LATE DOMINION NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 18 March 1913, Page 3

LATE DOMINION NEWS.

THE PRIME MINISTER. VISIT TO GERALDINE. PEB UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. TIMARU, March 17. The Prime Minister _ (Hon. W. F. Massey) visited Geraldine to-day and received a cordial welcome from the Mayor and the chairman of the County Council. He received a number of deputations with requests for financial assistance fgr local and district objects. The borough has a reserve close by, including 67 'acres of native bush, and it asked for help in keeping down noxious .vscds, or, as an alternative, that the Government take it over as a scenic reserve. Assistance was promised. RECEPTION AT TEMUKA. TIMARU, March 17. 'l'he Prime Minister had a cordial, reception at Teniuka this evening, the Dominion Theatre being crowded. Among his remarks he said that he had beard that the aggregation of estates was going on in' this district. That sort of thing must be stopped. Agriculture was the mainstay of the country and must be fostered in every possible way. Colonel Hayhurst, who presided, said that ho would cut up soino of his land for disposal on terms as easy, or easier, than the Government could offer. Mr Massey honed that others would follow that example. WIRELESS AND DEFENCE, AUCKLAND,-March 17. Since the introduction of the Now Zealand defence scheme the authorities have introduced many improvements in defence methods. The latest innovation, it is understood., will probably take the J form of portable wireless sets for in- ( fantry brigades, and this week the Do-1 fence Department will conduct trials of ; such sots, which are made on the Tele-; funken principle by the Australasian! Wireless Company. Mir Eugene Reinhard, chief engineer of the Telefunken Company at Berlin, is to give demonstrations of the capabilities of these sets: of instruments in Wellington, and for this purpose he will leave for the oouth to-morrow. Portable instruments' are as novel as they are useful. They > are able to send messages over 50 or 60 ! miles in daylight, and will form a valu- i able asset to the equipment of the defence forces. The necessary power is | obtained from a small dynamo which is driven by a bicycle arrangement fitted with pedals. One man working these creates sufficient force to run the dynamo at the re-quired number of revolutions to generate power, which in. turn works the sending instruments. The wholo outfit can be comfortably placed on one horse, and is very quickly dismantled and made ready for action. Sets are now in wide use for military purposes at Homo and on the Continent. AN EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR. AUCKLAND, March 17. There was considerable improvement yi\-A:;day in Ik© condition <:l the man ; W Kniosto, who was the. victim ol _aa in Mayr road ear!;/ on Saturday morning. A 'Herald'' reproi.-entaiii-? I wno v.sited him in the Ik:: y t>u iiim with liis head swathed in br.n:!sj;rvs :.' i: ;.l hnVil).; a sut.si con.pii it:,US 15.!.-. . h;:,;k : Mo wai nh!e to euro a ih v detailed account of the imjrtertows i ve!',i:n;: i. ,S;io. ll'v after 11 r'.n 1 .. on Friday, Iki'i, whiie at the car stniu! in Queen : ;rect, ];<• answered a telephone tail. A v><ic-;» asked i'or anct'rte: •; ar en iho },£">«>•', hut thai eriji' \r, >, uwa.i :•«> tuna. Ho Ernesto wr.s to'tl that els r-:>r v.v.rdd do. Ko war-it.( {f i ly M.in-'o-■»,'ar S>:ej»s and t-ake two nic-n Three Kinsiis, c tliinjr in at NVvnmv'koi station, •/.■l,'.-'.'-.: iiney *cfc cut to iook for the men "i'Aiij. 1 ' >'hc lelicr. ho \ ever, was no! fand the t/ pvmtwdcd ■ -i.i .'i, ti'io men m- : i-.\i *i■ ,1; e.-i '.<■ in L; : i;> up a ce.f--ui'.; :-:ti'c ( t. lie did and shortly ar ■. wards L'.io nuin d; e.ded t.iet tlivy ... u -n t.ic w.'cng fc aad requested •;;e dvivcr w> i>;x.Tecd to th» next. Thinking they were behaving in a pecu•ha* V..UUIGI' he asked tliem ;i tSivy »ca ! - !y h'.u-w v.'hero they wanted xo £O. i hey said blio.y vveio sure the novo Btrtci (Kayr road) was the one, and .he accord-i'l-flv voak tin.m thaic. Mr; tooiud at and ioiind t.nat it \tfas close wiwn midnight. About half-way up fiavr road, he continued, the men said they were near the gateoorl r a (erta.'i: house, and wanted to get out. Do Ernesto stopped the car and then asked 'tliiiii it iio had not. beiiier drive the;.) right to the gate, and after iome demur they consented. Do Ernesto ran the car into the first gate, and that \v.\i U'.o last ho Jonxnrbu - t>d. lie -ioii-oidv-ro that he nuisb i-.ave boon itii by twd iuil beor bottles, as liis clothes were soaked with beer and the bottom of tho ear was strewn with broken rlaes, among it being two bottle necks with the capsules still on. When he returned to consciousness he was lying on the road, feeling very r.ick. He was found, as before statod, by Mr Proston, and after a rest was taken to tiie hospital. De Emeste oould not account for the affair in any way. Ho had not seen the two men before, but he would recognise them again if he saw them. MORE IMMIGRANTS. WELLINGTON. March 17. The Tainui, which arrived this morn- ! ing from London brought 488 passengers for various ports. Of these 461 were in the thard class, including 60 ddmesiics and 27 laborers. During the voyage a/ second saloon passenger developed syn iitems of inteanity, and though r-' ady watched made an attempt cue this throat with a raaor. He was noticed before ho was able to do more than make a painful gash, which the ship's surgeon stitched. The man, who is booked for Timaru, has now recovered from, the injury, but he is etill under restraint. AUCKLAND SUPREME COURT. AUCKLAND, March 17. At the Supreme Court in divorce Mr Justice Cooper granted a decree nisi in the ease of Adoiph Frederick Lorie v. •Sara Lorie, Jcr-ertion. Mr Justice Cooper refused to grant a discharge to James Scott Wilson, who was adjudicated bankrupt noaiiy four years ago. Bankrupt failed in Mr.y, lf>o9, and the estate paid 5Jd. His Honor said that bankrupt entered into the flaxmilling bus-inesH with a capital of nnlv £IOO and when insolvent entered another speculation. Finally lie wa,s adjudged bankrupt with liabilities of many hundreds of pounds and the assets wei\" £lB. Reckless trading siu-h as this could not be countenanced, but a permit was granted to renew the apnlieation in six months.