POST AT LYTTELTON

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25058, 23 November 1944, Page 4

POST AT LYTTELTON

COMMANDER BRIDSON NAVAL OFFICER-IN-CHARGE (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday * Lieutenant-Commander G. Bridson. naval officer-in-charge at Dunedin. has been promoted to the rank of actingcoinmander, and transferred to Lyttelton as officer-in-charge as from November 29. Lieutenant-Commander J. H. Seelye succeeds Commander Bridson, who has been in charge at Dunedin for the last six months.

Before his appointment, Commander Bridson served in H.M.N.Z.S. Kiwi in the Solomons for two years, and for his part in the action off Guadalcatiar lie was awarded the D.S.O. He had earlier gained the D.S.O. for his part in minesweeping operations while serving with the Channel convoy ships for 18 months. He was awarded the American Navy Cross for his servfte in the Solomons. Commander Bridson will succeed Commander S. Critchley at Lyttelton. Commander Critchley. who is being posted to the retired list at his own request in order to resume farming, has held his present appointment for the last 18 months. He served for 12 years with the Royal Canadian Navy, retiring from service and coming to New Zealand to take up sheepfarming in 1924. During the last war he served on destroyers in the North Sea and the English Channel, and later on cruisers. Soon after the outbreak of the present war he again joined the Navy, holding an appointment in the Navy Office, Wellington, for about nine months. Subsequently, on the outbreak of war with Japan, lie went to Fiji as naval commanding officer, remaining there for about 12 months. He then returned to Auckland, where lie assumed the duties of recruiting officer, and later came to Lyttelton as commanding officer. DIRECTION DISOBEYED JOHN HOGAN SENT TO GAOL (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday The case of John Hogan, editor and publisher of Democracy, was concluded today in the Magistrate's Court, when Mr A. E. Dobbie, S.M., sentenced him to seven days' imprisonment with hard labour for failure to obey a manpower direction. He was offered the option of an increased sentence to enable an appeal to be lodged, but his counsel made no such application. The magistrate, who had reserved his decision from last week, said: "Direction to essential industry is a wartime measure which no Court can allow to be frustrated. The defendant sets himself up as a judge of his own case, says his direction is not warranted, but gives no evidence to support it, whereas there is evidence that the manpower problem in Hutt Valley is so acute that his direction is more than necessary; it is essential." The defendant had stated that his direction was initiated by other motives than manpower needs, added the magistrate. There was no tittle of evidence that it was initiated except in the ordinary course of the business of the department. The defendant had a wife and three young children, and he took that into consideration, but a monetary penalty was not appropriate where the offence was committed deliberately and with indifference. BUILDING COSTS (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday Notice of his intention to ask for a return showing the detailed figures from the investigation into building costs preEared by the Housing Construction •epartment was given by Mr C. M. Bowden (Opposition—Wellington West) in the House of Representatives today. Mr Bowden said that the investigation was mentioned by the Minister of Works, Mr Semple. in his reply to the report of the national conference on housing called by the Associated Chambers of Commerce.