DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1923, Page 1

DOMINION ITEMS.

[ny TELEGRAPH—I>EII PRESS ASSOCIATION.] HEART FAILURE. c e DUNEDIN. April 9. A single woman, Elizabeth .Jane Uaekley. 0! years nt age. was found * den.i in bed to-day. 1 'J lie evidence of Dr Evans, who made a post mortem examination, was that . death was clue to heart failure, fol- • lowing degeneration of the heart muscles. Tiie Coroner’s verdict was given accordingly. ' NATIVE BIRDS. WELLINGTON, April 7. A deputation of persons interested ip I tin* preservation of Native birds protesting against an open season f, r paradise dink and pukeko. waited on t‘-e Hon. Downie Stewart, Minister of I nternal A (fair-. The Minister said that nobody was more anxious than he to preserve Native bird life. I-Je had gone very carefully into the matter before declaring a short season for paradise duck, ami his decision had been inllueiieed by the weight of evidence gathered from all parts of the Dominion. It was too late now to reverse his decision, but he would review the position next year. found with throat cur. NAI'IER, April 9. .1 oilii Sheniian. aged 90. an inmate ol the I’ark Island Old People's Home. ; was found dead this morning with his ) throat cut. j i FINANCING JIADFIELD. WANGANUI, April 7. It is expected that Darcy lladficld will arrive licit* early next week in | order to do some iiainiug on the i Wanganui River before leaving for , Australia, where lie will row James [ Rail Jon lot lhe w“Hd’.- champion-hip. o It is probable the race will take pki-e ( > in the lirst wee!; in June* on the v Richmond River. |, Arrangements have been made with p George Towns to take lladficld in hand t on his arrival in Sydney, and such an p experienced coach should bo able to r improve the New Zealander very ,* considerably. « Auckland enthusiast- undertook to t raise C-tOO towards the £LOCO requited to finance the trip, hut so far they have not met with the success anticipated. This seems strange considering that Jindtield is an Aucklnndor, and p in view of the fact that Wanganui u sports have provided £OOO for the fund, n

DEATHS OF HORSES. AUCKLAND. April 9. The racehorse Coioglvii lias been destroyed as the result of a recent injury at the Auckland nub's races. Kenilworth dropped dead after being exercised at Taka puna this morning. MENTAL DEGENERATES. OPINION IN ASHBURTON. ASHBURTON. April 9. A resolution supporting the North C lulcrbiirv Hospital Board’s decision iu favour of the* sterilising and desexing of mental degenerates and epileptics was unanimously passed by the Axhounon Hospital Board this morning. The North Canterbury Board is recommending the Government to introduce legislation dealing with the matter.

speaking oil tho subject inis morning, Mr C. Reid (the chairman) -aid some radical reform was wanted in connection with this most important matter. No person had any right to interfere with another in a manner which was read, of every day in the week. There was no lie* os-uly lor that soil ol thing to go on. I( a man could not ci nlain liiniseli. he should get. a nice girl and marry her. "It is damnable the wav things are going mi," said Air R-i'id ferventl\. •‘The North Canterbury Board is doing a good Ivor!*:. and should he supported.”

Air F. W. Watt (Bower Board chair m.'iD: “Thev are working in the high

est interests of tho community." AD* AY. T. Till (Comity chairman), considered the suggested* legislation should have been introduced 1(100 yearago. BUTTER. AND CHEESE OUTPUT. WELLINGTON. April 9. Figures of the Dairy Division of the Agrieuliural Deportment show that me salted Inifter graded im* March, Li_’J. v," a s 132,*1(57 owl., and unsol ted 91.1 ewt. com pared with a fetal of 100.191 for March of last year. This wa- an increase of ll.l'Cl ewt. for the eight months ended .March. 1923. The respective quantities wen* 1.111.921 ewt and 7J.213 ewt, compared with a total of 8J8.210 ewt—an increase of 11. PS per cent. The cheese graded for March. 1923 comprised white 10*1*773 ewt. and colour 02.170 ewt, compared with USE 300 ewt for March, 1972. a decrease of 7.81 per <ent. The totals lor the eight months ended March 192*>. "i'liv white 0*11,330 ewt. coloured JOO.ti!•* ewt. compared with a t tel tl I.o* I d ewt' a deerea.se of <>.7l per cent. ' Converting these figure- into Den butter-fat equivalent, there is an increase of 28.78 per cent, in butter-fat production for eight months, a- cornered with the corresponding period oi 1921-22. A PSEUDO DETECTIVE. ROBS CHINAMAN. WELLINGTON. April 11 A Chinaman named K'vong On was robbed of CU in hi* sll _°P iU Uu ' corner of RoiLston and Wallace ms.. ill a recent night by a daring ruse, perpetrated by a young man who pretented be wit- a detective. Il appears t. 1,0 p-oudo defective, who had pre-viou-lv visited Kivong On’s greengrocery shop under pretence of searching for hidden stores and opium, went into the living room at the hark oi the shop and after searching the place a-ked the Chinaman if he had any ol the drug concealed about his clothes. K’.vong On readily agreed to hi' line kefs being examined and the intruder on placing his hand in the Chinaman's left pioekct found a toll of 14 pound notes which he promptly abstracted. Before the victim could take in the situation the make-believe detective dashed from the roomthrough the shop out into the street. When Kwong On reached the footpath the thief had got a long start, running southward along Wallace street. Subsequently the police were informed but up to last night no arrest had been made.

CHR I .STCII URCH M A YOB A T.TY. CHRISTCHURCH, April 10. ] At a meeting of the Labour Representation Committee, it was decided to take a referendum of the Party ns to whether the Christchurch Mayoralty should he eentested. The general inic pression, after tin* meeting, appeared 1 ' to he that the decison of the referendum would he in favour of contesting the Mayoralty although there t were many vigorous dissentients from the proposal. t The names of Messrs Sullivan. Annstrong and McCombs. M.R.’.s and the Rev. ,T. Tx. Archer, are mentioned as possible Labour candidates. There is said to he a sharp division of opinion as to whether the one Labour man should he permitted to occupy two such impm taut positions I a- a member of Parliament and Mayor. •SENTENCES FOR THEFTS. WELLINGTON, April 10. The Chief Justice imposed the follow nig sentences in the Supreme Court this morning;—Charles Horace Barry. Henry GriuKveli. John Ryan, and William James Mcßain, on a series it charges of breaking, entering and theft, and receiving stolen goods. Grad well and Mcßain were ordered a five years’ reformative term, to commence on the expiry of a sentence they are now serving. Barry and Ryan were ordered three years’ reformative treatment. William Richard Thomas, for forgery, was ordered two years’ probation; Bernard William Irwin, for forgery and uttering, two years' probation; Bernard William Irwin, for forgery and tittering, two years' probation; William Keating, theft from a dwell- * ing, lour years’ reformative treat- i merit. i i PRISON ESCAPEE. i TE KUITI, April 10 t At tlie Magistrate’s Court to-day. c Bart Moore was sentenced to IS ; ( months’ hard labour on a charge ol j ( escaping from Waikunn Prison Farm. 1 near Eattrimu, Wanganui. The prison- j I or was arrested yesterday in a weak- j | oiled condition at Pukeliitu, working with a road gang. On Thursday last g he made an excuse to retire for a few j I minutes, and escaped across the conn- t try. In a statement to the Magistrate v he said he ran away on account of h rough treatment from the prison’s ofli- n rials, and was making for Mt. Eden n gaol. He was serving a sentence of A two years for theft from a dwelling. u

RAILWAY SERVICE. DUNEDIN, April 10 After communicating with Wellington. the local railway authorities announce that commencing on Monday next, only one express train each way will leave daily between north and south. The eight o'clock mail to Christchurch, and the 3.30 to Invercargill will run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the Invc reargil 1-(hri-Jchurch train on Tuesday, Thursday and .Saturday. Tho authorities say that there is insufficient traffic to warrant running the two trains even thrice weekly, and cheap fates could not produce sullieient business for the railway while hotel costs remain high. THEFT CRAZE. WELLINGTON. April 10. A warning to evil-doers was issued hv the Chief Justice at* the Supreme Court this morning. “Breaking and entering inn t he put down." lie said, "and there are going to be no soft .sentences in reference to sm*l l offences. Not only in the Wellington district, but throughout New Zealand, there has been to much breaking anil entering, anil it is be-

coming a perfect craze in the community.” It had to he put down, lb* vould not grant probation in such eases. JL* did n"l know i f one ease "here a man had benefited as a result oi a wrongful ait. He had been a member of the Prisons Board for same years, and had never come across s ;;■ ii a vase. Young men should ic>Hsv that they vould mu commit serious offences w itli impunity.