LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13258, 17 December 1913, Page 6

LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

♦ n ... (Per Press Association,) AUCKLAND, this day. 10-day's sha remarket sales: Waitangi 9d, Waihi 50s 6d to 50s FEILDING, this day. H .rry Carr, an unmarried farmer and studmaster, was found dead on his farm near Feilding last night, from heart failure. There was a furious gale, with heavy rain, all night. Tlie streams are flooded. No serious damage has been done. The long-continued rains are delaying shearing and general farming! , " WANGANUI, this day. Cyril Heberley, a young man, remand, ed from Wellington "on a charge of theft of clothing valued at £10, appeared before the Magistrate this morning. The police had no evidence to offer, and the case was dismissed. WELLINGTON, this day. In the Magistrate's Court to-day, Samuel Isaacs was fined £30 on a charge of betting on licensed premises, and £20 for publishing a betting card. I An important test case- affecting some municipalities m New Zealand is occu. pyir,'? the attention of the Chief Justice to-day. The action is a special case taken under an originating summons •with the view of obtaining" an opinion upon certain questions of Taw touching the scope of legislation passed m 1912, increasing the rate of interest on loans granted to local bodies; The plaintiff is the Whangarei '-.Borough Council and the defendant the State Guaranteed Advances Board. In February, 1911, the plaintiff corporation applied for a loan of £19,200. On the 15th February the Board provisionally approved of the loan, on terms requiring it to have a currency of 36^ years, and the rate of interest to be 3£ per cent. The Council duly levied a rate^ and on the Ist June, 19li. formally applied for the grant of tlie loan, and asked that it be paid m five instalments, instead of a lump sum. as ordinarily, proposed. Thp first and second instalments were paid, and on apniying for a. third instalment on the 27th" February, 1913, the .Council was informed that m accordance with the amendment to the Act it_ would be necessary to charge a ; higher rate, amounting to 4£ per cent. Tho steamer Ngahere has arrived frpm Newcastle with 1354 tons of coal. The Magistrate dismissed charges acainst men found m hotels during the time premises were directed by two Justices to be closed. CHRISTCHURCH, this day. The Customs fraud cases were resumed. C. R. Smith, S. J. McCormack and J. A. Campbell were charged with stealing £12 12s, the property of Hicks and Co., iewellers. The evidence showed that Hicks imported a ease of German goods subjected to the ordinary duty of 20 per cont.J and a preferential dut'v of 10 per oent. The proper amount of duty was £18 18s. The accused falsified the entries, and it was also suggested that lie had forged the name of Hicks. , j J The Cricket Council accepted the offer of Arthur Sims to bring a first-class Australian team to New Zealand m February and March. Sims cables that the team will include Layer, Armstrong, Ponsford, C Mackenzie (Victoria), Trumper, Hobbs, Waddv.(New South Wales), and Dr. Dolling (South Australia). • DUNEDIN, this day. Gordon Cummirvjjs, aged 18, pleaded guilty at the Police Court to stealing postal matter containing- .postal notes and a money order for £5, also forging Nimmo and Blair's name to a postal order receipt. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. ———__■