STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 217, 1 February 1913, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

(From Our Resident Reporter). WHO HAD THE BAD MEMORY? 4\l) THE WAY NOT TO CONDUCT BUSINESS. Two farmers stepped into tlic witness box of the Slv-.itfori! V,-.i;:islviitv'- Oourl yesterday, and one said: "On May 2(>th last von paid me £.">,'' but the other exclaimed: "Xo: on May 2Ulh last I paid von £1(1")." Who had tin- had l'.u'ir.ory'r Then one, whom we will call the plaintiff, said (though these are not the actual words): "You borrowed £l5O from me at- 10 per cent., and. to save legal expenses, amounting to £3, we did not draw up in legal form the bill-of-sale ■ you gave me over your stock." To which the other replied: "Yes, you gave me your cheque for the £l5O all right, but the interest agreed upon was 7 1 /. pelcent. There was no bill-of-sale; there could not have been one, because I alreadv had a bill-of-sale for £2OO nn linstock." Again, which had the good memory? And then counsel for the plaintiff stepped in and asked for receipts, for bank books, for particulars of cheques, for letters, for a host of things. But | there was little to settle who was the victim of a bad memory. The farmers at one time were friends, and the outward and visible sign of theiv friendship was the utter disregard of ordinary businesslike precautions in safeguarding each other's interests. When they wrote business letters to each other, they kept no copies. They had bank accounts, yet one alleged that he paid as large a sum £lO5 in notes, single, five and ten pound notes. One paid £SO by cheque, and did not take a receipt, hut lie did a more foolish thing, according to his own statement, and paid to his friend £lO5 in money, and no receipt was asked for or given. His friend might have died tomorrow, and the. executors have sought to recover the amount of the first loan, and the interest. A schoolboy might have thought of this, but not so the defendant in this action. Utterly at a loss to understand how sane men could act in such a manner, solicitor for the plaintiff, and even His Worship, tried to understand how one man could think he had paid £IOO more than the other thought he had received. Together they found out from the plaintiff that May 26th, the date of payment, was a Sunday, and that on that Sunday an earthquake had occurred. Here was a clue. Plaintiff had said that the money was paid after they had all had tea, and defendant had admitted this, also that; the money was paid over in the backward. Obviously, if it had been dark ! "after tea," no man would have accepted £5 and £lO notes, just on the feel of i them. But the earthquake revived plain- | tiff's memory, and hp said that the money was paid after the earthquake, tind he remarked that it must have been dark at the time, because lie remembered holding up the lamp in the sittngroom for fear lest it should fall, and burn the house down. The Magistrate smiled, and counsel produced a pocket I>obk, to show that the moon was in the first quarter. Everyone was more or less happy that one point should be solved. Then defendant said he was preto go into the box. and swear the money was paid over before the earthquake! The case was hopeless. A minor point, however, lay in a fair way to solution, for a receipt was produced which showed that interest had been calculated at 10 per cent, on at least one of the payments made to plaintiff on this loan. His Worship (Mr. W. G. Kenrick) drew the tangled threads together, and this was the pattern he wove: The defendant admits the receipt of £l5O, therefore, the onus lies on the. defendant to prove that he has paid the money back. This duty has not been discharged. With regard to interest the receipt of £ls shows interest at the rate of 10 per cent,, though defendant claims that the interest was 'y, p PI - cent. T thinkthat defendant's storv that £lO5 was paid 'n a backyard after tea, when presumably no one could tell the difference between a five and a ten pound note, is seemingly absurd. T give judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed, £llß (is Bd, costs £lO 3s.

The actors in this Court drama were: Plaintiff. Ceorse Keillor. Stratford farmer. defendant, Whiter Hamilton! Motorna. farm manager. Solicitor for the plaintiff. Mr. Cecil Wright, and for the defendant. Mr. G. D. Hamerton, of Patea.

STRAY PARAGRAPHS Scene: A New Plymouth Hotel; dramatis personae, group of Stratford youn<* bloods (strayed from the Stratford picnic) and Licensed Victualler's Assistant (a lady). Quoth the young blood: "You fcnow we're in from the country." Said she ("in a rieli. clear voice"): "Oh. •there's no need to tell me that." (Collapse of the Callow Youth from Cowland). The ratepayers of Stratford have derived a certain amount of benefit from the construction of the railway "Out Eafit." and will probably continue to do so for all time, but there is. however, a debit side to the ledger. For some time past the question of hospital treatment for the workers on the line, who are non-ratepayers and frequently bad payers also, has been a source of considerable anxiety and expense to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Now, attention is drawn to the fact that many of the "old men" on the line who are b< : ng sacked, are becoming a burden on 'the ratepayers. Tn cases where the men arc Old Age Pensioners the burden is not so heavy, hut in the case of old men. riot qualified for pensions, and admitted into the Old People's Home, the cost to the ratepayers is 12s fid per week. It transpires that the vason why the Borough Inspector wa« instructed to withdraw certain nror"edmgs at the Map Urate's Court last w •'t was that the lefendant. a carrier, ' A paid his lieerse feee before the ' 'mons was \ received. The S.M. said ' • must record a conviction. The - ;lit time to pay was hefore the snmn -s was issued.

Mr. AVill Diamond is m-'.ing good progross after a successful operation in Auckland on Thursday. Wanted: Words to describe the look on the faces of the St. Andrew's tennis players, as the excursion train passed them, waitinpr at the Fitzroy station. Also, language, suitable to express their gratitude at the kindness extended to them liy the people who live near that station, which served them so badly. The reason why.—A local carrier when plying for hire bv night very recently has held in his hand a large swinging lantern. The reason was apparent, when he was haled before the Court yesterday, and convicted for driving without lights. Leniencv was a sfrong point with His "Worship yesterday, as two other by-law breakers wot off with a mere conviction and no fine. They looked more pleased than the Inspector, who bore the agon wed expression of one who has lost a sovereign and found sixpence. SOCIAL NEWS '' A garden party was held at Mrs. T. 0. Fook'es' charming residence. "Riverside." 1 Stratford on Wednesday. During ,the afternoon Mrs. Fookes, in a very happy speech, presented Mrs. Wake with a handsome gold cable bangle as a remembrance of the pleasant times spent in Stratford. Mrs. Wake feelingly replied. Amongst those present were: —Mesdames Wake. Anderson, T. H. Penn. Young. Wilson. Paget. J. P. TTine. Stubbs. ,T. Pirie. Cameron, Lonergan. Oarbery. Uniaeke, P. Pavlv. Pobinson. Pudge, 0. Penn. Peattie (Auckland), W. M. Payly. Wright. .Tames. Mackav. W.

D. Anderson, Twiss. White (Auckland), Curtis, Richards, Webster. Grant, Sonne!, Glasgow, Wilkic, Gapping, Steven, Porritt. the Mioses IHitler. Anderson {Auckland), D. Trimble. M. ('. Mack-ay. Orbell, Holford (New Plymouth, Iline. Wake (2), Bayly, Lascelles. Pest (Auckland), Tennant (Wellington), Payne (Wellington), lv Curtis, Capel, Taylor (Sydney), Hanby, O'Brien.

BERNARD'S PICTURES The change of programme is again ,np to "Bernard's" standard. Among the chief pictures are "Robin Hood Outlawed" and ''The Prisoner of the Harem." The former is a very line piece of actinit and the life of Robin add his merry men is strikingly displayed. The latter shows the abduction of a young American girl, and the stirring adventure of a young man-o'-warsman, who succeeds in an attempt to rescue the girl. Particularly fine scenics : are "The Poppies" and: ''Scutari." the Egyptian street scones of the latter being very fine. The comics include "Willy at a BoaWMnsrhouse," "Revenge is Sweet," ami "The Hoodoo Hat," all of which are first-class.