NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9614, 21 March 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Dominic Broderick, aged eleven years, was killed at AVaitahuna on Monday through falling off the truck of a threshing plant, according to a Press Association telegram from Dunedin.

His Honour tho Chief Justice (Bir Robert Stout) will, sentence tho following prisoners on Thursday morning: Rac, convicted of theft from a, dwelling; Maloney, fdr'fdl-gery; and Gray, on charges of escaping. from custody and two of theft.

The inspector of awards (Mr George Henry Lightfoot) proceeded against Mrs P. Carney, proprietress of tho Oxford Dining Rooms, in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, for failing to keep a wages and time-book, as required by the Act. For this breach £lO was claimed. Mr H. F. O’Leary, who appeared for the defendant, having admitted the facts, defendant was convicted and fined 40s.

A sitting of the Juvenile Court, held yesterday, was presided over by Mr L. G. Reid, S-M. Tho truant inspector (Mr J. Dineen) proceeded against a number of parents for failing to send their children regularly to school. They were fined in tho following amounts: Victor C. Curtis, Joseph Edge, and Frank Johns, 4s each; John Grant, ss; and A. Bring, Charles. Reid, and James Taylor, 2s- each. The employing of a boy twelve years of age, and paying him 6s per week instead of 20s, as required by the Wellington dairymen’s employees’ award, was the cause of an action in the Magistrate’s Court. The inspector of awards (Mr G. H. Lightfoot) proceeded against P’arker and Yates, dairymen, of Adelaide road, for a breach of this section of, the award. Tho offence w,as admitted, the defendants being convicted and fined 30s. A peculiar accident to a New Zealand soldier is described hy the London correspondent of the Auckland “Herald.” Tho soldier was in London on sick furlough and purchased somo notash tablets for a sore throat. Ho out the tablets into his tunicpocket, -where there were some loose matches, and tho result was that while in a tramcnr he suddenly became enveloped in flames. He was severolj' burned about the legs, and will bo confined to bed for at least a month. Soldiers consequently have been warnned against carrying potash tablets loose in their pockets. A shark of about 8 feet in length was an unwelcome visitor to the East End bathing reserve on Sunday (states the New! Plymouth “News”). At least, so thought a few. bathers, who were enjoying a dip, hut hurriedly left on the announcement of the shark’s arrival. The big fish came so close inshore that a wave turned him over and left him momentarily stranded. Before steps could be taken to secure him another wave enabled him to regain deep water. He spent several hours cruising around, a crowd of over 100 spectators taking great interest in his movements. Needless to say, no one ventured in the water until after the departure of the finny visitor. For tho first time for many years the large Maori war canoes on Saturday took no part in the Nganiawahia regatta. The fact that the old canuebuildors are dying out and the succeeding generations arc too apathetic to learn the art of canoe-making, coupled with the difficulty of obtaining trees suitable for the large canoes, are given as the reason for the nonappearance of the craft this year. Lastyear the Tangitekiwi won the war canoe race, but this year the canoe was too rotten to participate. To avoid the possibility of what in the past has been one of the features of the regatta dying out, the committee is considering the advisability of having canoes built and hiring them out to the Maoris. As the canoes are fasfiioned out of a single log 75 feet long, and there aro no suitable trees in the Ngaruawahia district, it may bo necessary to get trees from elsewhere. The Patriotic Society’s band will play at the Basin Reserve at 8 to-night.

During the past year 93 vessels were taken up the patent slip for repairs and painting.

A boy aged ten years, who previously been convicted of receiving stolon property, was sentenced by Mr L. G. Reid, S.M., in the Juvenile Court yesterday to receive six strokes of the birch for stealing a watch from a man’s piookct in a bathing-shed at Pctone.

Up to a late hour last night John Dome, the prisoner who escaped from Mount Cook on Saturday morning, had not been recaptured. If all the reports received by the police as to the prisoner’s whereabouts are correct, tbo escapee must be a regular will-o’-the-wisp, Within a short space of time ho was reported to have been seen in two or three places miles distant. A public meeting was held at Petone last evening to consider the disposal of money collected to purchase an artificial limb for the youth Robert Watson, who met with an accident on the Pctone railway station. The slim collected amounted to £9l, and it was decided to place the balance after purchasing an artificial limb, in the hands of trustees to invest for Watson’s benefit.

“The greatest blot on our industrial system,” said Mr W.-D. Hunt, of tho National Efficiency Board, speaking at the Expansion League luncheon at Dunedin .on Friday, “is the position, of tlie casual labourer. In many cases his outlook is uncertain from day to day, and he has to spend much of his time in enforced idleness. To ray mind, tho man who can live in this position and not go to tho devil must bo an angel from heaven.”

Xlio National Efficiency Board met for the first time as a full hoard at their new premises, 38, The Terrace, yesterday. Mr William Ferguson (chairman, Wellington) presided, the other momlbers being: Messrs J. H. Gunson (Auckland), Thomas Moss (Wellington), J. A. Frostick (Christchurch), and W. D, Hunt (Dunedin) together with Mr J. T. Watkins (secretary). Tile members of the board met to compare notes as to the progress in and requirements of their several districts, and to consider the general plan of the work of the Dominion as a whole. The sittings will probably last for two or three days longer.

Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., delivered his reserved judgment yesterday in a cross-action dispute that arose m Connection with a jnotor-launch transaction between James C. Montcith, proprietor of the launch, and Charles Christie, fisherman, of Island Bay. The former claimed the sum of £39 9s 2d, and the latter counter-claimed for £2O 9s Bd, His Worship went very fully into the merits of the case, and gave judgment for plaintiff for £7 16a 2d, with.costs £3 15s; and on the counterclaim for defendant for £3 9s Bd, with costs £1 3s. Mr J. J. McGrath appeared for the plaintiff at the hearing, and Mr A. W. Blair for the defendant.

Recruits, as a rule, do not take kindly to tho order of the examining doctor to “hop across the room on one foot and hop back on the other.” Tho deep-rooted aversion that tho 'average Briton has to, anything that is likely to look foolish is probably at the bottom of the objection to hopping atot V (says tho Auckland “Star”). A reel'd I who was before tho Medical Board _ 1 I Friday, however, proved the except!, J f When ordered to hop, he execute® j 9 pas soul round the room in a manlt* that was ungraceful; hut r cxcecdin&jj energetic, keeping time to. tho tune or his own whistling.; A' rath’Of-staggered Medical Board soon brought the wouldhc disciple of Maud Allan to a proper reaislianto shrdlu omfwyp cmfwyt. of realisation of the importance of the occasion.

A farmer on Saturday, who was'complaining regarding tlie shortage of farm labour, said that he had! in December asked the Government Labour . Bureau in Invercargill and Dunedin to supply him, with eighteen men,' and, although ho had since repeatedly renewed his demands, he had been able to secure only two, these being school teachers who offered their services during the Christmas and Now Year vacation. He said that he had Stated that he wanted men, no matter what he would have to pay them, and had offered as high as Iss per day to men who could do work such as trimming gorse hedges. The consequence was that a large area of the property ha was interested in had been thrown out of cultivation, and teams of horses which should bo working steadily were “eating their heads off.”

One party of native mutton birders was landed on Sunday last at South Cape Island by the Rita, which experienced perfect conditions, the sea, being a dead calm, enabling record time to be established for the 120-mile journey, which including landing the natives and their stores occupied just twenty-four hours. The remaining parties were due to leave on Saturday from the various places of origin, and although rain was falling they should experience good conditions for landing, as the sea is still quiet outside. The oyster fleet undertakes the passage, and during the past few days have brought in some nig loads of oysters to carry their patrons over the few days they will bo absent from the oystering. On Wednesday one of the boats with a crow of five brought in well over 100 sacks, or about 80,000 oysters. Tho works executed during the past year by the Harbour Board staff comprised reconstruction of a portion of the main approach to the Queen s wharf; the rebuilding and blocking of portion of berths Nos. 9 and 11; the construction of luggage room, offices, gates, and electric lighting, Wellington-Lyttelton Ferry wharf; • the extension of gantry for pile-making, Pipitea wharf; the construction of reinforced concrete piles, Pipitea wharf; concrete protection on piles, King’s wharf and adjoining breastwork; alterations to portion of “Z” Store for cheese storage; construction of foundations for muchinsry, ti Z >i Store; erection of ter* anda outside of “Z” Store; reclamation. Waterloo quay; erection of weighbridge at Petono for Petone Borough Council; new smithy crane built and erected; hydraulic punch for wool bands. The works in hand include additions to Day’s Bay wharf and deepening berths; making piles for Pipitea wharf; rebuilding portion of Queen’s wharf; additions to Z Store; making elevators and stackers for “Z” Store; providing and erecting cooling plant in “Z”. Store; dredging near Point Dorset. The new works contemplated are a new cargo shed for Taranaki street wharf; the extension of electric light mains to Taranaki Street wharf and Jervois quay breastwork: new store for Harhour Board supplies; and the provision of better office accommodation for the board’s staff.

On Saturday, March 31st, a man will traverse the principal streets of the city and present a half-sovereign to each person, who, on request, can produce a Red Cross art union ticket.