CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 250, 12 March 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

A FAR-REACHING VERDICT. The verdict given in the Supreme Court dairy action, in which n supplier to the Rivordalc Factory Company was awarded damages against the company for "posting" him as having added water to his milk supplies, is of a far-reaching character. It menus that no factory in future will be able, except at considerable risk, to "post up" any supplier on similar grounds, and in the case of suspected watering will have to take other means of dealing with a supplier. The case also shows that the Rabeock test, used by most factories, is not regarded as altogether reliable in a court of law. The costs of tin's case, will rim into a heavy amount, not less, some say who should be in a position to know, than £3OO. A special jury for four days, experts like Dr. McLaurin and Professor Eastcrfleld, and counsel like the two Wellington luminaries, cost no small amount of money. Verily, law is a luxury.

A DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITY. Tt is to be regretted that the chairman of the Empire Trade Commission (Sir Edgar Vincent) was unable, owing to stress of business elsewhere, to come on to Tarannki with the other members who arrived last evening. Sir Edgar is a distinguished man, and has had a remarkable career. Soldier, diplomat, financier, politician, lie has been in turn. He was president of the Council of the Ottoman Public Debt, and subsequently Governor of the Imperial Ottoman Rank at Constantinople. He did valuable work in Egypt, where, as Financial Adviser to the Egyptian Government, he placed the finances on an assured footing, one of the greatest achievements in the history of finance. Lord Cromer spoke of his "using all the resources of a mind endowed with singular fertility of resource to struggle with a financial situation which appeared well-nigh desperate." It is interesting to know that, Sir Edgar is closely related to wellknown Taranaki residents, Mr. W. S. Young, of Otakeho. who has for some months been in New Plymouth recovering from an operation, and Mr. Walter Young, of this town. Sir Edgar is a man of splendid physique, being six feet three inches in his socks, and proportionately built. He is very wealthy, and owns one of the finest racing stables in England. Tt is understood he is very favorably impressed with New Zealand.

BUSY DAT AT SUPREME COURT. The Supremo Court put a fair amount of business through yesterday. Considerable interest attached to a curious will case, reported fullv in another column, in which the main point at issue was whether advances in cash and kind made by a fattier to his son could be considered as a gift or a loan. The Father died and in a will left a portion of his estate to the son in question, and the execute's contended that the advances were really debts and should, therefore, be deducted from th° son's share in the paternal estate. Another action saw father ranged against son in a claim for £430 fls 7d, arising out of an agreement to work a farm on half shares. His Honor, in classing it as a domestic quarrel, said it would be far better for the parties concerned to settle it amicably between themselves, without entailing the expense or publicity of Court proceedings. After consultation between counsel the parties retired from the body of the Court, and on returning, announced that a settlement had been arrived at. The outstanding- feature in another case, in which a woman sought relief under the Family Protection Act. was the fact that a deceased .man had bequeathed the whole of his property to his next of kin. but completely overlooked his wife. Failing the discovery of the be7tcfieiaries named, he directed that the money should no to a public institution. The Court directed that certain provision should be made for the widow. Tn the rate in which Arthur E. I>. Collins applied for an annulment of his bankruptcy, Mr. Dennistou went out of his way to congratulate the bankrupt on having within a comparatively short time of his bankruptcy, paid his creditors in full. It would be a pleasurable d'nty, he commented, to grant such orders every day in the week. The sessions, which have been unusually long, will be brought to a close to-day.

mushroom* axd murder. A desperate outrage, not dissimilar to those associated with the notorious Parisian motor bandits, is reported from the Okato district. It appears th:it .Mr. Pcchstein. having taken a piano out to a swamp in that district for some dark mysterious reason, best known to himself, decided that mushrooms were really the only thing that would effectually touch his complaint. So he scoured the paddocks over a radius of none 'miles by noneteen, and filled twelve baskeisfnl. Loading up the express with ten of these, while the other two ran behind, he left for town. On the way he met a motor ca-r. which was manned by a number of severe and dreadful persons who were disguised as Indies, who held Mm up and demanded to know whether there were any mushrooms, to be found in the district. Smitten by a spasm of exceptional intelligence he directed the party to the paddocks which he had already ravaged and fled onwards. Put, at Oakum his horse developed a frog in liis hoof, and he had to stop for alterations and repairs. In the meantime the bandits, "having found the paddocks plundered, decided to pursue the shocking marauder, and running his express to earth at Oaktira they sent one of their number to discuss with him whether protoplasms are really anthropoidal or if it were, only a rumor. During the discussion the twelve baskets of mushrooms—like the twelve young oysters in I Alice iu Wonderland—were yavdetf up

and iUTommoilnti'd with seats in the motor cur. Then the bandits cranked up, iind leaving Die oilier crank started gently townwanls. Tt was at this moment that .Mr. Bechstein decided to get even, and hastily vacating his pew, lie called after Uki retreating car, "All! Yon haven't got any mushrooms," "Neither have von," came the response, as a lilywhite" maii'en waved all the twelve stoien baskets at him on the third fin-p-er of her engagement hand. And then the car sped away, and silence and thunder and sulphur and things of tJiat sort reigned in tile hunt for years, and years and years.