WITHIN THE DOMINION.

Waikato Times, Issue 12868, 15 May 1914, Page 5

WITHIN THE DOMINION.

HARBOR DEFENCES INSPECTED. BY SIR lAN HAMILTON. PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Friday. General Sir lan Hamilton paid a visit of inspection to the harbor defences yesterday. He visited three of the forts and inspected them most thoroughly. Speaking at Fort Cautley, he said that so far as he could judge the shooting of the heavy guns was good. In the afternoon he visited the Veterans' Home and the Ammunition Company's works. THRICE DISAGREED. STRIKER ON TRIAL. \YE L LING TON, Friday. Robert Hill, in whose case two juries disagreed at a previous session, was again tried at the Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of taking part in a riot in Taranaki Street on November 4. After being out for the legal limit of four hours, the jury announced that they were unable to agree. FEILDING BRANCH RAILWAY. HON. ERASER'S PROMISE. FEILDING, Friday. The' Hon. W. Fraser was welcomed yesterday by the school children and members of the Chamber of Commerce at Apiti. Replying to a deputation asking for a blanch railway from Feilding, the .Minister said that he recognised until they had a good railway communication it would be impossible to find a profitable market for produce. He was agreeably surprised at the vast country awaiting development; and though he could not pledge himself regarding the construction of the line, he wo dd have a surrey made and would do his individual best to get them what tl ey wanted. CHARGE OF FORGERY. CLERGYMEN VICTIMISED. AUCKLAND, Friday. Herbert Walter McCrea Bull, 29 years of age, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on two charges of forgery. During the last three months Bull had victimised a number of clergymen by obtaining money to pay a railway fart 1 to secure mythical employment in the country by telling a pitiful story of distress. He admitted twelve charges of thus obtaining money by false pretences and two charges of forgery. Letters were produced to support his story. SHEARERS' CONFERENCE. QUESTION OF CONTRACTING. WELLINGTON, Friday. At the Shearers' Conference a motion was carried that the question of contract shearing be left in abeyance until such time as the position of the Svw Zealand Shearers' Association in regard to the Australian Workers' Union has been clearly defined. It was resolved that steps Ih> taken immediately to cite employers in one industrial district re the shed hands case, and apply for a Dominion award. DUNEDIN CRIMINAL SITTINGS. PRISONEKS SENTENCED. **T DUNEDIN. Friday. The criminal sittings concluded today, when John Richard Hewitt, who was charged with the theft of £2O from a person at For bury racecourse, was acquitted. The following prisoners were sentenced :—Clarence Darker, rape at Ophir, 12 months' imprisonment; William -James Cann, theft at Dunodin, six months' imprisonment and three years' reformative treatment; Thomas Frederick Victor, on several charges of false representations, 18 months' imprisonment; John Crisp, solicitor, for foigery and misappropriations and failing to keep proper books, three years' hard labor; George Havelock Green, attempted nife murder at Sawyers Bay, 10.years' hard labor; John Cecil Mercer, theft from dwelling and for* gory,, six monhs' imprisonment and refoimative treatment; Patrick Connolly, theft at Dunodin, two years' imprisonment. Connolly was also warned by his Honor that he had qualified for a habitual criminal, but was given another chance*.