NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3196, 16 June 1915, Page 52

NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS.

WELLINGTON. At the Magistrate’s Court on the 9th, before Mr W. Kerr, S.M., four young men —Alexander Hall, James King, Robert Harrison, and Thomas M'Lean —were charged with participating in the recent Saturday night riot, whoa the windows of the shops of Conrad Heinold (pork butcher), Hallenstom Bros., and the Bristol Piano Company were broken. The accused pleaded “Not guilty,” and wore committed for trial at the Supreme Court. At the Police Court on the 11th Edward William ■ Lythberg pleaded guilty to the theft of a mailbag from the Halcombe railway station on May 30, 1914. The bag contained a remittance to Wellington totalling £179 4s 6d. The accused made a complete confession of the theft, which was traced by the numbers on the notes. Pie was committed to Wellington for sentence.

WEST COAST. The Westport coal shipments last week were:—Westport Coal Company, 10,508 tons 4cwt of coal, and 44 tons 6cwt of coke; Westport Stockton Company, 3618 tone 12cwt.

CANTERBURY. At a large meeting of Rugby footballers on the 10th it was decided to form a Rugby unit of the Citizens’ Defence Corps. It is believed that 2CO members will be enrolled. Major Murphy, speaking of the value of sport as an aid to efficiency, said that neither he nor anyone connected with the Defence Department wished to see football dropped. It was a fact that trained footballers at the Dardanelles had often led the charge. At Christchurch on the 11th Winifred Carrick, who was charged with abandoning an infant at Dallingtcn last February by placing it in a tree stump, pleaded guilty. The Magistrate said it appeared that the child was left in an exposed position at night, where it must have died if it had not been discovered. It almost amounted to attempted minder. The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

The Supreme Court heard a case in which Samuel Thomas and Donald Graham, land agents, Te Kuiti, claimed £470 commission on a sale of land at Te Iv'uiti, from Luther Hopkins, Dr W. Diamond, and George Scott, jun. The dispute was over rate of commission. Mr Justice Denniston said the rates charged in different provinces varied considerably. In Auckland the amount of commission on a sale of £IB,OOO would be £455, in Wellington £350, in Canterbury £2lO. Judgment was reserved.