LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12772, 25 May 1912, Page 6

LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(Per Prtss Association.) OAiIARU, this day. The stewards of the North Canterbury Jockey Club this morning suspended M. McDpnald, rider of Mt. Victor, m the Members' Handicap, for three months, for alleged deliberately boring Stepniaid.

AUCKLAND, this day. A safe m the premises of the Totara Timber Company, at. NeAvmarket, Avas broken open by means of gelignite last night, and, about £10 m cash was stolen.

„ . WANGANUI, this day. The territorials' camp at Smithfield I broke up to-day, after a very useful pe-J riod of training-. IntervieAved, ChaplainMajor Luxford, who spent the Avhole period m camp Avith the men, spoke m! very high terms of the behaviour of the, lads, saying that the conduct was credjtable to themselves and to the homes they came from. If all territorial camps were conducted! like' this one, he said, parents need pot have .any fear for the AA'elfare of their boys. So far as he could observe, there was not the slightest sign of arty liquor, .and , ho, /did not believe- an ounce wo* smuggled 1 into camp. Major. Luxford says that -h>4'w.as afforded every assistance by officers of the regiment, Avho themselves set a good example to the men, and he considers the sergeant-majon instructors a fine stamp, and just the kind of men to influence the lads for good. Referring to the evenings m camp, he urges that the authorities should provide bigger marquees, and more of : them, m order that 'all men would' be able to spend the evenings pleasantly. The moral leper" wants isolation when found to exist, and care should be teken that no tent should be pitched outside the camp boundary. He recognises the ■ .difficulty the authorities are under m- this matter, but hopes it will receive attention as early ..'■ as possible.

WELLINGTON, this day. Tlie Full Court, delivered a lengthy judgment m the Defence Act case heard yesterday. In doing so Sir Robert Stout said tliat it Avas clear to him the respondent had comn)iitted the offence of which the Magistrate' ought to have convicted him. That offence 1 was that he had, m terms of section 51, failed to render the personal service inquired of him under part 6 of the Act. A person liable to attend camp .was not guilty of any breach, of duty until he had , had notide to attend a particular camp, , and had failed to do sO." When he failed, he was to be dealt with as an absentee. He was quite satisfied that respondent was not a subject to' be dealt Svith by a court martial. He was' by no means satisfied that if ho Avere that it would afford an answer to the, information. He agreed tbjat the appeal should. be allowed, with coats.

The following .'have been appointed Royal Commissi oners to inquire into owl report upon 'certain questions relating to the cost Of living ;in NeAv Zealand : Messrs . Andrew Fairbairn (Christchurch), EdAvin Hall (Auckland ), George Headley (Wakanui), W, G. Macdonald': (Westport), John : Robert' son, M.P. (Levin), John Ross (Dunedin), Edward Tregear (Wellington), W. A. Veiteh, M.P. (Wanganui). The Cop-; mission has been ordered to enquire into such questions as the following : Has the cost of living increased m. New Zealand during the past twenty years? If so, has that increase been more] marked during the last ten than during : the previous ten years? To. what ex- j tent is; the ; increased cost of - .living (if any) the result oi a higher standard of living'? In. what special direction- has the increase (if any) been most marked? What has been, the effect on prices of tariff reduction? To Avhat extent (if any) has the rise m the price of land during the past tAvehty years contributed to the rise • m price of com^ modities? . • - 1

Tlie High Commissioner cables from London that on account of the 'strike of transport Avorkerß prices are rising for anything available. Ships cannot discharge their cargoes. Section 33 of. the Mental Defectives Act was .exercised, probably for the first time, by Mr Justice Chapman to-day, Avhen Alfred Nelson appeared on a charge of committing an indecent act. The .section' provides -that" if. any, person indicted for any offence pleads guilty upon arraignment, and if any person is committed to the Supreme . Court for sentence on a plea of guilty, and it appears to. the Court, from the depositions or . otherwise, that there is evidence that he Avas insane at the time of the alleged offence, the Court may direct that a plea, of not guilty , be recorded, instead of a plea of guilty, and thereupon the trial proceeded Avith as if he pleaded not guilty. The prisoner Avas ordered to be detained and, tried at next session of "the Supreme Court. James Madigan, alias Ashby, for forgery, uttering, and theft, was sentenced to, six months' imprisonment, and three years' reformative treatment.

(Special to Herald.) ' .WELLINGTON, this day. Tlie executive of the Federation of Labor supplies me with the following statement: "The executive, which is m full control of the Waihi dispute, met to-day. It considered a newspaper statement anent the trouble. All reports of backing down are absolutely without foundation. The^ action of the Waihi men has the full endorsement of the executive, which also, denies the. statement that at. is calling off the strike on Monday', there being not the slightest foundation for it. • The Federation of L<tbor is m full accord with the men ofl strike."