AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21531, 31 December 1931, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

THE NEWTON ELM. TO BE DOCKED TO-DAY. SYDNEY, December 29. The Newton Elm reached port this afternoon under her own steam, and immediately began unloading. She will go into dock to-morrow. There is a little water in the holds. The shipping authorities regard the vessel’s escape as miraculous. The main factor in getting her off Northern Beach was the high Christmas tides. EXTREME HEAT RECORDS. CONDITIONS OPPRESSIVE. SYDNEY, December 30. Extreme heat records are reported in many places in the south and west. Pooncario, in the far west of New South Wales, had 110 degrees at 10 o’clock yesterday morning, rising later to 115. White Cliffs, opal field centre, and Wilcannia, each recorded 111 degrees, Wentworth 110 degrees, and Menindic 109.5 degrees. Broken Hill, with 108 degrees, registered over 100 degrees for the fifth successive day. Narromine also exceeded the century mark for the fifth successive day. Many other country records in this State exceeded 100 degrees in temperature. Sydney was only 77 degrees, but the humidity was very high, and rendered the conditions oppressive. Adelaide reports that Tuesday was the hottest day for 51 years—ll4.o degrees —and the four previous days were all above 100 degrees. The water consumption in Adelaide is normally 16,500,000 gallons a day, but it jumped to 40,000,000 gallons. High registrations, many over 100 degrees in the shade, have been recorded in Victoria. Perth has had its eighth successive day bordering on 100 degrees. A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY. MURDER AND SUICIDE. ADELAIDE, December 30. (Received Dec. 30, at 10 p.m.) A domestic tragedy occurred at Helmsdale early this morning as a result of which three people are dead —Reginald Jones, aged 50, a billiard saloon keeper; his wife, Gertrude Jones, aged 48; and their daughter Marjorie, aged 18. A woman boarder states that she was awakened by hearing Marjorie’s screams. A neighbour who heard them rushed across the road and looked through the window. Ho saw Jones in the act of killing the girl, whose throat was severely gashed. She fell at the foot of her mother’s bed. Jones then hit his wife on the head and cut her throat. He afterwards committed suicide outside in the backyard by cutting his own throat. The police have ascertained that Jones had been worried lately over the loss of patronage at the billiard saloon. EXPLOSION IN A REFINERY. A MAN DECAPITATED. ADELAIDE, December 30. (Received Dec. 30, at 10 p.m.) As the result of an explosion at the Glanville Sugar Refinery to-day Andrew Plunket W'as decapitated and two other workmen were critically injured. The men w'ere buried under a mass of steel piping and other debris and had to be dug out.