FLASHES FROM WELLINGTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17991, 30 October 1926, Page 2

FLASHES FROM WELLINGTON.

(Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, October 30. Before a Judge Alone. It has been usual at former sessions of the Supreme Court for some civil and divorce cases to be heard before juries, but at the present sessions in Wellington, civil and divorce cases have been heard before a Judge alone. This is the effect of an alteration by the Judges of the rules which formerly provided for the hearing of civil and divorce cases before juries. At the present sessions the only cases heard before juries have been criminal ones. An Exciting Experience. Three Wellington 3 r achtsmen had an exciting experience near Somes Island on Labour Day. when they pulled up a shark estimated in length at fourteen feet. They had set a heavy line in seventy feet of water. They rowed down to it in the dinghy and commenced pulling in when suddenly the tail of a shark came to the surface. They had neither knife nor gaff, so they let him go for a moment. A chase followed, and the line was again seized, and an attempt made to get the shark to the yacht. However, the shark came to the surface alongside the dinghy, turned on its back without fuss and snapped the line. The boat was half-full of water, and the men were not sorry to see the shark get away. Prison Preferred. “No more homes for me. If you want to punish me send me to prison,” said Mav Houston, to Mr Salmon, S.M., at the Police Court to-day. The woman, whose age is thirty-eight, was charged with being an incorrigible rogue, in that she had escaped from the Salvation Army Reformatory Home at Christchurch before the expiry of the term for which she was committed. “ You could hardly call it escaping,” she said. “ I told them I was going, and the matron saw me leave.” The Magistrate: You have apparently been in the home seven months. “ And worked very hard, your Worship. You don’t sit on arm chairs all day when you are there.” A sentence of six months’ reformative detention at Point Halswell was imposed. Exam. Regulations. Pursuant to the recently announced intention, amending regulations governing the Public Service entrance, Senior National Scholarship and Intermediate examinations have been gazetted. The aim is to bring the three examinations more nearly in line with each other with consequent advantage to teachers. The scheme is framed to cover a more liberal course of education. Buses v. Trains. Commenting on buses v. trains, T.D.H. in the “ Dominion,” says;-—“ It looks as if we may have to take these bitumen roads up to improve the railway profits.” Traffic Control. An amicable agreement has been reached between the By-laws Committee of the City Council and the Police Commissioner for the control of traffic next 3'ear. The police take point duty and traffic control from 8 a.m. to fi p.m. dail\ r , except Sunda3 r s, at £456 per point per annum. There are at present four points that require attention.