LAW REPORTS,

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 953, 21 October 1910, Page 3

LAW REPORTS,

COURT OF; APPEAL. CONVENT SCHOOL PROPERTY. - ■■'_■'..'"': tfOT, EATABLE.--, ....J - The Court of, Appeal—consisting of the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and Justices;. Williams; 'Edwards/ Cooper, and decided. that, a convent, school 'property held .by the Sisters of Mercy in Colombo. Street, Chrietchurch, is not liable for municipal rates. Judgment to this f effect was given yesterday in the case.of. the .Christchurch City Corporation v. Margaret Boland.and Catherine, Eyan,-which, after being, commenced in the'•. Supreme '•.Court at.';Christchurch, was removed thence by : consent. to the Court of Appeal, and argued jthere by Mr. G. Harper for: the plaintiff corpora-.' ' tion, ; and :: by : Mr.'. C; ■■¥.;< SkerretC 4LC., and Mr. J. S. Barrett, for the.defendants. V; "Lands-; and buildings used'for a ■ .school not carried "on exclusively for V '. pecuniary, gain, or profit, but. so .that ■'. , within any borough or town district .not.more than four acres.be used and ./'.occupied.by or-for,the purposes of any ■ one-such, school.". ';.,'■" ' : .- .-■•,'.' 'At .the .by the defendants,-' some'.of. the pupils are taught free; and some for. .certain fees. Certain; pupils who. do .not attend the; school are, taught ,music for fixed fees, '.which''go to: the general, fund. of. the .'school, and the' teachers live ,in'the .building. .' ~ ■.-.The case: turned'.upon' the interpretation of words' in Section -2 of the-Eating, lict, ■ 1908. ..".That section, after . defining ."ratjibleV property,", • makes r ,.fcertain esceptions; including,the following:— . " ■-Tho Chief.', Justice/ in ; his judgment, said that, the only point raised .by, the plaintiff '.was'whether the fact-that such pupils' were taught ■ music 'only; '.and were; not .ordinary day'pupils of the school .made.' the.-buildings' cease .to be- a. school in -.the meaning of. the.' paragraph quoted: The. case.. of.WMeara:v. Feilding Borough. : Cotiricil 'seemed, to hiiri: io have I raised a .different issue.. -The various.paragraphs .giving? exceptions, "may.'not be.referrable I'ito'any./principle.'. The;various exceptions are- a<kind"of,'concurrent-'endowment 01, religious and. educational institutions, for all viands•.'• occupied by" churches v arid -chapels.are:exempt..: ,■ '. ? ; v' v '-'::- ■;'. ,':i-He;-was of opinionttiar.,- as'miisio teaching' was.: a! kind'of ■ education", the! , build-, ing, occupied otherwise as a school; might, be;. used.. for - teaching; ituisic •■..; with' .it -.thereby' to. be-a , '; school,; and so it rwould. be;exeinpt, so.'long, as some'.pupils ■were."charged '. no.'fees.';//If suclr:a"decision ibpenedv a-.wide ;doo'r'.•'of..''exemptions,.' the. remedy, roust'be sought from the.Legisla-; ..ture, ..which might , more ' clearly 'define ;what::a\sck6pl; meant, r.; . As there was no ,, ; principle-: to: guide one' in the.:various '.parar- ! graphs, "one must .construe'We,: language literally;; nor.-did-..it-;.seeiri>to: him- that , ■ any- aid; cbuld.. be • got,from; the; cases '■ de.'cide'dy.in'/England, 1 as: other /statutes, had' ..words/.in .the; , : exempting,/.and irating clauses. ;. In-' his:"opinion;: the- answer, .should',>be /under- the: circnm-, stances stated;-no question' being ! raised regarding'iresidenqei' the "defendants. were exempt;-. ,//"; : ■'■:'■■■'■ j '' : }: : .:r- ':'■■'.'■<' :•"■ : V ;'■■■':' / The .Chief >Justice' also/ , said > that ■ from the .conclusion : h'e' : had: come.'to/it must : not,be: assumed, that the-Dart of.the '.pro-' .pertyi'.usefl/.as'.a', residence: was'/exempt from -rating; ■;'"He; thought, it;'inexpedient/ .to (deal .with, a question: not, argued/and :iol".',.reserVed.'./.'.,:'r.'. : ;-.,;.■..-,""■: ■■'■■''//,/■/''■■/:/ ;

: ;, .Mr.-; Justice '.Williams; .in-.his' judgment, held ; that the, teaching of music ' \iiider ! the , conditions', stated,. would. not ■ (fcphve the Echobl.'of.Jthe'"benefit''of''exemption!' He;.';thought;-the.'i Court.. should' •.express : ;itself; oh -the.;question'of .the .residence,■ and,'' in ■ his opinion, the , ' buildingj was not' the.-;less : -a'Ms'chbol; because ■the;{teachers jlived'iri it.",: The defeiidimts';Bhonld,\ there-' foTe,..be.exeinpt from:rating; '■.;■-, -■■■■■".'-.■ ~'-'•' .;,Mr;'"Justice';Cooper'.'r'eacl-.a united*judgr -inent by jhimself and" <Mj\ Justice. Edwdrds' -.(whpf.'.were,;not';'present);-1 ;M.ri' Justice' Chapman delivered-a7separato.judgment. All! their ..Honours in'alloiving" ■defeniiaritso the/benefit,of the 'exemption. '\ The-iudgment.-of:ihe ! .Court ";.was\givMi : ■ accor'dingly|;..c'osts .as;Jagreed.!-; h ,; : '.'.'']-.;;' : '; AvMARTON BAKERS TROUBUESi' ;-;-; : ,i- :; v *;;^PEJ^^DisilISSED%i-|.;'^.:i". ■ ■ Judgmeht'.'was given by .the" Court "or AppeaJi-'jesterduy;,in' the''case of Hatrick v. NicoV : which;arose'6nt'"c)f'a claim , upon '-.'■"■: : : ; -v- '■ '/:' J .The' Chief ■ Justice ■(Sir:, Eobert; ■ Stout)and -Justices Williams, ■ Gpoper, and .Chap-. man were oii the Bench.' v'. ■'; '.".•..••' - :jlntheorigijial action;-which was taken in- the..Supreme.■:• Court;; at , .'-Wangaiiul,-; Alexai'der.,;'Hatrict, • .merch'ant,; ~frading under' the'■ style- of: -A.' .Hatrick' aid : ' Co', , :, ola'imed to recover from: 'Emma Sophia .Nicol.r'aS:'the'endorser;:of;a ."promissory;: ! note,vfor'the .accommodation of, her.hiisbUndi, John Mufray;:Niooli of.UMartoni baker,.the suin :of' SB9i;lls. 9d.' The defence. npon : --.'which-,at the conclusion of. the,triarreliaiioe wiis placed, was. that the p.kintiff-gave; time.: to ; maker' of .the note, arid ' : thereby': discharged :- ; the'' de-■fen-dant.l. The promissory -note in,! qiies-! tion , fell;-3ue, and was'dishonoured",' on :Febniary,- i\■■ 1910; ■-•Some' time''after this date, ; plaifltiff; suggested; to Nicol. that, he .should ; assign?hia'estate to.' his. manager, William Atkins Tfist,, in trust for his. .creditors. : : Nicol-did so,-and a deed, was prepared .by which Nicor.assigned to: Trist aJlv.his-property. .vnth.;thej'usual-,'triists' for,. realisation, ■ and.' for-: distribution of the proceeds-'.amongst creditors.;.' Under this deed'Nicors business,: ■ was '.carried on ,by .Trist;. ; .The;deed was sent tp;plain-, tiff,; and he;.'appeared'- -tp'-lave'.' retained possession of iti.withput:informing Nicol ;he ; had-neither vsigned it /nor. obtained .the. sigriatures ■. or other creditors to ■: it. , ;. Mr .-'Justice Edwards, (who heard tho,.case : at ; 'iWanganui); /.'after' , '.'.- putting' issues', to a;"jury, > for,- defendant,-', with"costs, ffis judgment, was appealed against,' , on. the', ground, that -it w.ae'erroneous in ; .fact: and ; law::; ;; v;. :j

':: Mr. •'■ C."- P. ■■:■: Skerrefcf:,: ■ K.C:, ; ; wrth \ him" ;'ilr:-.-'H.' P. ■•;: JoHnstori,;appeared'.for -the' appellant, while the respondent was represented, by-Mr.: C. P.- Collins : andi Mr. :&.--:H:; FeUJvV :-■-■• •. w . ..■ ■:.„;; ■.■..-. ■,-.:.

'The ■■: Chief:'. Justice, , '■■;. in': the • judgment which .he delivereT'yesterday,: said. that, .ii'-his opinion, .tue whole question , was whether, the-' deed totO assignment gave time;te the.-debtor,-;Mri.'Nicol, and thus released: rthe'/', surety, . :the respondent;' In- his opinion, what; the -deed provided was in fact a merger of the-debt to, the extent that,, till: the .'realisation, : \the creditors..who : accepted-the',deed could ■ not sue. ! The .appeal, in' his opinion, should; be dismissed,-with costs on-the highest scale-as .from a dietance, ' ~- The other- judges concurred, -and the appeal, was dismissed!': ■'..' i'j- .' '

./; A SOLICITOR .SUSPENDEQ. ''''■:■ MISSING ; ■ , .The - Chief. Justice - (Sir'Eobert, Stent) . delivered yesterday.tho:judgment of the - Court of Appeal on the motion strike the' name'oiy John- James' Patterson off: the roll of barristers and solicitors. '[ •-' . --Patterson, , who carried on business as asolicitor at Dannevirke,. and' 'also as qioneyJender, 'sawmiller, - storekeeper, and iiaxniiller,: at Dannovirke and elsewhere, ■ was bankrupt on August 21, . .1908, on his own petition, arid : subsequently, as' the result -of proceedings initiated by the Deputy-Official Assignee, he. was,convicted' of , failing .to "\ keep proper books, not delivering: up,all .books, . and mutilating books, bota before v and ■ after. the bankruptcy, : and was sentenced to two'months' imprisonment. : : ' When the motion to strike the name off the. rolls was' .before 'the !,Supromo Court,' in September, .1909, ,a rule nisi was made. ..It came again before Mr. Justice Chapman' last, Augiret, and vrns reserved by him for the Court of Appeal, his Honour stating, that sufficient explanation 'had not-been given concerning the alleged destruction of the books by a'fire'on , January 2, 1909; Fnrthcr information was '.supplied, and the matter was. argued before the Court of Appeal last Tuesday, with the Chief Justice and Justices Williams, Edwards, Cooper, and Chapman on the Bench. The Hawkc's Bay law Society, as plaintiff, was represented by Mr. A. Gray, and' the defendant by Mr. C.P. Skerrett, K.C., and Mr. H. P. Johnston.- : • .

In delivering judgment yesterday, • the Chief Justice said that the Court hodcarefully considered the matter, and had come to the conclusion that the defendant should bo suspended from practice- for -two years, with permission, after six ,mouths- from the date -of judsmeoii; fo»

apply for removal of the suspension, if he could give a satisfactory explanation regarding his books. Hβ must also pay costs, 15 guineas, and .disbursements.