DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 21 September 1945, Page 8

DOMINION NEWS

NO TOBACCO—NO COAL! P.A. INVERCARGILL, Sept. 20 The Birchwood coal miners refused to work yesterday owing to the late arrival of tobacco supplies for the Ohai district. Most of the output of this mine is at present requisitioned for the railways. “THE LAST REFUGE” P.A. . AUCKLAND, Sept. 20 “Loyalty is a virtue when it is to shield the right persons or object but it is not a virtue to protect thieves.” This remark was made at the Supreme Court, this morning, by Mr. Justice Callan, in sentencing Samuel Robert Campbell, 46, who had admitted the theft of £3OO worth of goods from a private house. Questioned by the Judge, after His Honour had read a written plea by prisoner for leniency, Campoell was reticent, saying he could not remember whether he had anyone with him at the time of the crime. He added he had drunk a lot of liquor. Prisoner was sentenced to two years’ hard labour. A POLICE MUDDLE P.A. AUCKLAND, Sept. 20 The accuracy of a prisoner’s police record’ was challenged in the Supreme Court when Thomas Turner, 58 came before Mr. Justice Callan for sentence of an indecency charge. Mr. Winter, appearing for accused, said the prisoner could not agree with the police report that he had eighteen convictions for drunkenness. He remembered only one such conviction, and thought he had been confused with another prisoner of the same name. The report also gave the age as 64 years. Mr. Justice Callan commented that the description in the report said the man had an angel and other marks tatooed on th'e left forearm and other marks on the right arm.

Prisoner, at this stage took off his coat and bared both arms, showing the right arm free of marks, and the left with a woman tottoed not on the forearm, but above the elbow. “There has been some muddle. 1 think they have mixed up two prisoners and credited z this man with someone else’s identity,” said the Judge. “I want it explained how this error occurred. It should not have occurred.” Prisoner was remanded till Tuesday. XMAS POSTAL RATES F.A. WELLINGTON, September 18. The Acting Postmaster-General (Mr. Jones) said, to-day, that it was reasonable to assume that therewould be a fair number of Armed Forces personnel overseas at Christmas, and cheap rates of postage would apply again this year to heavier Christmas parcels'for these personnel. The rates would be Is for a parcel not exceeding 31bs, and 2s for a parcel exceeding 31bs, but not exceeding lllbs. The Minister suggested that, as some addressees might no longer be abroad when the parcels reach their destination, senders might confine their parcels chiefly to edibles and enface the parcel to the effect that, if undelivered, it should be forwarded to ( a 'charitable authoriLV, such as a hospital, for disposal. The concession is available as follows:— Britain, the Middle, East, Africa. India, South-east Asia, South Ameri ca, and the West Indies (from Ist to 31st October), Australia, Fiji and Pacific Islands (from October 15 to November 15). It was particularly desirable that parcels for the Middle East be posted as early as possible. ARBITRATION COURT. AUCKLAND, September 18. Amendments to several industrial awards have been approved by the Arbitration Court. In the South Island Local Bodies’ Workers’ (Urban Section) Award, existing minimum hourly and weekly wage rates have been increased by 31d and Ils 8d respectively. The new wage rates arc subject to the Court’s bonuses. Meal money has been increased to 2s. The existing minimum wage rate for adult males employed under the New Zealand (except Northern Industrial District) Cycle-workers’ Award has been increased by 3id an hour, making it 2s lid an hour plus lhe Court’s bonuses. Increases, ranging from 5s to 10 s a week, have also been approved for junior workers. Meal money has been increased to 2S 'all the amendments authorised by the Court are retrospective to April 1. KIWI CHICKEN HATCHED. NAPIER, September 19. Acclimatisation history was made on a Hawke’s Bay game farm to-day when in the early ho.urs of the morning the first kiwi chick was hatched in New Zealand in captivity. The Society is already the possessor of two adult kiwis, having previously obtained snecial permission from the Minister 'of Internal Affairs to retain them in captivity. The egg took 80 days to hatch—a point which has interested students of bird life, because of the lack of official data. Also it was previously thought that the female kiwi produced one egg annually. but the Hawke’s Bay records show that the captive female has laid six eggs over the last 18 months. Several were fertile, but the embryo died in the shell.