SUPREME COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 288, 30 November 1908, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

DUNEDIN SESSIONS. By Telegraph.-—Press Association. Dunedin, Saturday. In the Supreme Court, John Webster, convicted of common assault, was released on condition that he leave'Dunedin within reasonable expedition and remain away a year, failing which he will be called on to come up for sentence On a charge of attempting to murder (i. Hubbard, Webster was acquitted. This concluded the sittings. WELLINGTON SIT'TIN'OS. . Wellington, Saturday. Before Mr Justice Chapman to-day in chambers a phase of the action McLean ami Sons, Ltd. v. the New Zealand Times Co., a claim for .1:2,01)0 for libel, ( was heard. The case arose out of a report published by the Times of a statement made at the Miners' Conference, here concerning alleged conditions to which labourers at the Otira tunnel contract wYro obliged to submit. Plaintiffs to-day applied to have struck out of tliii defence a clause submitting that the stati#)ients were no libel and were a fair report of the proceedings at the Miners' Conference and were published bona fide and without malice. Application was made that the ease be tried before a special jury. The court ordered that the point'as'to whether the publication was fair comment be argued before the action is tried. In the meantime the application for a special jury 1 stands over.

Wellington, Last Night. . John Butler was re-tried at the Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of assaulting Anton Larsen. The ju-y again failed to agree. The Crown Prosecutor will state to-morrow what course it is proposed to adopt. (