DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1926, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[nr telegraph—err press association.] POST BOY KILLED. AUCKLAND, April 29." Cordon Munro, aged 17, a Post Offico cadet, was struck by an engine while crossing tho railway line at Ellerslie Station to-night. He sustained a fractured skull t and injuries to tho back, from which he succumbed shortly after admission to the hospital. ANOTHER CROSSING COLLISION. CHRISTCHURCH, April 29. i Struck bv the Belfast working melt’s train, which was coming into town last evening, a taxi, driven by C. Macintosh. was turned completely round at Antigua Street crossing. The driver escaped uninjured, and the ear was only damaged about the front wheels and the bonnet. The locomotive shifted the fore part, and threw the whole ear clear, slewing it right round in the opposite direction. TRAIN RUNS INTO BOULDER. TAUMARUNUI. April 29. A mixed train from Te Kuiti ran into a boulder on the line near Ohakune. at one o’clock to-day. but suffered imlv minor damage to the cowcatcher. The boulder, which was about two feet high, apparently came down as tlic result of heavy rain during the past twenty-four hours. The train wn« not delayed. AVHARFIES RESUME. CHRISTCHURCH. April 29. As was expected after the conference mi Wednesday, work was resumed at Lyttelton this morning at 8.15. ) cstorday morning the men met. and the position was briefly explained by their leaders. When the meeting finished, the men, about GtH) in all. assembled outside for engagement. There was a slight hitch in securing all the labour necessary for the “preference steamer.” Coolaiia, for which, labour was called for first. Only a. few men stood out, and most of them were non-union-ists, who bail come through from the city, on the chance of a job. Eight gangs were required, but only three were secured. A short conference between the .Shipping and the Union officials was held, and then the secretary of the Union. Mr.l. Hood, called the men together, and told them that labour must lie secured tor the ( uolana. and that those watersiders who usually accepted coal work with the stevedores, Kinsey and Co., would !>e expected to stand out and accept the call. This bad the desired effect, and the men who had been bolding back lot i'cnera-1 cargo work then .-.food out. ami were engaged.

All the members of the Union found employment, and with the help “I some fifty to one hundred non-unionists, full gangs were secured for all ships.

OLD MAX’S PLIGHT. NELSON. April 29. A case that was called on at the Magistrate’s Court to-dav was one not without its pathetic side. An old miner over eighty years of age. was b'-loro Mr A. Gould. J.R.. charged with vagrancy. II transpired, however, that this hardy old pioneer had seen much better days, having “struck it rich at some of the gold rushes. Lately he had been prospecting at Howard, from where he walked to French Pass. i ical’v dest.il ill " he was taken into .u-P ly at 1 fn-onght m NcKo;,. lie bit i i:-o- keenly tvt.. (. ;w be got. on lor food. i„. I ■ j -I i ■ : Gat ’•» I cl !”• •< ~,'k.00 ami birds. H Imd a -tt-mg object 'on in g,’! tic :•■ pri'ott. Mat tug that lie was quite capable of earning his own living, lie. also preferred not to m> to the Alexandra Home, as lie wattled bis freedom. He is entitled lo tho old ago pension and to the .Maori War pension, but lie hits claimed neither. stating that lie would rather lie independent. The .lustbe put the old man at l.ts ease by assuring him that lie -ltd net intend to (otiimif a man with >uch an independent spirit, to prison, but lasuggested that he should become a voluntary inmate of Alexandra Home during the winter months. Alter so mo persuasion, this was agreed to, and. on this condition, the charge was dismissed.

BETTER EXPORT. GISBORNE. April TO. Dairy companies in this district bate not as yet shipped much of the season’s butter to England owing to unsatisfactory prices, but have arranged to dcspacli a considerable quantity to Melbourne at prices above the London parity. AUCTIONI'.ER’S ETCENSE. DANNEVIRKK. April T 9. Magistrate Stout heard a cose against a local auetioneer of thirty-five years standing who was charged with having sold by public auction without a license. The defendant, who is a member of an auctioneering firm, was at the time not a holder of a license which was held by his son, who was absent on the day conducting a sale elsewhere. The defendant thcrefoie arranged with another auetioneer to have his license transferred to him so as to enable him to conduct the sale. The Town Clerk being absent, the defendant arranged to pay the transfer fee on his return which was done. The defendant contended that it was the practice to transfer an auctioneer’s licenses between firms. The magistrate, in inflicting the minimum penalty of CIO sterling and costs 7s. pointed out that mccording to the Act, an auctioneer could not transfer a license to another auctioneer, unless the latter was going to sell for the auctioneer holding the license. SUPPRESSION OF NAMES. CHRISTCHURCH, April 30. Tu refusing an application to suppress tlic name of a seventeen year old offender in a sexual case. Judge Adams said he found that the newspapers of New Zealand exercised a very wise discretion in matters of that nature, lie would order the suppresion only in extreme eases. BURGLARS at work. PALMERSTON N.. April 30. A burglarious entry was effected last night at Paramount Theatre, but the perpretrators were apparently disturbed ami left via a ground floor window, without touching the safe. Investigation showed the marks of a jemmy oil a window off the alleyway. Apparently the intruders were tired of trying to open this and scaled the fire escape and gained an entrance through the operating box door, which was left unlocked. They then tried to force the office door with ft jemmy, ultimately smashing the glass in the door and slipping the catch back.