Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 383, 10 September 1903, Page 7

Sketcher.

CURIOUS LEGAL PU/MLE3. JjWJKHE law court r at Jersey City, United State i } - were recently in--Jl&s vited to decid? at what psriod of incubation eggs become ohickecp, No decision having been bo far reporter 1 , it is probable that the legal tribunals are still sitting in the case, Some time ago, toeya number of judges and quite a formidable array of costly talent were engaged in daciding whether, one of the light-fingered fraternity could be charged with pocket picking when there was nothing in tbe pocket. In another action, the other dyp, tho question was seriously raised whether a horse was a factory. The cuntv court iudgo held that it was not, the d fondants' counsel raising laughter by pointing out that if the plaintiff's contention were upheld jockeys when riding would be working ' in or about a factory.' A most amusing case was once reported where the judges had to decide ' Who is any person?" One of the western States had by legislative enactment provided a reward of 50 dol. for ' any person who ehould pursue and capture a stealer of horsep.' It happened that one day a thief stole and made eff with a certain farmer's horses. Their owner pursued and captured him, and, despite the fact that he had recovered his oroperty, put in a claim for the reward. His claim was quite properly refused, but, believing that the elastic term 'any person' included him, he took proceeding to recover tbo roward, and finally won. The German law courts a short tima back had a novel puzzle before them, which they doubtless decided to their own, if not to tie aggrieved party's, satisfaction. The point was, when t>*o streets int raect, in which is the point of intersection ?' It seems that in certain s' rents of B-eslau bicycles are not allowed. Siding along a street where they are allowed, a cyclist quite naturally followed the road, which runs act oas a street where they ate forbidden. He was arrested in tie middle of the road, and while he maintained that he was in one street, the aealous policeman contended that he was in the ether. But the lower oourt decided that the cyclist vas in neither, and ought not to be fined. In its superior wisdom, however, the upper court came to tbe conclusion that he was in both, and therefore in the forbidden street. Ha was consequently fiaed, which reflects lees upon him than upon the intelligence of the tribunal. 'ls a bedstead 'bedding?' was the point down for decision on one occasion. A landlord had seized a tenant's bed* stead, leaving the material upon which he slept and the covering, so as comply with the act. In an action that was brought against him for illegal distress, it was held that a bedstead was not bedding; but on appeal this decision was npset, the julge holding that 'bedding 11 was whatever was used for sleeping accommodation. The magistrates of L tch field, in the year 1897, found themselves called on to • detarmino whether the act of pouring whisky into a grava could be conatru das ' indecent behavior ' within the meaning of the statute. In the case nefore them this had been done at tho express desire of the occupant of the grave, and the justices failed to-discern anything indecent about it. There seems to havd been a suggestion that the depositor had first poured some whisky down Mb own - throat, but quite properly this was not allowed to affect the decis on. List, but by no means laaat, comes the legal question ' What is a place ?' which bas puzzled English and Australian courts on many occasions, HALLMA.EKING. There a*.e probably few countries where the gold snd silver manufacturers and the public are so protected, and all possibility of fraud rendered abortive, as ia Great Britain. In England, no plate manufacturer is permitted to sell, and no member would ever attempt to purchase a piece of silver gold or plate, that hid not received the * hall-mark.' This symbol is stamped upon every section of plate, and is an absolute guarantee of the pur ty of the metal. ' Hall-marking' is protected t by thei legislature. Fraudulent hall* marking is so heavily-punishable an offar.ee, that attempts to deceive the public by means of spnrious hall-marks are practically unknown- Probably few articles can be so easily adulterated as silver and gold, and were there no such protection as hall-mark in t in vogue, the public would be extenuiv .ly defrauded, as the purity of the metals cannot be deter* mined by cursory examination, but only by elaborate testing. H»ll-marking gold and silver plate in England is aa exceedingly ancient custom. In the whole of the United Kingdom there are only seven Government assay officesfour in Eagland, two in Scotland, and one in Ireland. Although the principal effiji is the Royal Mint, london. the most important and busiest assay office hj that at Birmingham, the centre of the jewellery industry of England; where enormous quantities of articles are stamped every day. Tne first statute passed authorising the stamping of gold and silver with its carat purity, was enaced over five hundred yea™ ago, and the mam principles then laid down are still in vogue to-day. The wording of the original law wai as follows :—' Because gold and silver, which is wrought by goldsmiths in England, is oftentimes less fine, than it ought to be; because the goldsmiths are their own juiges, be it ordained that henoeferta every goldsmith put his mark upon his work,, and the assay of the Touch belongs to the mayor and governors of the cities and boroughs, with the a:d of the Master of the Mint, if there be such, potting the mark of the city or borough where the assay is.' Daring the course of years, owing to the mayors of cities having become more deeply engrossed in wore urgent municipal aff*irs, tne ta*k of testing plate originally assigned to them has devolved upon the Goldsmiths' Com* pany. The Btandard of parity is governed by the legislature. Pure metal is estimated at 24 carats. But pure .gold articles, owing to' the softness of the pare metal, would be of practically no use for commercial purposes, so a certain percentage of alloy is permitted, the carat value being reduced correspondingly. Formerly there was only one standard in existence, apd all articles which were not equal to this standard were destroyed Bat in view of the demand for plate articles con* taining various proportions of metal, firs standards of gold and two of silver have been authorised by the Government.