DUNEDIN DAY BY DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4396, 29 June 1901, Page 3

DUNEDIN DAY BY DAY.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) DUNEDIN, June 28. Over twenty thousand persons travelled to Dunedin by rail for the Duke’s visit. Most of these were from places witnin the borders of the province. On Thursday eight thousand persons attended the Agricultural Show. The Marine Arch is being demolished to-day. The Chinese Arch will probably be sold by auction. Invercargill wants the loan of the bunting used in the city’s decorations, so as to make a splash when the Fourth Contingent returns. Mr Justice Williams sent Ernest Sim© to prison for three months. Sime is a youth of twenty, respectably connected, who pilfered from Herbert Haynes and Company. The Judge’s remarks in sentencing the accused' being of more than local interest, I quote him in extenso ; I do not think I ought to accede to the request of Mr Solomon and liberate the accused to come up for sentence when called upon. It appears by the accused’s own aumission that these depredations extended to a period of some shf months, and there is evidence which we have just heard that the invoices show .the depredations extended for & considerably longer period. That is one reason. Then it is a matter of common knowledge that pilfering of this kind is only too common—that employers suffer in nearly every large establishment from the pilfering of some of their employees. The question is, what is the best course to adopt in order to check this state of things. So far as the individual is concerned, it might be better for him if he were let out as suggested, but there ar 6 other considerations. If an employee of an establishment, simply because he is the' son of respectable parents, can commit depredations of this kind extending over a considerable time, and then escape altogether from punishment, the effect of that certainly would not be to check such depredations. On the contrary, employees who have such a tendency would be encouraged to go isn. I think, nowever, looking at the whole of the circumstances, that the accused has given assistance to ttie police, and has been frank enough after being arrested, that though punishment rtust be inflicted, it should be a comparatively light one. The sentence of the Court is tnat you be imprisoned for a term of three months and kept to hard labour. From the local poultry export depot, 1210 birds were passed for export during the month of June, as against 1002 for the previous month. Up to date 3468 birds have been passed for export at the depot. , Mr Alex. Douglas, the newly-elected president of the Agricultural Society, is a prosperous farmer belonging to East Taieri. Mr George Roberts, who steps out of the vice-presidency, and next year, all being well, will be president, is the son of the Hon John Roberts, O.M.G. Nurse Critchley. one of those presented to the Duke and Duchess m Dunedin, was up to three years ago a nurse at Osborne.