DOUBLE-BARRELLED JUSTICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 April 1921, Page 7

DOUBLE-BARRELLED JUSTICE.

GILBERTtAN INCIDENT FROM NORTHERN TERRITORY. Sydney, March 15. Some quaint things have happened in the Northern Territory. One of the quaintest has just had its sequel in the High Court. A hop beer manufacturer, with the notable name of Villiers Clarence Murray Presley, was last year fined at Darwin, under the Northern Beer Excise Act, for having in his possession, «ontrary to the provisions of that Act, alf a kilderkin of beer. Mr. Gerald Hogan, sitting as a special Magistrate, dismissed the charge. The Territory officials were dissatisfied, and they applied for an order nisi to review the case. The application was heard by Mr. Gerald Hogan, and he granted the order. The case was thereupon re-heard by Mr. Gerald Hogan, sitting as a deputy Judge, and he reversed the decision of Mr. Gerald Hogan, special Magistrate, under authority of the order granted by Mr. Gerald Hogan for a review of the case, a-nd Presley was fined £2O and. £lO costs.

There was too marked a suggestion of *tne immortal Poo-Bah about t’Wmatter for the parties concerned, and they brought it the High Court on an appeal. The point was* made that there could not be a deputy Judge in the Territory, because there was no Judge to be a deputy of. Mr. Justice Higgins caused much amusement by sending for a Bible and quoting Kings, 25-47 : “There was then no king in lEdom; a deputy I was king.” Finally, argument on the