RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.-Dec. 16.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 199, 20 December 1872, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.-Dec. 16.

(Before H. W. Robinsonj "Esq., R.M.)

: Police v. David Richards.—Disorderly conduct. As' this was a first offence, the Bench inflicted a mitigated penalty of LOs. Patrick Ryari v. John Gleeson. —Information was laid for threatening language, and requiring Gleeson to be bound over to keep the peace. Illwill was shown to, be on both sides, and a quarrel was proved to subsist The plaint was discharged, and the Bench refused to bind G-leeson over to keep;the.peace."- " ,

Constable Blair v. S. London.— Charge of unlawfully keeping open his ishop ' premises,' and, having;goods? .exposed for sale on Sunday, December Bth, icontrary to sec. 2 of the Sunday Observance Act, 1863. . The defence set up was that, owing to the situation of the shop, there was no access to the premises except through the front door, and that, owing to the excessive heat, it was a necessity that ventilation should'.be ensured. Defence not admitted. Fined 10s., and 6s. 6d. costs. R; W. Daniels v. Phil. Heltkessel Heard under the Resident Magistrate's Act of 1868.—Defendant was examined onoafch, touching his effects and estate also as to manner and circumstances ' under which liability had been incurred for which judgment was obtained for £2 16s 9d. On defendant pleading inability to pay —Bench committed him to the Naseby gaol, for one month. Upon which the money was produced, and he was released. Walter Morgan v. > Alexander M'Donald (both of Kveburn).—This was a rehearing of a" case heard 1 in this court on November 7 last past, for £l9 Is Id, which resulted in a judgment of £1 2s Os paid into court. Costs of hearing, and 20s. expenses. On the re-hearing, after a very careful enquiry into a labyrinth of very badly, kept books, the judgment was reversed to this extent: —that judgment be recordedfor plaintiff, for £8 9s 6d, with costs of re-hearing, Bs. Mr. Hertsletjfor plaintiff, Mr. Bailey for defendant E. Hall v. W. Roberts.—Action brought to recover £27, amount of dishonored cheque issued oil October sth 1870. Plaintiff not being able to produce cheque, through his, agent, applied for an adjournment/ which Iwas granted to : December 2sth. Defendant pleaded exemption from liability, by- discharge under Bankruptcy Act of the Supreme Court. ' Mr. Bailey for plaintiff. Gr. Brown v. S. London.-—Mr. Bailey for plaintiff, Mr. Ross for defendant. Claim for £ 1.5 Is.. (£ 12 for of horse injured and subsequently killed while with London, and £3 Is .funeral expenses of the said, horse, . "L'he defcnce set up was that Napier, one of the witnesses, had given the horse for triai on behalf of Brown. No such authority was proved, and the Court -held . London liable tor £l2 value of horse, £1 for its burial, £1 93. costs of Court, and 10s. expenses of witness.

K. T. Poole v. R. W. Daniel.—Mr. i?o\ylatt for plaintiff, Mr. Bailey for the defence. Claim, £4B 19s. 6d. for wages, balance of account, and 1.0.TT. Defendant paid 9s. into Court, and filed a set-off After long consideration of Mr. Poole's claim and Mr. Daniels set-off, the Court gave ..j uagment for £32 7s Id., £l/ssi .costs of Court, and £2 2s. professional costs; making .£35 145.. in , all —£15 to be paid at once, and the balance at fourteen days. A. M'Hardy v. 1i... Keenan.—Claim £6 6s o|d for meals and yroods sold.:'and delivered.—Judgment in 'fillip 80s* cast.B. and 20s expenses of witness. .Mr." Bailey for plaintiff./ M Hertslet fqr defendant.

(• The. court which commenced at li a; m. Tuesday 'morning, broke up at 3. a.mV ori Wedhesday morning, and early, in th<e day, the Warden, with. Jris usual punctuality, started'for* Hamilton. H•' •; -V V-' "

As the new Stamp Act (1872) is now in force, our readers will ; probably feel interested in becoming acquainted with its provisions!, with thbse at least which applyto. matters, and. transactions-of -business of every-day occurrence. The Act came into ,force on the Ist of the present month and all "the provisions in the Stamp Act of .1866,, and its amendments, are to apply to this one. The duty on receipts ,for £2 and''-upwards, arid on all orders, is reduced *to one penny. The word " receipt" is"' defined to mean "any note, memorandum, or writing whatsoever whereby any money amounting to £2 or upwards, or any bill, of exchange or promissory note for. money, or any cheque draft, or order ,for moneys—amounting to or _ upwards, is acknowledged to have been received or deposited (the italics are ours), or paid or taken, or whereby the whole or part of. any debt, claim,- or demand amountingto £2 or upwards, is acknowledged. either wholly or. in part tohave -.been.settled,, discharged, or satisfied, —whether . such. .document is ■ -signed or not. It appears by this, that if money is even, deposited with a banker, a stamped receipt is necessary. The'stamp on'a receipt must be . affixed and cancelled by the person giving the same before he delivers ic out of his hands, under a penalty not exceeding £lO. Any person paying £2 or upwards is entitled to demand a duly stamped receipt from the-person., receiving the money, and if such is not given ..the person is liable to. a fine not, .exceeding £lO.

.. Careeb, of Eabl Bussell. —Earl Hussell lias attained the BOJI year of his age, having been born in August 1792. His ■Parliamentary-: elxpM'icuce extends: over a period of 59 years, 4d in the House of Commons and 11 in the Lords. Of the -members of the Lower House who Had i-seats in that Assembly when the nobie Earl, as Jjord John Bussell, took his seat for tlie burgh of Tavistock in 1813, not one now survives. Of the members of the Whig Cabinet who appealed to the country affcejith.e;;'pasßing of the Beforni Act-of Brougham, Lansdowne, Durham, Melbourne, Palmer- : -ston; G-oderich,- Grraham, Auckland, Grlenelg, Bichmond, Holland, Stanley, and Carlisle, have passed away, and Lord Russell is the only one who remains. Of the 1 subordinate members of that Administration, Earl Grey, then Under-Secretary for the Colonies,-now leads a party exclusively his own.upon the cross-benches-of the House of Lords ; wliile Viscount Halifax, then Secretary to the Treasury "as Mr. Charles Wood, is Lord Privy S,ealimra7,Cabinet; a:t the head of which is Mr. G-ladstone., who was first returned to Parliament for the borough of Newmarket nearly forty years ago, at the dissolution .succeeding the"' passing of the measure with, which Lord BusseU's name will ever be associated.

The : Waaganui Chronicle* in referring to a return; laid on the table of the Asseinbly showing ; the amount • paid for travelling, expenses during the year, writes as. follows £28,343 travell in g expenses! A large sum of money no doubt, but not when it is taken into account the/ numbt r of persons, who hare drawn portions of it. Many people haye. Been led: to the "belief that Messrs Fox* Vogel, & Go. had drawn; > itall> whereas those well-abused gentlemen onlv drew as follows :

Mr. Vogel ... ... ... £3588 Dr. Featherstone-... ... ... 1731 Mr. M'Lean ... ... 685 Mr. 1 Reeves (sixmo-nth?) .. 289 Mr. Ormond (nine months) ... 269' Mr. Fox ... 199 Total £6761 -The "balance, £21,582, was expended by some six hundred cival servants, membersof the General Assembly, and for conveyance; • and expenses of representatives at

the prize-firing meeting at Chris tchurch; this later, item .alone amounted to no less than £3,235. There were several' sums of £IOO or "thereabouts, for chartering ships, and coach fares for natives. Out of the £3588 with which Mr. Vogel is debited, £2368—-expenses of?mission to England and been mostly chargeable, to the .previous year,, instead of being allowed to ' swell last year's amount to such an extent jis it lias. Mr. Vogel should only hove been debited with £890 : ; of this, £290 was drawn whilst residing LtrWelliugfcon, in lieu of residence allowance. '

The ' Scotsman' savs tO 1 " There is likely to be'a dearth of fueMn.the Island of Islay before the ensuing winter is over/ as peats arje.%,eing shipped itflarge quantities to meefajthe demand elsewhere. A few days were 150' bags of pea,ts sent to JSTawi-RiZealand from- Port Ellen, and it is understood .that■ there"are to be large qu.'mfei&ss forwarded regnlarly from Islay .'"' Thefeproprietors of the i Dunedin distillery importers 0% this pent, but if the statement as to of good pent m|£hene;glibourhootl of Dunedin be correct, 1 they are'not likely to resort any longer to Islay for peaty'flavour sorelished by.some in whiskey..