“STOP PRESS” NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16625, 6 January 1922, Page 10

“STOP PRESS” NEWS.

(Reserved for late news received after the paper has cone to press). . Trnvr-nnM- g , The Hartlepool fire was caused by the fusing of an electric wire. The flames are still spreading. Three hundred thousand sleepers belonging to the North-Eastern Railway Company have been destroyed. The hope of coping with the flames last night { disappeared with the_ ignition of two tanks of creosote in the path of the lire. The firemen are frantically working to save the big creosote works, which will afford a great new hold if they are involved. v So far an area of eighty acres has been burned MEAT POOL. At to-day’s meeting, called by the Canterbury A. and P- Association to consider the meat pool proposals, it was decided on the motion of Mr George Gould that “ this meeting of Canterbury farmers, while approving of the effort of the Government to help them in the present crisis, regard the creation of a meat pool as a risky experiment. We approve of the setting up of a Producers' Board, to advise the Government as to any regulation of trade necessary to secure , more economical handling and marketing of frozen meat/' % WESTLAND TROTS. ~i WESTLAND HANDICAP Appleshaw 1, Silveretta 2, Logauwood 3. t \ LATE CABLES. LONDON, January 5. Mr Kay has been released. As a special correspondent of “ The Times ” he had traversed the country gathering impressions of popular opinion on the Treaty. Apparently his reports angered the extremists. The statement is made that journalists were present at the kidnapping. They were having dinner at a grocer’s shop. Contrary to custom, they were invited into an inner room. The door was locked, and three men entered and covered the party with revolvers. They told Kay that a car was waiting outside, and that he would have to come or be riddled. The other correspondents were menaced into silence, and Kay was told to hand over his copy to his colleagues. The kidnappers said that they were taking Kay in order to make him retract certain statements. The journalists protested to Mr FitzI gerald, who attempted to raise the | matter at tho sitting of the Dail » Eireann, but was not allowed to do so. Mr Michael Collins and his colleagues are most indignant over the incident. They believe that the move emanated from Cork. INFLUENZA IN BRITAIN. LONDON, January 6. Though the weekly deaths from influenza ranged from 128 to 418 in December the experts point out that 7 the disease did not reach the epidoinic stage. No case has yet been reported of the type which caused 2150 deaths weekly in 1918 and 1000 in 1919. The doctors agree that the present is only the pre-war throeday type CRICKET. OTAGO v. WELLINGTON. At three o’clock the score was nine Wickets for 201 runs. Chadwick, e Lambert b M'Girr . 5 « Dickinson, in ..... 5 Ext ras 10 ;• AUCKLAND v. CANTERBURY. The Piunket Shield match, Auckland v. Canterbury, began at Eden Park at 2 p.m. in perfect weather. Canterbury won the toss and batted first, Patrick and Blunt facing Coates and Smith. Runs came very slowly The score at 2.90 was 20 for one wicket (Patrick lfi). MEAT POOL. Messrs J. G. Armstrong and E. Hay were appointed delegates to the Wellington conference. £