TIMES AND DATES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5105, 25 March 1927, Page 4

TIMES AND DATES.

METHODS OF MEMORISING.

REVEALED IN COURT CASE.

Many people have but a poor faculty for recalling times and dates, and some use weird methods of assisting their memories in this respect. It is not often, however, that counsel and the Bench are so mystified in arriving at exactness in point o‘f time as last Friday in the Putaruru Count, when a somewhat minor case was being heard. One party averred that he kept a proper wages book, but had left it at home. He was sure of the period, however, for he had attended a football match in Putaruru on the Saturday afternoon in question, and that ruled out the possibility -of his opponent’s claim that November was the date o’f the job.

Constant references to Sundays brought forth a rather, querulous question from the Bench, which was repeated on many occasions, as to which of two Sundays was. referred to. In desperation one of the counsel employed at last identified the days as the “measuring-up” Sunday (when the job was measured) and the “working Sunday” (when the job was started). This -elucidated matters, however, but ‘for a short space, as the question of hours worked then arose. As the workmen in question did not possess a watch, but was confident of the correctness of his time-sheet, he was asked to explain. Repeated questions elicited the information that meal, hsurs, the setting of the sun, the degree of darkness o‘f the evening, and the kitchen clock all assisted this witness in calculating the hours he worked. As witness received his meals before travelling some miles to -his home, the tone of the examining counsel’s voice betrayed the fact that he thought he had scored a point after the Hint of the kitchen clock. Not so, however, ‘for witness was a g od unionist and charged for travelling time. “Yes,” replied the exasperated counsel, “you are a typical unionist, you charge for meal hours.’’