DOMINION NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4, 3 September 1915, Page 2

DOMINION NEWS.

A MINOR'S MARRIAGE. I'iiu J-KliOO iMpjUOIAH^A. W eumgton, faepieniuer 2. Mr Justice Jaooiuug imu ueiore mm m-uay a peixuou cm oenaii ox a 3 uiail at nineteen years, wno desired to marry, Out was unable tu outuui tlic consent or lus mo tiler. Tne uppiieation was made under a section ol me marriage Act, winch provides that ui case any tattler or moilier whose eonseiit is necessary to tile marriage oi a minor unreasonably witnholds consent to a proper inamage, a J udge 01 tiie supreme court may mane a judicial declaration as to tiie propriety ol tne marriage, \iiieu tlio present application was previously Oelore tne court, it appeared mat a copy of ail proceedings liad been served upon the mother 01 tiie would-be bridegroom,

Out ins Honor adjourned the hearing in order that the Registrar might ascertain, by telegraph, whether the mother had any oojcction than that of, age. A reply was received in the negative, and as the young lady was of age, and tiie petitioner was able to satisfy the Court of his ability to support a wife, His Honor gave the required consent, and expressed his nope that the bridegroom would never hhve cause to regret this exercise of the Court’s decision.

SHEEP STEALING CASE. Wanganui, oeptemoer 2 The Supreme Court was occupied all day in hearing a charge of sheepstealing against a drover named Samuel Wilson. The facts of the case were that a Waverley farmer named Cave missed 200 sheep towards the end of July, and subsequently ascertained that they had been trucked to Feilding and sold there. Accused admitted trucking the sheep to Waverley, and said he was acting on the direction of a stranger who gave the name of Stevens. He had taken the sheep from an accommodation paddock at Waverley, some distance from Cave’s farm, and had sent them forward. The police gave evidence that no man of Stevens’ description could he found. Evidence was given by drovers that it was a usual practice to lift sheep from any locality on instructions of strangers, and forward them to various sides. Justice Edwards said that if the practice existed it was a very dangerous and loose way of doing business. He considered that in all cases drovers should satisfy themselves who were the rightful owners of stock. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, v