurred. The prompt alarm and the smart work of the Brigade averted damage from the two adjacent premises. It is understood that there is no insurance on the stock. Mr Toohcy having allowed a policy to lapse a few weeks ago. The building, owned by Mrs Moore (Arch Little) was divided into two shops, and was insured for £5OO in the State Office. The fire apparently started in the rear portion of the shop, and did not break through the lining walls or ceiling, the damage being confined to tin* fixtures and contents. The pause is a -mystery . The cases to-day at the Warden’s Z’ourt were:—John Jenkinson (Mr ’Murdoch) ordinary prospecting license, granted; Lily Allison, town lease, Ross,

granted; N. Det luff, renewal town lease, I Ross, granted; R. T. Stewart (Mr Murdoch) sued W. Al cC luggage for forI feiture of a residence site at Five Mile Beach, Okarito. A settlement having been effected, the application was withdrawn. A large ling fish weighing 281bs was I washed up on the beach this morning. I At the Magistrate’s Court to-day two local and five Kokatahi residents were convicted and fined for being on licensed premises after hours, and a prohibited person was fine £5 with costs for procuring liquor. Tho licensee of the Kokatahi Hotel was fined on a i charge of exposing liquor after hours, i Several owners of live stock were | lined for allowing them to wander in I the borough. For riding a cycle at • night without a light D. Pettigrew and i D. Kerr were fined and ordered to pay costs and solicitors’ tees, ami a fifie I of £3 with costs and solicitor’s fee was ! imposed on A. Rodgers for driving a • car over an intersection nt a dangerous | speed, the Borough Inspector being the I prosecutor. Judgment for £lBB, with costs total-| 1 ling £l5, was obtained to-day nt the, i Magistrate’s Court here by A. 3. Spiers. Kumara, from E. B. Roberton,’ Christchurch. The actual claim was for ■ £|G;: 4s 4d for damages caused to his! car in a collision with defendant on the- ! Christchurch Road on March 27th. The 1 evidence of two witnesses had been I • taken on commission at Stratford. Mr' J. Park appeared for plaintiff and Air Tracv (Christchurch) for defendant. Gilbert Joseph Murtha, licensed motor driver, employed by plaintiff, said that .on March 27 he left Kumara at 10.30 1 a.m. for Wainihinihi with the mails, ar- ■ riving at 11.15 a.m. He picked up a 'boy Teen at Tracey's, two miles from Wainihinihi, got the mail and left for Kumara at I 1.30. At Rocky Cutting , th'Te wa< an accident between defend‘niil’s car and his own. This was a • mile away from the post office. The car I could I" 1 seen from Tracey’s about I seven-tenths of a mile above Rocky I Culling. He first saw Roberton "s car i when about two chains away. He had I not reached the danger signal. Witness ; was going at 15 miles an hour. When I he saw Roberton coming, he left the | road and was off it a chain when Rob- , erton struck him. The point of im-

i pact was 1 chain 56 feet from the dani ger signal. He had almost. stopped when the’ impact occurred. Defendant I was doing over 20 miles an hour when witness first saw him, and was on the

; right hand side of Hie centre of the road, his wrong side. He appeared to be going faster when he passed witness Ithan when he first saw him. Witness ' pulled up when he saw’ Roberton, travcl- ' ling between 15 and 16 feet. He pulled right into the water table. His car was ' pushed up against the rock wall. His niudgtiards were torn up, and the run- ■ 'Tiing board bent up- The wheel cap 1 | was tom off and the. dumb iron bent lon the side where it was struck. The ~ I axle was bent on the side where it was . crushed against the bank. The wind ’shield was a total wreck. Roberton’s I car struck witness. If Roberton had been six inches further out be would ' “ five passed. It was Oft Gin from his I ear to the fence. He measured this distance yesterday, and also took meai sureincuts the day after, when Mr ’ Sloss was present. Roberton and Rich--1 urds came back after the accident and •witness told them to look at the marks of the two cars. Roberton did not at-

, tempt to stop. Roberton took witness •tu Wainihinihi where he rang up "or ’ another car and witness then walked ' back tn the scene, of the accident. That i day witness went out with Mr Sloss. Witness sounded his horn as he approached, and on the bend. He considered Roberton kept his foot on the ac- • celerator and not on the brake. There i was plenty of room to pass. Four other cars ptisstCd later. Roberton 1 could have gone out another four feet 1 with safety. Gerald Steer gave evi- ■: donee corroborative of Murtha’s. Rob- | erton’s car was on the rock side and I did’not pull over to the left. It did not [appear to slow up the speed. Alex B. [ Spiers gave evidence that he was a , motor owner at Kumara. Murtha was employed to carry the mail. He saw J the damaged car that night. The ear I cost £3OO. It was a Dodge the last 4I cylinder car that came out. £5O was I claimed for depreciation, £2O for loss of ‘ use. and £93 4s 4d cost of repairs. Thom- | as Baty, garage proprietor, said it was • a 27-28 model. It was worth £250 beIfore the accident, and after repairs | about £225. Molly Griffin, Bernard [Teen, and Garret Fitzgerald gave evii dence corroborative of Murtha’s AI--1 fred J. Sloss, traffic inspector stated the

marks of Spiers’s cur showed the ■wheels had run for 25 feet in the water table at the point. After hearing further evidence for the defence, Air W. Meldrum, S.M., gave judgment for plaintiff for £lBB 4s 4d, with court costs £4 Ils, and counsel’s fee £lO 9s fid; witnesses’ expenses to be mutually arrange £ by the parties.