DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1927, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

[or TELEORAI*J[~-mil PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

LIBEL SUIT FAILS

CHRISTCHURCH, April 28. ns The hearing was continued to-day of sh the libel suit, Cyrus Williams, eligiat neer and Secretary oi the Lyttelton ig Harbour Board, versus the Christr- church Press Company, claiming £]o[)o. m in respect ol statements contained m ie certain letters to the editor published ill by ”I he Press” newspaper. The Ictii 1 ters criticised certain works carried out si in Lyttelto-i Harbour, and plaintiff ali- h-ged that, a- these works were car- >- vied out •; d r Id- advice and dir=es. tion, tli - .Pi ism. which he alleged \s U ' ;IS U ll l ;■ i-. .as dcfuiuaini'Y and dam a aging to ■ i a, n Ihe delcnce was in eift cl, that the criticisms in the letter were not rlelamatory ami itirthcr that they were lair comment mi matters of public interest. Mr Mycr-. lor the delemlanl cmij- panv. said that no person was entitled to look at a letter through a micro- . I scope, and to try to find an innnelid:; , I in it. Any paragraph must he regai'd- * t'tl as a whole. Any newspaper was <_uI | titled to express an opinion, as long . ns there wins no malice in it. ' His Honour, summing up. said that rules in regard to liability for libel j "ere different where matters of public interest were discussed, and where , any question of public interest arose, every citizen mid every newspaper had a right to comment on such matters in the public interest. In the exercise of that, right, a newspaper or it citizen had a right to criticise and comment on tin- action ol public servants acting in such capacity as that of Mr Williams. 'I here was good ground for saying that a man was not hound to prove his opinions. It would place an impossible burden on him to make him do sc in the present case, the defendant's contention was that it was not concerned with Williams, but with the Harbour Board’s policy and the progress of the port and the city. I lie jury must remember that it was dealing with, on the one hand, the interest of the public in regard to five , (liscu-sioii. and on the other hand the right of a private person to claim damages if libelled. lie directed the 1 jury, in respect of the two letters in respect ol which the libel was alleged, that: if they found them not defamatory, no question of fair comment or damages had arisen. II they found the letters defamatory, the jury must go 1 on to consider wild her the comment was fair. The jury disagreed on the question <J as to whether the statements were defamatory. but they agreed that they were fair comment. The issues as to damages were therefore left unanswer--1,(1' . . ,] His Honour thereupon gave judgment for the defendant with costs. i ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. 1 AUCKLAND, April 28. At the annual meeting of the Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Association, it was resolved to urge the Minister in charge of Pensions to commission the " Mar Pension Appeal Board to inquire into the wlyde question of artificial limbs for ex-service amputees before any contracts are signed for further supplies.

It was further resolved to strongly protest against the attempt by tin* Pensions Department to secure artificial limbs for use to ex-service amputees under a system of standardisation and mass product ion.

DEATH OF MR DITTOS GRKYMOUTH. April 29. Obituary John Clarke Dittos, the well-known draper (Munson and Co.) aged 77. He arrived on the Coast in 1808. was a founder of the Greymoiitli Bowling Club and was interested in many milling ventures. DUNEDIN SAVINGS BANK. DUNEDIN. April 29. The balance sheet of Dunedin Savings Bank for the year shows the amount of deposits to he £1.190.782. an increase of £179.281 fro- 12 mouths. The deposits increased by C 3.202. The credit for the year on profit and loss account. stands at £“,256, an increase of £1515 on the previous year. LAD LORES LEG. PAHTATUA. April 29. Tt was found necessary this morning to amputate the right leg below the knee, of Donald Reid. 15. the victim of a recent motor accident. CHARI i ABLE AID WELLINGTON, April 29. Charitable aid figures show a heavy increase last month above the two previous years, both in the number of cases and amount spent in relief having more than doubled. All homes are practically full. Sickness and unemployment. account for more than twothirds of the cases. Special mention was made at the Board meeting of a I widow with three children, who was attracted to New Zealand in the hope of bettering herself, but failed and wanted to return to England. Mr Chapman spoke of the misrepresentation. some of which could be traced to shipping companies and the government. It was pointed out the woman had paid her own passage and the Government could not be blamed. The question of giving the applicant assistance is to he considered ROAD EXPERIMENTS. CHRISTC!ICRCH. April 29. The Alain Highways Board proposes to construct an experimental roadway at Hornby. 12 chains in length and IS feet wide, with a view to testing different bitumen mixes. The whole cost of the work is to he borne hy the Board. Application for permission to conduct experiments was made to I’aparua County Council yesterday and the Council in granting its consent, expressed gratification with the Board’s proposals. HOCKEY .MEETING. CHRISTCHURCH, April 29. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Hockey Association, Atr TT. S. Goodman was elected president. Executive—. Messrs Tlirop. Holland, Grade, Tlirack, Bellamy. Preston and Rogers. The question of sending a team to Australia was referred to the executive. Air Tlirop gave notice to move an alteration to the rules which would remove the privilege of hooking sticks, which is allowed under the rules of English hockey. A FIRE. TE KUITI. April 29. At 1.20 this morning a wood and iron building owned by Magon Service. Proprietary, which contained lour Cadillac airs and one Coinmer bus. was completely destroyed by fire .with all the contents. The ears and bus were owned by Alagon anil Lorry by G. FT. Oliver. No water supply was available and the brigade were powerless. The building and cars were insured in the Phoenix Office, the former for £3OO. The origin of the tire is unknown.

X.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS. CHRISTCHURCH. April 29. The Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Athletic Association has confirmed December 9th and 10th as the dates for the New Zealand championships to bo held at Christchurch. The running events will be held at Lancaster Park and tyefing events at night at English Park, as well as relay races. R.S.A. PROPOSAL. AUCKLAND EAST. April 29. The annual meeting of Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Association decided to

send a remit to the annual conference in Wellington, that the War Council Funds Board anil Canteen Board should distribute, in the form of relief among ex-soldiers, portions of the interest. the money to come preferably out of war council funds. Air S. A. Carr said each board had about £200,000 to its credit. If the funds were nursed for the next twenty years half of our men will he dead. Air Gorgonson said the wishes of donors were being defeated. The funds were given with the primary view of helping returned men. Mr Carr: 1 agree, hut you have to tell that to the Minister, two or three judges, and several lawyers in Wei- ! i ngtnn. KILLED BY LI VE WIRE. DUNEDIN, April 29. John Lyons. 35 single, employed hv the Power Board at Alexandra, while working at a converter station accidentally touched a live wire and was killed instantaneously. A FIRE. AUCKLAND. April 29. A fire at I a.m. destroyed a building at Henderson, owned l>v Ozich. laud agent, and occupied b.v a branch of the Bank of New Zealand. Stott (chemist). Constable (bootmaker), Hig- ] gins (hairdresser and billiard room). Nothing was saved. The. loss is csti- ’ mated at £ISOO. i