GAS POISONING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24541, 25 March 1943, Page 2

GAS POISONING

WOMAN FOUND DEAD HUSBAND UNCONSCIOUS A man and his wife, both over 70 years of age, were found in a gasfilled room at 'their home in Mount Albert, yesterday afternoon. The woman was dead. She was Mrs. Marion Stubbs, wife of Mr. James Stubbs, of 69 Renfrew j Avenue. Mr. Stubbs was unconscious when found and was taken to the Auckland Hospital. His condition last night was serious. The suspicions of a neighbour, Mrs. M. Amoretti, were aroused by tho strong odour of gas coming from Mr. Stubbs' house and she forced open a window. She found Mrs. Stubbs lying on the kitchen floor and Mr. Stubbs on a couch. Mrs. Amoretti opened the doors and windows and summoned the police. An examination showed that one end of a piece of rubber tube had been attached to tho pipe leading to the gas meter and the other end to the gas stove. Gas was escaping from the tube and was not passing through the meter. The stove was not turned on. The electric light in the kitchen was burning, indicating that Mr. and Mrs. Stubbs were overcome last evening. The table was set for a meal. An inquest into the death of Mrs. Stubbs will be opened this morning UNCLAIMED MONEY DISPUTE OVER DISPOSAL BOROUGH COUNCIL AND CROWN (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Wednesday The Appeal Court to-day heard a special case in which the Hamilton Borough Council is the plaintiff, and the Public Trustee and the AttorneyGeneral are the defendants. The contest is between the council and the Crown as to the disposal of £3200 of unclaimed moneys held by the Public Trustee. The facts are that the borough council issued bearer debentures for £3200 as part of the Gasworks Loan, 1911. Interest coupons were presented until 1914 but the holder after that failed to collect the interest, and his whereabouts and identity have since been unknown. Tho loan was subsequently converted, and substitute debentures issued in 1934, - which now form the contract for repayment to the missing holder, matured in 1938. Moneys totalling £3200, supplied to the borough council bankers by the Public Trustee, as sinking fund commissioner, in respect of the 1934 conversion loan, were unclaimed on maturity in 1938, and are now held by the Public Trustee. The Borough Council claims declarations to the effect that, if the missing holder fails to appear, tho £3200 belongs to it, and must be applied to the sinking fund of the conversion loan, and the surplus repaid to the council. The Attorney-General claims declarations that the Public Trustee since 1938 has held moneys in trust for the missing persons and that in 1944, six years after date for repayment, the moneys if unclaimed, belong to the Crown, and must be paid into the Consolidated Fund Decision was reserved. NEWS FOR TROOPS FIRST ISSUE OF NEWSPAPER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday The first issue of Kiwi:, the name given to the New Zealand troops' own newspaper in the Pacific area, was published on March 10 It comprised four pages of world, New Zealand and local news, also comment on world events and messages from the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P Fraser, and others expressing good wishes for the success of the paper and the Kiwi force in the Pacific. The printing plant for the paper was purchased by tlie National Patriotic Fund Board and shipped from New Zealand. The Army Educational and Welfare Service is responsible for the production. The paper is entirely hand set and has been established in the face of some difficulty. Local items in the first issue include a description of the first show given in the open-air by the mobile cinema presented bv the R.S.A. Films for this plant are being provided through the Patriotic Fund Board, which is also meeting all maintenance costs. LIBERTY AGAIN DOMINION PRISONERS The party's last days in an internment camp in North Africa, and a subsequent journey to Algiers, where the men embarked for England, are described by Squad ron-Leader R. G. Brickcll. of Dunedin, in-'a letter to relatives in New Zealand. He was one of tho six New Zealander prisoners at Legliouat internment camp in French North Africa who made a bid for freedom by cutting out a tunnel 100 yards long. After the British and Americans occupied North Africa last November tho men wore released. "On Sunday," writes SquadronLeader Brickcll. "the men first learned the 'terrific news of North Africa* and after tliaj events moved quickly. By Tuesday rumours of an armistice occupied the talk, and by Wednesday we were packer! up and all ready. During Wednesday night the French changed the evacuation details seven times but Thursday morning saw the first third of the prisoners actually on board seven assorted buses, trucks and other vehicles. "The journey to Djelfa was pure joy. We fell in at 9 o'clock and by a terrific effort of organisation finally left at 10.30. Not one looked back as we left those hated walls behind and one man's eves were wet with relief. , "The commandant of the camp came in to say good-bye on the last afternoon and I had quite a lot of small satisfaction in showing him 9700 francs, two gold coins and three excellent maps from one of which at least 50 copies must have been made in spite of all his searches." The next stage of the journey from the raillidad at Djelfa to Algiers was made in a small narrow gauge train described by the writer as a "relative heaven- of comfort." "The carriages had been cleaned out and my party had a roomy compartment with a rear view," ho continues. "Each of us had a whole Red Cross food parcel as rations. We travelled all night, arriving at Blida at dawn From there we made a luxury journey along the main line to Algiers." BOY SERIOUSLY HURT Through being hit by a motor-car on the waterfront road shortly before mid-day yesterday, Lawrence Frederick Carter, aged 13, son of Mrs. Mary Carter, of 6 Grattan Street. City, suffered a fracture of the arm and possible fractures of the jaw and skull. He was taken to the Auckland Hospital and his condition last night was fairly serious. PICKED OYSTERS (0.C.) WHANGAREL Wednesday On an information laid by the inspector of fisheries, Mr. A. Tilby, Albert Edward Jackson, of Auckland, was fined £5 with costs in the Mauugaturoto Court. He admitted a charge .of picking oysters at Pahii.