NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 987, 30 November 1910, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

; (By .Telegraph.—Press: Association.) I Charge against a constable. I;; EXTRAORDINARY ALLEGATION. k";' : : : V, Wanganui, November 21. r J;-, An'extraordinary case,, in which ; ■ Police , Constable. M'Crea, of Raetihi, ...was charged with' attempting -to per- }■■, yerfc the course*of justice, was concludr'ed in.the Magistrate's Court last eveni ;ing. It was alleged that M'Crea tried T-tii dissuade- two Natives at Pipiriki from ;';-giving' evidence in a Supreme Court f,• case in .Wanganui. It appears' that a [Native had mortgaged- a , horse to Aγ-' f thur Smith, and this Native alleged : that-the horse had'been sold, and'that j 'the. document which he had signed had ;• been concocted by M'Crea, who had •■■■'given'.him and his sister whisky. Witl.iness.'was in tlie box two and a half libiir'sj and the evidonco .was. very, con- •' tradictory'.- A couple of other stateK ments repudiating the allegations were f produced,'which..witness at length ad- .■;}.. nutted were correct. The magistrate, Mr.'Hase'lden, S.M., said he had listeii- ■ ed. with , great attention to tho evidence ■'and failed to find one tittle of evidence tp_; support: the information. Ho dis- ; "missed the case. :', . ■ OVER A TOTALISATOR TICKET. ■;•; appoint for;investors, > ..V'V , '-"' ' Auckland, November 29. ,i-.-.'•'■, In a case in tho Magistrate's Court, ;:■ in vwhieh 'a person sued to recover £6 ■;' Os:'"Sd;, half the value of a totalisator ticket, Mr. Kettle; S.M.,' expressed , the - opinion '.that the Gaming" Act required ■: a person requiring a totalisator ticket to take it out with his own hand; that -"■ ..a person-acting as agent - and a person ." . employing'an agent for such a purpose,. :. .was' liable- to a fino of £20 or three '■';■■. months' .imprisonment. Apart - from •-.. ttiis; liei-'held that the case was not . proved, and he non-suited the plaintiff. "'/was he ridden down? gumdigger fatally hurt. r ~- '■'.'"■ ..';,•■' "' Dargavillo, November 29. ■ ' "A'gumdigger,. aged 50, named Wil- . • liam barker, was proceeding from Kai- . - hu. to Kai.'lwi, on Saturday night, and ■': it is alleged that when 1 walking on'the .. road;three ■horsemen, who were riding furrou'sly, ran over him. : His mate ; subsequently found him on the road, /: . but apparently thinking' he was intoxi- , . cated, left him where be was lying. Hβ ; - was discovered on Sunday tnorning, and ■-yesterday afternoon, he was. brought doyn to the hospital, where he died last , ■.-. ev'ening.V: An inquest was opened this .'.'.' morning, ,but adjourned till Monday . next. _'■ The. police are investigating the '~-■' matter,- : and'charges are' to be laid ; ; .against the ■• three horsomen alleged to .; be'resppnsible for the fatality. . : '.'breaking the droucht. \■' '•'" ~:?;;';.' Hastings, November 29". ,- The"country this morning is' looking ■■'-.. much refreshed by. yesterday's, steatly ;■ rain..' Tlie dry spring- has certainly retarded.the growth of crops, but the ill ■. .-• effects; are not so extensive as had: been reported. , .. i . ,; ■ EXPERT EVIDENCE; ■;; \ ■;./-.:'- .'. Auckland, November 29;. .' . ' "That is a glaring example of , tho. value of .expert .evidence," remarked . counsel,, in a case in the. Magistrate's . . Court. to-day,. when one witness gave . the .value of two rings' in. dispute as '■' about £40, while another witness valued ~ them'-'at about. £5 each. ...Another wit-. ■'■'• -ness valued one of the rings at £7 10s., . and.thevQther at ~Tha,"ipagisV . '• trate (Mr.' Kettle) thought'it:W'ould,be ; ; iinteresting to have the :testiinony',-."p£. "■/ otte* experts, as ..to .ascertain 'the !< .-iruo.'yalue,\-of , ;,experK.'"evidence., "He ! '.;' added that. in. a case, before hini recently ,-, an architect.considered ..certain . work S:: ; should. cost £5, while, another, architect '-.-; put itho. cost of. ! .the same work at £50. . ■'." That was: another lexamplo of different . -opinions held by experts. .■ - :

; :,/;, f 'SUPREME COURT, I-."-'.; ■■ : ;>'V---; T • InvercargiU, November .29. ; . At the Supremo Court to-day, a fairly ;' large criminal list- was disposed ".of. in ehort order. There were four cases :: igairist .five persons -Bent , up for- trial, ; and two cases in which' four persons I were-committed for. sentence. ..It is ".V Bomething of a tribute to.the South-: 'land police that, in tho four cases for trial,: the , accused decided to plead ;guilty-for being_ accessories,after the '. escape of.two,prisoners (by 1 giving them .'comforts, and assistance).' ■ William A.. Robertson and Jas. Robertson were •.. each fined-£s.;and £4 costs. For attempted murder at Waipounamu, Louttit.was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment. _ For stealing a postal packet, containing money, "Henry Faithful Winter, a letter-carrier, was sentenced..; to six- months' , imprisonment. Henry; Greenway, for false declaration .under tho.Births and Deaths Registrars tion /Act,., was nned-£5:: John, Burke ; and Percy Hutchihs, for breaking and /entering and,theft, were admitted to ■ conditional .. probation, and . Chas. j . M'Qukrrie, a companion, was sentenced J ;.-tosix months': imprisonment. Samuel i; Locelyn, a.lad, who'was convicted of ,- breaking and' entering, was sentenced ' . -to six morths' reformatory treatment. '•" "■•'.■•,:•' ~ ■ ' ■ . -I : ; A FINE REMITTED. Dunedin, November 29. The fine imposed on Guthrie, Bowron • and Co., of Dunedin, at AucMaud, in * . ■ February last, on a charge of having made a false- declaration to tho Customs - authorities in respect of certain goods indented to them for a client, has been ;■ remitted by the Minister on tho ground '..' that-tbe breach of the law on their : . part was purely technical. The amount •!. of .'the fine, was £25. ; V HENRY-POTTS' MISSION. f. ..-'. '..; Palmerston, November 29. :':' The Henry-Potts united mission serj . rices, which have been proceeding at ) Palmerston during tho last two weeks, ■concluded last evening.' The services '.-'.- Have been largely attended throughout, : . and as a result an oudeayour will bo ;.-." made to form a Y.M.C.A. in the town.

•-, :, -THE RAILWAY BILL'. ;' ; "".■ . Christchurch November 28. V,:'- The Council of the New Zealand Loco ;?■ '.Engine''Drivers', Firemen's, and Cleaners' £;■ .-'Association, who ■ protested . vigorously ;' against Clauses 7, 8, nnd 10 of the Eail-V:-way" Bill-No. 2,' and tho injustice of ii;'. making.alterations in .the conditions of .-. "■■■• railway workers without consulting them !' itUany w.ay,. has received information ; . ■ that. their.-protestsnro..to receive'.favour- '.-. able, consideration. Tho association 'cn- !:, dorsed' the principlo of fixed agents be- ';.. , tween Minister and worker which shall •'': .be binding on all parties. . .