NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Otago Witness, Issue 2578, 12 August 1903, Page 46

NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

AUCKLAND

It is proposed to start a sugar-beet factory it Huntly, and application has been made to the Maori Land Council for power to mortgage lamd under their control for the Purpose of raising the necessary roots. Mr W. |J. Ralph tee offered 80 acres for a site for a factory adjoining the H\mtly railway station. _ . It is reported from Whakarepa, a Native settlement near Rawene, Hokianga County, that Ani Ngaripo Makara has been arrested on a charge of having murdered her yearold child on Saturday night. Accused is said to have suffered from yeriodical fits of insanity. During on© of these an Saturday ndght she left her whare with her child, returning just before daylight without it. Suspicion was aroused among the Natives, jind a searoh resulted in. the- discovery of the child's body in. a swamp. When charged with the murder, accused replied: "The Native does not know what he is talking about." An inquest is proceeding. HAWKE'S BAY. Hastings Poultry Show was a great =uccess. the North Island championship for Plymouth Rocks waa awarded to W- E. Lang, of Petone, and the championship for Pekin. ducks was won by J. Callieter, of Wairarapa. TARANAEI. At the inquest at Midhirst on the body •of 'a newly-born child, Henry Lud'srs, who died on Friday morning, the medical evidence showed- that tho mother in. her confinement was not properly aitended, and ' that th© child' bled to death, in a couple of houra. No one but the husband attended her in her illness. A verdict was returned of "Death from neglect," with a rider that had' the mother been properly attended the child would probably have lived v WELLINGTON. In, connection, -vith the sudden de&lh. of Mr Hugh YttUsrace, a well-known business aian, thought to bo due to heart disease, a •bottle which had contained prussic acid wasfound in his bedroom, and a letter to a. aelativo t2so points to self-destruction. At the inquust on the 4fch a verdict was returned to the effect "That d€ath was due to deceased liaving taken, prussic acid while in a state of temporary depression." Mr Swift, a delegate from the Victorian railway workers, who ia touring the colony in order to raise a fund to assist the snen •who lost employment in tho recent strike, addressed a email publio meeting on the sth. A resolution- was passed undertaking that the representatives of the various unions present would- bring the matter before their respactive unions and urge members to oor tribute. There is strong evidence of fire-raisers having been, at work in Masterton during the last fortnight-. Three outbuildings mysteriously caught fire, and a shed in Queen street was burnt on Saturday night, while it was discovered' that a further attempt had been made to eet fire to an outbuilding at the rear of the premises of Mr • J.- L. Murray, in Queen street. WEST COAST. _ At the inquest on tho child of Amelia Edge, a single woman, 19 years of age, a verdicb of "Stillborn" was returned. The mother of the child stated that Scully on three occasions made use of an illegal instrument. Scully, on remand, appeared before two justices of the peace, on ■Riday, and through his solicitor applied for bail. Mr Harden, Crowu prosecutor, objected to anything lee* than two securities of £500. Scully's counsel offered to find two of £300. Tho bench declined to grant bail.

At th© Westport S.M. Court Adjutant Trask atroiicd to the Magistrate to commit to gaol"6otporal Powell, of the Westport Garrisoa Artillery, for refusing to pay a fine of 10a, imposed by Captain Carr, for alleged insolent language. Defendant denied- the offence-, and 6aid lie had appealed to Colonel Wolfe; that this officer had dismissed the appeal without giving him a hearing, and that he- (Powell) had Jodged an appeal against Colonel W-olfe's decision, but that ' that officer took it and ,refused to forward it to headquarter?. It was stated by the defendant that one o£ the sergeants of the corps had certified to witnessing the offence, although not present. The magistrate refused to commit defendant.

CANTERBURY.

At an inquest on Mary Lukey, wlio died suddenly on Sunday, s verdict of "Death from Bright's disease " was returned. Charles and Alice Hankins were charged in the Ohristchurch S.M. C«urt in Saturday with having wilfully neglected a soveJi-year-old child in their custody, named Charles Leonard Leaman. Subdnspector Dwyer stated that the child was found' by the police sleeping on a bitterly cold night in an outhoviso adjoining accused's houee at St. Martin's. The boy was an illegitimate child of Mrs Hankins. "When found in the outhouse- he was covered with some llax and three dirty cornsaoks. Hg had no singlet, his shirt •was all torn, and his feet were swollen with chilblains. Two bricks were his pillow. He waa stiff with cold, and had slept there during a fortnight. Tho mother told a constable that she was tired of the child, and that it would be a good job if he were dead. Tho magistrate said that if tho facts were as stated the case should ba treated as an indictable offence. Sub-inspector Dwyer eaid that the facts could be strongly l>orne out by ©vide-nee. The case, was adjourned till Friday, and instructions were given to the police to lay the information a« for an indictable offence. The boy is now at the Samaritan Home.

A large anti-gambling meeting was held in Cathedral square on Saturday night. Bishop Julius moved—" TJiat tim meeting is of ooinion that the toialisator is productive of much evil, and has led to a largo increase in gambling, and should therefore be abolished." He said that they were faced at the outset with the fact that gambling is a rooted instinct in human nature, and not necessarily evil. There- were good forms as well as bad forms of gambling. Some forms were almost necessary and helped human life, whilst others were very noxious and harmful. He had not tho slightest idea of suppressing all gambling, because it was neither possible, nor wise, nor necessary. The resolution earned, and forwarded to the Premier.

SOUTHLAND.

The hearing of the charge -gainst Giuseppe Valli oi burning oat stacks valued at £150, ihe property of William O'Dowd, at Nightcaps, was concluded at the Magistrate's Court here on th© 4>fch, the accused being oomniitted for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court in September. The Magistrate refused bail, and quoted English and New South WalBS authorities ii> support of his action.