LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 85, 31 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Whitebait are to be seen in the river, in small quantities, states the Waitara Mail.

Judgment by default was given in the following cases at the Court this morning:—George Morrison v. George Cooper, £7 17s, costs £1 3s 6d; Newton King v. George Edward Algie, £96 3s, costs £4 18s,

It is reported (states the Press Association) that as a direct result ot the defeat of the essential clause in the Licensing Bill enthusiasts for prohibition paid within twenty-four hours paid £I2OO into the funds of the New Zealand Alliance.

The Mayor of Now Plymouth has received information from the Minister for Education that he will be prepared to receive a Taranaki deputation to give evidence before the Education Committee on the retention of the Taranaki district, but doubts whether, in the circumstances, it will be necessary.

lii the claim for £lO brought bj the Inspector of Awards against ,H. A. Nuttall for a breach of the Tara;iaki painters’ and decorators,’ award, at the Eltham Court on Wednesday Mr Kenrick, S.M., in giving judgment. said after considering the circumstances of each case, and that the employer did not expressly direct the work to be done at time prohibited by the agreement, considered judgment against the defendant for- £1 in each case should be entered.

Mr E. Pratt, of Hastings, concluded a fourteen days’ fast on Friday (says the Tribune). Mr Pratt has for many years been a sufferer fiom stomach troubles supervening on .indigestion, and, failing ®to obtain rebel in other ways, decided to try the fasting cure, in which remedy he has great faith. During the fourteen days he subsisted entirely on water, and his weight decreased by fourteen pounds.

William Sheriff was fined ss, with costs 7s, at the Court this morning on a charge of having, during two months past, deposited rubbish (earth, bricks and iron) in a gully on Juliet Street. Defendant said he had the job of clearing up Mcßaiu and Childs’ premises and Mr Childs had told him to put the rubbish in ascertain place. He put a certain amount down and thought he was doing the Borough Council a good turn, as the material deposited would come in handy if the road was widened.

A largely-signed petition, embodying the names of most of the adult residents of Manaia, is about to be forwarded to the Minister of Public Works, asking that the railway station of the Manaia branch line should l>e placed on the Hospital Reserve [n no instance (states the local paper) has any objection been raised to the proposal contained in the petition, signatures having been freely appended in every instance, and the Promoters speak confidently ot their '•equest being granted by 'he Minister.

The Borough Inspector’s cases occupied most of the time at the Court this morning. William Holmes and Herbert S. Field were fined 10s, with costs 7s, for driving at night without lights, and C. McCallum and F- Wellington were similarly fined for driving loose horses through the public street. The S.M. said that as eases of driving loose horses seemed to be very numerous he would have to consider he question of increasing the amount if the fine imposed. Clarence Till was fined 10s. with costs 7s, for riding i bicycle on the footpath in Fenton Street,

The local women’s Orange Lodge is making arrangements for a social to be.* held on August 27th.

The general committee of the A. and P. Association meets at 1.30 o’clock to-morrow afternoon.

The Kennedys made their final appearance at the Town Hall last night, when the excellent programme submitted was highly appreciated.

An Auckland Press Association telegram this morning stated that the Rarawa left Onehunga at 5 p.m. yesterday and anchored at the Heads, and resumed her voyage to New Plymouth at 3 a.m.

William Ewart Porter was proceeded against at the Court this morning on a charge of having failed to attend drill of D. Co. on July 9th. SergtMajor McGlade, who prosecuted, said defendant had done no drills at all since being transferred into the. Regiment in September, 1913. The present was the fourth time defendant had been proceeded against, and he made an open boast that he would not do his drills. Defendant had undergone twenty-one days’ detention. On June 21st he was fined £5, and of that amount £3 had been paid under an attachment order. All the service he had ever done was eleven days in camp. The Clerk of the Court stated that Porter’s employer had informed him that for the past four or five days he had seen nothing of Porter. The S.M. said defendant evidently had no intention of obeying the law. He had been given chances and had not taken advantage of them; and there seemed no reason why he should not do his drills. A man who did not wish to obey a country’s laws should leave the country. A fine of £5 would be imposed in default 28 days’ military detention, and defendant in addition would be deprived of his civil rights for three years. The S.M. said th® present was only the second time he had deprived a man of his civil rights, but this course would have to be followed where men deliberately evaded the law.

Rather frequently in the past the Court lias been kept waiting for longer or shorter periods and been slightly inconvenienced through counsel not being present when their cases are called on. This morning, when a case was called on in which Messrs * Thomson and Spratt were acting ,as counsel, Mr Spratt only was in attendance and Mr Spratt asked that the case be set down to the end of the list. When the end of the list case Mr Spratt again asked for further time, stating that Mr Thomson had been seen, and had said that he was not aware that the case was to be heard that day. , Mr Spratt suggested that the Court might adjourn for a few minutes, but the S.M. said that he wished to put a stop to the practice of the Bench adjourning and resuming for the convenience of counsel, in cases where counsel had ample time for their purposes. Just after the Court, was adjourned Mr Stanford came into Conrt with a witness who had had to he procured during the sitting, and whose evidence had been set down at the end of the list. The S.M. resumed his seat and repeated to Mr Stanford the remarks he had made to Mr Spratt. Mr Stanford apologised, stating that he had used all reasonable diligence in securing his witness. ‘ >