LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14285, 30 April 1917, Page 6

LATE NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

* (Per Press Assoeintion * . , ? AUCKLAND, this day. In tlie sedition charges against ten coal miners nine pleaded guilty. The charge against Maloney was adjourned until he comes up with another miner on charges of restricted outpuA. A plea of guilty was entered on the basfs of undertaking by the Ministers as

previously published, the Ministers being induced to enter into an arrangement by representations bearing every appearance of sincerity that the leaders who were arrested were really not to blame, but had been forced into their present position by others who had not been arrested. Counsel for tlie Crown remarked that* these representations have! been correct as far as a strike on the ground of 'aiiti-oonscription was concerned, but it was perfectly clear from the correspondence that so far as the goslow stn'ke was. concerned — and thai was ! the question at present before the court — those representations were untrue. In pursuance'; of the agreement he wa s instructed by the Government not to press for a penalty m regard to the offences to which the men had pleaded guilty. He asked for an ndjourn;ment for a fortnight. If matters were then satisfactory a-n application would be made for ( .'he final disposal of the oases, the men to be released m the meantime. Counsel for accused addressed the . court this afternoon. ■ ' - , ~

"Frank Rhodes., who was jammed by a, truck at Westfield manure works, diedfrom tbe injuries'. ' -. - 1

An event of prime importance to the Canterbury Aviation Company was the delivery at the flying ground at Sockburn of the firfet aeroplane. The new machine is •&<, two-seated dual-control Caudron bip}aii<V 'with a 60 h.p. Anzani engine, made m France. Tlie work of assembling the aeroplane is proceeding apace and. tHe, first flight is being anticipated with -the greatest interest.

Art^ the hearaig of the appeal of Percy B. Sole, dairy ' -, farmer, o-f Brixton, at tive. sitting of the Military Service Board m .N^Wy Plymouth, "Mr., Johnstone, who appeared for appellant, .«dd tliat if appellant was ordered to go Into camp tlie. farm would have to be sold ; -up, but before doing so be wished to have a mandate from the Board. In reply to the chairman, appellant said that his wife would look after the young stock. Hej would not consider putting sharemilkers m. Captain "Walker said this' raised a very important question, tt was a sort of challenge. Tlie farmer practically said: "If you take my boy or my man or . me off the farm -we'll 1 Hell our. dairy, hord and turn the farm into a grazing proposition. " If he would supply milk to a cheese factory he would, as military representative, raise 1110 objection to exemption being allowed m the ordinary way, tmt when it oame to a case of supplying a butter factory, as he is now doing, it is a different matt&r, and' he thought he was iuatifled m taking up .a different attitude. Butter was not being purchased by the British Government in', New Zealand. It was not so essential for tlie army as cheese. He contended that when a case of this sort came up, the Board could fairly accept the ohallenge of the reservist and say, "You can sell your herd and turn the farm into a fattening proposition." On tlie one hand tbe country would have a certain amount of butter not used by the troops, on the other hand it would have beef) an esseiitiall food, and m addition a fit fighting man of 26 years of age to help win the war. There waa only one thing .for the Board to do, m his opinion. Incidentally, it liad come to hia ears that it was ooiutemplatod to convert the cheese factories m and around New Plymouth ' to butter factories. This would he absolutely contmry to public interest so far as winning- the war was concerned." The Minister of Defence had said, "We want food and we want men," and m his last statement he had put . men first.