LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 9 February 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

One first offender was convicted and fined 10/ for drunkenness at the Whangarei Magistrate's Court this morning by Mr R. W. Tate, S.M. "I wish to thank the constable for arresting me. I was certainly drunk and it will teach me a lesson," said a first offender for drunkenness at the Whangarei Magistrate's Court tlus, morning. The Magistrate,. Mr R. W, Tate, concurred in the view expressed and imposed, a fine of-10/. The traffic returns for the Whangarei section of railways for the four-weekly period ending January 3 are published in the current New Zealand Gazette as under. The figures for the corresponding period last year are shown ;in parentheses:—Passengers carried 25,096 (28,776), cattle, sheep and pigs 3578 (5672), timber 12.105 tons (10,917), revenue £9390 19/1 (£7447 0/8). The total revenue received for the" financial year up to January 3 was £70,317 15/5 (£65,412 13/4) and the expenditure was £SB,9SS 15/4 (£74,722 17/6). The expenditure per cent, of revenue was 126.55 The fost of opened lines in t.'c Whangarei section is £902,512 and o" unonened lines £529,488.

While working on Saturday at the Whangarei Baptist Church, where additions are being erected, Mr John Draper fell down some steps, and his right leg was broken. He is receiving attention at the Whangarei Hospital. "It has been proved that a man is drunk when he has only had one drink," said Senior-Sergeant O'Grady at the Whangarei Magistrate's Court this morning. The Magistrate, Mr R. W. Tate, retorted: "The man may be drunk, you mean?" During the latter part of last week the gale from the north-east outside was so severe that no fewer than eight scows sought shelter within Whangarei Harbour. On Friday evening one attempted to continue its voyage, but returned within an hour. Two of the scows did not get away until yesterday. Paddy Clarke pleaded guilty in Court this morning to being drunk at the Whangarei railway station on Saturday and casting offensive matter on the station platform. He was convicted and discharged, contingent on his taking out a prohibition order. SeniorSergeant O'Grady stated that eight years had elapsed since Clarke had been before the Court. A boy named Arnold Dent met with a severe accident in Whangarei on Saturday, while engaged at electro-plating work. He was polishing a motor lamp on an emery wheel, when by some mischance t'he lamp must have slipped, with the result that it struck Dent a heavy blow on the face, breaking his nose. He was removed to the Hospital, where he was found to be suffering from severe concussion, and it was some considerable time before he regained consciousness. He was operated on yesterday.

During operations for removing a telegraph pole to a new site alongside the railway crossing in Rust Lane, in conformity with the widening of that thoroughfare, an accident occurred this afternoon resulting in Mr Richard Pooley sustaining a fracture of the right leg above the knee. Mr Pooley, \vho is foreman of the Post and Telegraph maintenance gang, was in charge of the work of jacking out the pole, from which the wires overhead had been released, when he noticed it slipping" off the jack. With a view to saving the insulators he endeavoured unsuccessfully to hold the swaying post upright. It crashed and caught Mr Pooley beneath it when it fell. The ambulance was summoned and the sufferer was conveyed to the Whangarei Hospital. All Hose less 10% for One Week from Monday, 19th.—At Dobson's. 633 | '