LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19784, 7 February 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that linal leave to appeal to the Privy Council was given by Mr Justice Sim and Mr Justice Ostler yesterday in the case of the Commissioner oi Stamp Duties against Olive Finch. Provisional leave to appeal was also given in the case of Lysnar against Purnard. Security was fixed at £SOO.

Failure to eradicate hawthorno on property within the Palmerston North fire-blight area, cost Catherine Wilson £2 and costs at the Magistrate's Court, Palmerston North. The orchard inspector, who appeared lor the department, stated that the defendant was only one out of 160 owners who had not complied .satisfactorily with the notices sent oni.. Lye Gee Long, aged sixty-five, who_ pleaded guilty at the same court sitting to a charge ot being found in possession ol opium suitable for smoking, was lined £SO and costs. Th’e accused bad been previously convicted and fined for having permitted opium smoking on ills premises. In the Supreme Court, Auckland, Christian Barton, formerly secretary of the To Kuiti Pacing Club, admitted misappropriaating £233 ol the dub s funds, and was sentenced to two years’ reformative detention. Pobert Leonard Pickworth, for Sorgcry at Thames, received three years’ reformative detention. Maurice Chapman, who. admitted forging a cheque lor £I.OO, was sentenced to twelve months’ hard labor. Francis William _ Swocumin, aged twenty-eight, lor bigamy, veccr. ml iwo years’ hard labor. Myra M'hcnmn, a married woman, lor obtaining money by false pretences at. Wlmngarci, was placed on probation for three years, conditional on £lO being repaid by instalments. Edward Russell Everett-, for theft, forgery, and attempted uttering, was placed on probation tor one year.

The publicity officer, New Zealand Railways, forwarded a copy of ‘ I’icnies by Rail ’ to the Mosgid Borough Council yesterday, and asked the council to co-operate in making those outings successful. The mayor drew attention to the fact that Mosgiel Recreation Ground was given in the booklet ns accommodating 500 people. Ho moved that the department be asked to amend this to 5,000 —a number nearer the mark than that piinted— Agreed to. At last night’s meeting of the Mosgicl Borough Council the secretary of the local traders’ association asked the council to request business people in the borough to observe Saturday, February 18, as a holiday, on tJig occasion of the. annual school picnic. This was agreed to. In connection with, the charges against John Charles Cannon of theft of goods valued at £SOO, Henry Ralph Higham, who pleaded guilty to charges of receiving goods of a total value of £72 10s from" Cannon, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained, was sentenced at Wellington by the magistrate to six months’ imprisonment. A brother of John Cannon, named Thomas James Cannon, who was described as an engineer, aged twenty, pleaded guilty to stealing a gold watch and pencil valued at £5 10s, and a gold watch valued at £5 10s. Chici-detec-tive Ward said accused helped himself to some of the property which his brother was handing over to Higham. “ The bad feature of the case,” said the chief detective. “ is that, when his brother was arrested, accused pretended to be astonished and dismayed. Later he brought the gold watch to the police station, saying that he had found it in the house: but subsequent inquiries showed that he had known all along that the property was stolen.” Accused had two previous for theft. John Cannon is awaiting trial by the Supreme Court.—Wellington Association telegram.