Boy Of 16 Gave False Age To His Employer

Northern Advocate, 30 May 1949, Page 3

Boy Of 16 Gave False Age To His Employer

NEWS IN BRIEF . . .

A boy aged 16 who received adult rates of pay from his 'employer, to whom he gave his age as 21, was charged in the Children’s Court in Taihape with obtaining £57 by false pretences. Evidence was given that he was entitled to 33/- a week and had been paid the adult award rate of £6/12/3. The boy was convicted by Mr A. Coleman, S.M., and placed under the supervision of the child welfare officer. He was also ordered to make restitution of £25. The case is believed to be the first of its kind heard in New Zealand.

The Waikato Rugby Union has decided that the Waikato Ranfurly Shield team, to play Otago at Dunedin on August 17, will travel by air. The meeting also decided to comply with a request from the Auckland union that the return game against an Auckland side at Eden Park should be played on Saturday, September 10, instead of Wednesday, August 31, as originally intended.

Four brigades were turned out shortly after 11 o’clock on Saturday night in response to a fire call from the Shaw Savill and Albion motor-ship Karamea, at Queen’s Wharf, Auckland. The fire, which had broken out in a bale of waste in the forepeak storeroom, was quickly suppressed by. filling the peak with about 60 tons of water from wharf hydrants. Little damage was caused. Merpbers of the crew discovered smoke pouring from the forepeak but were unable to approach the seat of the fire without respirators. Brigadesmen with breathing apparatus entered the forepeak and the area was quickly flooded. Ship’s pumps cleared the forepeak of water yesterday afternoon. An inspection showed that the fire began in a smouldering bale of cotton waste.

The Governor-General has also received the following reply from Queen Mary to the message of congratulation sent on her birthday:—“Sincerest thanks for your telegram. I am most grateful to the New Zealand Government and people, and to you and your wife, for kind good wishes on my birthday.”

The Waitemata, from the Pacific coast and Papeete, left Rarotonga on Thursday with 12,000 cases of oranges, 3400 cases of mandarines and tangerines, 750 cases of grapefruit, 500 boxes of tomatoes and 80 tons of copra? She is due at Auckland on Wednesday. The orange cargo is the same quantity as lifted by the Waitomo on May 7, which was-the biggest from Rarotonga since 1937.

The body of a woman was found in a drain near her home at Mangawoka, about 13 miles south of Taihape, late on Saturday afternoon. She was Mrs

Margaret Watson, aged 59, wife of Mr W. Watson. She had been missing since 7 o’clock on Thursday night. An inquest was opened before the district coroner, Mr E. Loader, at Mangaweka, last night and adjourned.

A cyclist received fatal head injuries when his machine -’ollided with a car on the Great South Road at 8.20 o’clock last night. He was: Mr Fred Dawson, gardener, of Glen Eden. The accident occurred febout a mile north of the Horotiu freezing works. Mr Dawson was admitted to the Waikato Hospital and died later.