DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 3 April 1943, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS

FIGHTING -’FORCES’ ATHLETICS. PA. WELLINGTON. April 1. The Navy, Army and Air Force will hold a combined athletic championship meeting at the Basin Reserve on Saturday, April 17. Athletes from the three Services will be chosen from all over the Dominion for the championships, which will be the first event for the fighting forces ever to have been held in New Zealand. TRAIN DERAILED. WHANGAREI, April 2. An engine and . fourteen trucks were derailed at ’ Ruatangata this morning, when a large boulder struck the engine. No one was injured. FIRE AT GLAXO FACTORY. WELLINGTON, April 1. , Damage estimated at several thousand pounds was caused by fire in a storeroom at the Glaxo factory at Bunnythorpe. The building was destroyed early this morning, but the brigae from Palmerston North prevented serious damage to the main building, where milk processing operations on a large scale are proceeding as usual.

APPEAL UPHELD. CHRISTCHURCH, April 2. An appeal against his conviction under the Licensing Act Emergency Regulations, 1942, imposed oru Dennis Coffey, hotel licensee, by Mr. Levvev S.M., was upheld by Mr. Justice Northcroft in the Supreme Court this morning. Coffey had pleaded not guilty to charges of allowing liquor to be consumed on licensed premises after hours, of exposing liquor for -sale, and of selling liquor A conviction was entered by the Magistrate on_the charge of selling, and Coffey was fined’ £lO. The other charges were withdrawn. John James, barman-porter, was charged with supplying liquor, and had pleaded guilty, being fined HO. In a statement to the police, the licensee had said the barman had no right to sell liquor. The barman was i n the bar for the purpose of cleaning up, and the licensee did not know there were men in the bar. The evidence showed that when the police arrived, four men were in the bar. All had drinks supplied by the barman. ■ . .. N.Z. COAL PRODUCTION. / AUCKLAND, April 1. An increase of 20 per cent. i n production from the Waikato coalmines since the strike, which was followed by the State taking control of the mines for the duration of the war, was reported by the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb), at Auckland. The ■production from the mines last week was 18,500 tons, compared with 16,000 tons before the State took control, said Mr. Webb. There was no suggestion of labour trouble, and everything was working smoothly. The board of management set up was doing excellent work. Referring to the handling of ships’ cargoes, Mr. Webb said that United States representatives had informed him that they had never see n better work than on the waterfront in New Zealand. Questioned on the work being done at the Dobson mine, recently purchased by the State, Mr. Webb said much development work, involving driving, was being carried out. It would take time, but the progress was satisfactory. GAOL FOR THEFT AND CONVERSION. P.A. AUCKLAND, April 2. An immaculately dressed seaman, Keith Edwards Thomas Turner, 19,was charged before the Magistrate (Mr Luxford) to-day with the theft of a camera, valued at £lO, and on twelve counts of unlawfully converting to his own use motor cars of a total value of £4,220. Turner was sent to Borstal for two years. Senior-Detective Walsh said that Turner arrived in .New Zealand last August and reached Auckland from Wellington in January. He had done no work but had unlawfully converted twelve cars, his method being to take a car, drive round the city and abandon it.