CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 249, 11 March 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

TIOXORTXG THE PIOXEERS. His "Worship the Mayor, who has taken the initiative in entertaining the pioneers of North Taranaki on t'lm anniversary of their landing towards the end of the month, asks us to say that he will be pleased to receive contributions towards the cost of the outing;, which is to be hehl at the Park. The object is a most worthy one, and there should Tie a generous response to the Mayor's appeal. Already several subscriptions have been promised.

THE SUPREME COURT. The protracted civil suit in which A. If. l'lavle preferred a libel notion against the Riverdale Dairy Company was brought to a conclusion yesterday. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff and awarded him £35 damages. On behalf of the defendant company, Mr. Morrison, K.C., asked for a lion-suit, and II is Honor reserved his decision. Of the remaining cases on the civil list, only three will be defended. The first on the schedule is that of James Ilayward v. Albert Edward Havward, claim for £430 !)s (id for moneys alleged to he due under a dairying and milking agreement. The case is likely, it is understood, to last two days. TILLAGE OF GOODS. The pillage of goods en route from the Old Country to Yew Zealand still goes merrily on. A Yew Plymouth importer informed a Yews reporter that instead of decreasing, the practice is growing, and that it is the exception now to receive a box of goods that has not been tampered with. The work is done so skilfully that even the critical eye cannot always detect anything wrong. The iron round the eases, or sufficient of if) for the purpose, is carefully taken off and the nails extracted. The thieves, who seem to have plenty of time at their disposal, go right through the goods and take the very best and most valuable goods, and then seal the box, leaving 110 sign of it having been opened. Yot long ago a local tradesman had ordered from his Home agents a very valuable present for his wife. This was packed amongst the other goods. Sure enough, when the case came to be unpacked, the identical article, the most valuable of the lot, was missing. Seeing how heavy must be the cost the shipping companies are putto in the matter of compensation for ffoods lost in transit, it is surprising that some means has not been hit upon to effectually put a stop to this wholesale pillaging.