LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Age, 26 May 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The body of the man who was found drowned in the Avon at Christchurch on Sunday has been identified as that of Edward Trevelyn Martin, aged 57, dairyman, of Dallington.— (P.A.) At the Masterton Magistrate’s Court yesterday Charles Birt was fined £2 on a charge of drunkenness. It was his fifth offence in six months. A prohibition order was issued against Birt. Messrs T. Wagg and A. D. Low, J’s.P., were on the Bench.

William Robert Keane appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui yesterday morning on charges of stealing four sheep, and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, to be concurrent with a sentence he is already serving.—(P.A.) A statement that there would be no public inquiry into the recent Mount Eden Prison trouble was made by the Minister of Justice (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) in an interview at Auckland yesterday. Mr. Mason said that the present system was Working well. Five or six years ago th-j New Zealand prison population aveWiged 1500 to 1600; now it had dropped to 1000 or 1100. The Minister invited any responsible person or body if it had evidence pf injustice done to any man owing to the operation of the Habitual Criminals Act to bring it to his attention.— ( (P.A.)

One of the biggest ship-repairing tasks ever tackled in New Zealand was brought to a successful conclusion yesterday afternoon when the interisland express steamer Rangatira was taken off the Jubilee Floating Dock at Wellington with her hull, which was badly damaged when she struck a rock on February 2, as sound and strong as on the day she was launched. The Rangatira is to remain at Wellington for some weeks while internal overhauling and refitting will be done prior to her resuming her running in the Wellington-Lyttelton service.— (P.A.)

An agreement entered into on April 29 by the directors for the sale, subject to the consent of the shareholders, of the old established business of the Timaru Brewery Company to New Zealand Breweries Ltd. for approximately £73,000 was confirmed by a special general meeting of shareholders yesterday. It was explained that the ap» proximate price, £73,000, would be the return to shareholders after all the company’s liabilities had been discharged. A first payment of Ils 6d on 10s shares' was expected to be available on July 1, the total value of the shares as a result of the sale being estimated at 15s.—(P.A.) Departmental officials, who had been inspecting the route of the South Island Main Trunk railway during the week-end, completed their investigations and left yesterday morning for Westport, states a Press Association telegram from Blenheim. The party not only examined the country the line will traverse, but 1 interviewed settlers to ascertain the probable business derivable from the carriage of goods and livestock when the railway is opened. Members of the party refused to comment, stating that they were rendering a report to the Minister . The purpose of the visit to the West Coast is to inspect the unfinished section of the Inangahua line.

Arrangements are now well advanced for an after-church entertainment to be given in the Regent Theatre on the evening of Sunday, June 7, in aid of the new instrument fund of the Masterton Municipal Band. The entertainment is being organised on a voluntary basis by the Manager of the Regent Theatre (Mr. Peter Wallace) and members of his, staff. An attractively varied programme is being arranged. Items will be given by Pool’s Blue River Dance Band, Mr. D. Bothwell and Miss Bothwell, specialty dancers; Mr. V. Greer, tenor; the Masterton Savage Club Quartette, and the Municipal Band. Two sketches will be presented by members of the Savage Club. Seats may be reserved at W. G. Perry’s by patron*' making a donation to the instrument fund of the Municipal Band. The reason why a number of issues are frequently submitted to a jury in a civil claim instead of one simple and direct one was referred to by Mr. Justice Bair in the Supreme Court at Auckland. He said he would be quite happy to submit the single issue, “Whose fault was it that the accident happened?” if that would enable the jury to reach the desired result, but he was afraid it would not. It was necessary for the jury in arriving at a decision whose fault it was to consider the various allegations made by both sides. It was far better to have those matters which influenced them in arriving at a decision considered by them separately, affd then the final decision could be reached.

Rubbish tins in future will be collected from inside the gates of premises within the Christchurch City boundaries. The eity engineer estimated that it would cost an additional £5OO a year to collect the tins from inside gates, but the Works Committee was of the opinion that the expenditure was 'warranted. Apart from the -fact that a legal opinion had been received to the effect that in the e.vent of a person falling over or colliding with a tin while it was on the footpath the council might be held liable for damages, the committee considered that it was desirable to minimise, as far as possible, the unsightliness presented by rubbish , tins being left on the footpath during the day. A clearing sale of implements and timber will be held at To Ore Ore on Saturday next at 1.30 p.m. by the N.Z. , Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., on account of Mr. D. A. Stewart, who ] has disposed of his property. Full de- , tails of the timber, farm machinery and sundries are advertised on page 8 of : this issue. ,