The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 20, 23 January 1879, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879.

An enthusiastic correspondent of the Press Agency sends a very gushing and effusive report of the proceedings iv connection with the opening of the railway to luvercargill, over which, however, a great gloom was cast by the sad and serious accident that occurred to Mr Conyers, the Commissioner of Railways for the Middle Island. When reading these accounts of other towns becoming included in the railway scheme, we invariably feel that they should act as an incentive to the people of Nelson to use all their power and influence in the direction of obtaining similar advantages. It will be a great day for Nelson, and an important event in the history of the colony when the last rail is laid between here and the cities of the South, and we hope that not many years are to elapse before the journalists of the day are called upon to announce the completion of the great work. Perhaps, too, it is not too much to hope that by that rime telegraphic agents will have learned the .art of condensation A large number of influential citizens met at Mr Acton Adams' Committee Room, the Masonic Hall, last evening, and after asking the candidate a few questions which were satisfactorily answered, a strong working committee of about 25 members was formed, and undertook to do their utmost to secure his election. Mr W. Iladdow was appointed permanent Chairman of the Election Committee, and it was agreed that Mr James Sclanders should be invited to propose their candidate on the nomination day. The Committee meet again to-night and on Saturday, and all electors willing to assist are invited to attend. A vert successful meeting in celebration of the anniversary of the Congregational Church appears to have been held on Tuesday evening, when several of the clergy belongto other churches were present, and spoke in high terms of the good work done in the town by the Rev. J. Beckenham. The financial position too was shown to be most satisfactory, the debt of .£195, with which the last year commenced, having been reduced during its course to £2. There was a large party present at the tea, and at the meeting which followed, when several interesting addresses were delivered, the proceedings being brought to a close at 10 o'clock by singing the doxology.

ekfa tb ;o!n" id ' afc -^ 9t -te' S Court,Mok. was »■ , ,-V r so , me Merest to innkeepers t.,. ~f\ de *"J the Resident Magistrate. i/£ P la »">ff sued the defendant upon a d "honored promissory note, and expressed «mJ7 npD< ! a Bto B ive defendant reasonable wh£ ? i Pay ltiu> UpOD the Bench erquiring nrim;. • / noto was » iven for the plaintiff "" mi --ted that part of it was for beers supfp, lG(1 ln small quantities and for cash lent, ihe defendant on being sworn said the whole amount was for "nips." The Resident Magistrate thereupon said the plaintiff could not recover. The law prohibited persons from recovering a debt incurred by the sale of spirituous liquors in less quantities than of the value of twenty shillings, and, where part of the consideration for a bill was for spirituous liquors withiu the statute, und part for money lent, the bill was wholly void in the hands of the payee. This had been clearly decided iv the case of Scott v. Gilmore 3 Tau- 1. 22 G. If the plaintiff alleged anything was due to him from defendant for anything else than liquor it was of course quite open to him to sue upon the account. The present case must be dismissed.