SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 288, 1 September 1919, Page 6

SUPREME COURT

87 iMesrraph— Press Assfdallon. Wanganui, August 30. At the Supreme Court, James Maxwell, whom the jury found guilty uf common assault under strong provocation, wan ordered to come up for sentence" when called upon under the usiia; conditions. •M. J. A. Walkington Smytli tho jury found guilty of false pretence, and attempted folio pretenoo, and he was sentenced to twelve .months' hard labour on the first and three motnhs on the second count, the sentences to be concurrent. ment, this should be promptly remedied low that tho War Regulations np longer dictate the movements of shipping." The shipping to tho islands is owned by aprivate oompaiiy. The existing contact does not run out till next year. The British are not in tho habit of tea.rjwr up "scraps of paper" even though it is only a contract between the Government and the Union Steam Ship Company, nor would a.ny business firm, unless they wished to bear the cost of a breach of contract. The scarcity of ships is a world-wide one, and not peculiar to the Cook Islantk I believe at the present wo have millions of carcasses of sheep in our fret'.iers, waiting for shipment.. If anyone has control ot the shipping, surely tho Imperial Gov. erament has, then why have the Imperial authorities not been able to ship away their produce? It is true that from September, 1918, to March, 1919, the Flora, whioh usually dairies about 20,000 cases during that period, did not bring a single case of fruit to Auckland from the Cook Islaads? But why'blanio the Administration for that ? They. might as well blame' us for the war, the influenza epidemic, the labour troubles, because they held up the shipping. .Mr. A. Donald is credited with having made the statement that the resident commis-' sioner is taking advantage <;f his position 111 • the Government to encourage trade according to his own lights, and the planters think it scarcely fair to havo the Government competing . against them. To say that the Government is competing against the traders of Rarotonga is absolutely fictitious. It is true that the Government is encouraging tho native to plant and produce as much a<? he can. Surely 110, one in this country can complain, but' where tho shoe pinches iff. that the native has learnt thai: % shipping his fruit direct to New Zealand, lie can get better value for the fiiveat of hif. brow than by shipping his fruit.through the trader.. He has learnt by bitter experience that the middleman is not always satisfactory., Instead of fcho fruit irade going backwards ori account of this, as they state, it will gain, an impetus, and the people of this country will get cheaper fi nit because of larger quantities being > produced tud shipped. ■ ' (i) "The failure to make full use of the wireless to oarly acquaint growers of the time of arrival of steamers." Tho practice has been, and is. to post up messages of the time of arrival of steamnrn in the post offices, and if a man ncglectrto find out for himself, that is his lookout.

(5) "The neglect to ]ceap up experiments in fruit cultivation." Theso people know quite well that Mr. Itoid, our fruit expert, went away to the war. hence during the war it was difficult to replace hiro.. and so experiments had to wait till he got back. In regard to the grading of fruit, that liiis been under consideration, and was <110 of those things which had to wait till the war was over.

1 I This is the sum total of what the •. 1 Auckland "Star" would call a "''substans | tial list of grievances." Tho Adminisn I tration must be judged by results, Durr> ing the war, in spite of the difficulties due to that ciuisc, many improvement s I have been made in the islands, and it i | only now remains for the shipping posi--3 ; tion to improve, when Ne.v Zealand will i 1 also reap the benefit in Retting tropical - | fruits. The native has k?en encouraged 1 I to produce, and ho now feels that he lias - a iruarantee for the result of liis labour.