£5 DAMAGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1893, 22 October 1918, Page 2

£5 DAMAGES.

FOB STATEMENT ABOUT A HOTELKEEPEB.

Stratford, Yesterday

Mr A. Crooke, S.M., heard, this morning, a claim for £t)o damages, preferred by Cecil Arden, hotelkeeper, against AV. 11. Hawkins, temperance lecturer, and captain in the expeditionary Force, for an allegedly malicious statement, contained in a letter published in the Stratford Post. The defendant, in I lie letter, referred to the “slimy hands” of tiic liquor Iraliic, and insinuated that the plaintiff had presented a drum to the Stratford Band in order to make the liquor influence felt and to hinder the band playing for tem-. perauee meetings.

Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £5 damages and eosts, the plaintiff having admitted that his character and business bad not suffered, and that he was not affected in any way by the libel except that he had been accused of giving the drum for the purpose of getting a hold on the band in the liquor interest.

Counsel for Captain Hawking takes exception' to the wording of the above telegram reporting tha ease. His client, he states, was no(j employed as a prohibition lecturer, and had only casually given one lee-, ture by request, without payment, The message also states that Gap-: tain Hawkins insinuated that plaintiff had given a drum to the bund, but as a matter of fact be knew nothing about plaintiff or the gift of any drum, and it was clearly by accident that his general words fitted plaintiff.