STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1919, Page 3

STRATFORD.

(Prom Our Own Correspondent.) '■*ll communications, letters, etc., left with Mr H. J. iloDliiiis, bookseller, win receive prompt attention.) MAGISTRATE'S COURT A sitting of the Magistrate's Court was heid at Stratford yesterday, and was presided over by Mr. Poynton, S.M. AFFILIATION CASE. W. T. McManaway admitted paternity of an illegitimate child, and an order was made for the payment of 10s weekly. TERRITORIALS FINED. Harold Painter was charged with failing to attend.drill on April 16. Defendant stated that, owing to the epidemic, work had got behind, and had to be pulled lip. A fine of 40s was imposed. Sergt.-Major Chaplin said that defendant had only attended drill twice during the past six months. Thomas McLeod was fined 40s on a similar charge. Arthur Hunter, who had not attended once during the past sis months, was fined £5. . Norman Walsh, who had only attended two drills during the past six months, was also fined £5. Kenneth Walters was fined £3. Ronald Hill, who only attended one drill during the past sis months, was fined £5. OTHER CHARGES. McFarland Bros., for having failed to register a dog, were fined 20s and costs. N. S. White was fined 20s and costs for having allowed cattle to wander on a public road. N. Burke was fined 20s and costs for a similar offence. BUSH-FELLING CONTRACT. E. R. Knofflock (Mr. P. O'Dea) claimed from H. McLeod (Mr. Fooks) 83. The defendant counter-claimed for £O2 ss. Tlaintiff said he had contracted to fell 135 acres of bush for defendant at Tahora, and had received certain payments, but £B3 was still owing. He admitted an item of £l6 in the counterclaim, for mutton. There was no written contract. Nothing was said about the scrub, and all trees with a diameter up to 2ft. Gin. had to be cut. Defendant had never come to him and told him that he had failed to fell five acres. The bush was felled some time last year. He had three assistants, but after the Christmas holidays only two went back. Defendant then told him that it was no good, and he would pay them up to a certain point. Once, when they were nearly finished, defendant said that they were not doing the work properly.

A. Klee said McLeod had on ene occasion told him that the bushfellers were making a good job of it, and were making better wages than other bushfellers. McLeod had expressed himself as thoroughly satisfied with the way in which the work was being done. Ernest Harris said he was working on wages for plaintiff. The work was done well. On one occasion McLeod complained that the scrub was not cut properly. Cross-exumincd. witness said he was nephew to plaintiff. Bernard Nentrowsky, bushfeller with 15 years' experience, said he went over tho area felled by plaintiff on May 5. At that time the bush had been burnt He considered that the hush had been felled satisfactorily and the burn was a good one. Edward Callaghan Raid he had seen tho bush after it had been felled by plaintiff, ar.d would say that the job wa3 a good one. Plaintiff had felled some bush for witness the previous year. ,and he (witness) was thoroughly satisfied with the work. The burn was better than those obtained in witness' district. Clifford Marsh, farmer and bushfeller. h-aid that Knofflock's reputation in the Whangamomona district was good. He I had been over McLeod's property, and would say that a fair job had been done. Bad it been done for him he would have willingly paid the money out. This j concluded plaintiff's case.

Defendant stated that' the contract with plaintiff was a verbal one. Plaintiff was to cut, with the slasher, scrub to liin. and all trees with tho exception of totara, rata, kahikatea, rimu, matai, roaire, and pukatea were to be felled. He visited the contractor two or three times and told him that he had not scrubbed some places properly. Plaintiff said that he had, and refused to do the work over again. The men knocked off work the day before Christmas and were away three weeks or a month before returning. Witness told Knofflock before ho finally left that his contract had not been finished. Witnesses indicated by means of a plan heavy scrub and some trees which had not been touched. He estimated that about five acres had been left uncut, and 30 acres had not been properly done. Trees had been felled on uncut scrub and had,in some cases, been left hanging on the stump The result of the Blipshod work was a bad burn. The day on which he burnt was favorable, and where the bush had been well felled he had a good hum. Owing to the bad burn the cost of sowing the seed was heavier.

To Mi'. O'Dea: He was pretty nearly satisfied with what tho men had done up to December 1, when half of the work had been completed. The had patches had not been felled prior to that. He could not admit that the burn was bad in places because of gullies. Frederick C. Coxhead, farmer, residing at Tahora, said when felling bush it was proper to cut the undergrowth first He had some bush felled about the same time as McLeod. Witness burnt earlier than McLeod, and had a good burn. In McLeod's contract there were about 25 chains along the river which had notbeen touched. This bush should have been felled by the contractor. There were other places where the scrub had not been cut at all. He estimated the area to which thin applied at five acres. The work was defective over 24 acres, and it would cost about 30s an acre to put matters right.

To. Mr. O'Dea: Whether the work by the contractors was done well was a matter of opinion. Henry G. W. Taylor, farmer, of Tahora, said serubibng should be done first. If a contract was let to fell 125 acres of bush it would include scrubbing. He sowed the grass seed for McLeod. Some portions were well and some badly burnt. His work was difficult owing to the bad portions.

Plaintiff, recalled, said the part that did not burn well was done first and lonjr before December. The Magistrate, after commenting on the contradictory nature of the evidence, said he considered the weight of evidence showed that five acres had not been cut. With respect to the 25 acres, he did not think the whole area had been botched, but he did not think the work had been done as well as it should have been.' He i£frdd allow £lO on the five seres and

'£l6 on the 25 acres, so that, with the amount admitted by plaintiff for mutton and the £2O 16s paid into court by defendant, judgment would be for plaintiff for £2O. Costs were allowed plaintiff. BY DEFAULT. Judgment was given for plaintiff by default in the following cases:—A Manoy v. N. F. Meads, a claim for £3 3s; J. D. Watson v. J. H. Robson, a claim for £SO 7s; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company v. J. Hilt, a claim for £1 2s Od; F. J. Folley v. A. L. Wolfe, a claim for 8s; same v. J. Cebello, claim for £6; G. M. Eraser v. W. Sharrock, a claim for £5 5s lid. JUDGMENT SUMMONS. An order for payment forthwith was made against N. Loveridge on a judgment summons issued by W. Mountford for £2 14s, in default three days' imprisonment. E. M. Heal applied for an order against F. Canute on a judgment summons for £8 3s Gd. An order was made for the payment of £2 monthly.

KING'S CINEMA THEATRE, STRATFORD. The big gorgeous super-pantomime "Jack and the Beanstalk" commences today at 1.30 p.m. Jim Tarver, who is eight feet sis on the naked hoof, and who was signed by William Fox to appear in the photo-play "Jack and the Beanstalk," like Topsy, just grew. Everybody knows the story, which has been handed from, from the earliest English peoples as a heritage of joy to the present day. "Jack and the Beanstalk," which has delighted the world, has now been caught before the allseeing eye of the camera, caged and made ready to present to the world in a tangible, visible form. The master mind of William Fox, film wizard, now presents to you the Fox wonder picture. Sydney Sun: "Jack and the Beanstalk" is the most artistic picture William Fox has ever produced, and this is said with due apologies to "Neptune's Daughter," "A Daughter of the Gods," and "The Honor System." This super-film is nearly two miles in length. The matinee commences at 130 p.. i., sharp, to-day (Saturday). T. L amason's weekly sale is advertised in another column.