ELTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1921, Page 6

ELTHAM.

MAGISTRATE’S COURT. Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., presided at a sitting of the Eltham Magistrate’s Court yesterday. 1 THEFT OF RUGS. Henry Edward Keighley pleaded guilty to the theft of a buggy rug valued at 17?: and a buggy rug valued at £2. Constable Townsend said that the thefts occurred on the night of the play at Eltham last week. The rugs were taken from vehicles left by people who were attending the play. The father of accused said that the boy had left home to work for himself. He had apparently got'in with some other lads, and drinking had taken place. The boy was willing to go back to his home, and witness was willing to take him under control. Accused was convicted and placed on probation for a period of twelve months. THEFT OF SHOES. Henry Ernest- Fergusop Samuel Lee pleaded guilty to the theft of a pair of tan shoes, valued at £2 15s. Mr. Crump appeared for accused. Constable Townsend said that accused was staying at the Central Hotel, and stole the shoes from the room of another boarder, selling them to a local bootmaker for £l, with which he hired a motor car and went out to a job in the country. Mr. Crump attributed the cause of the act to the fact that the youth had got into bad company, and that drinking led to the theft. Accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. BY-LAW CASES. Robert Allen, charged with riding a bicycle at night without a light, was convicted and ordered to pay 7s costs. Cecil Allen, on a similar charge, was convicted and ordered to pay 7s costs. William Poole, charged with permitting a horse to wander at large, was fined 5s and 14s costs, and ordered to pay 5s poundage fee. MAINTENANCE. The application of Thomas Henry Bishell for the cancellation of a maintenance order made against him at Auckland in January, 1920, for 7s 6d per week for the support of a grandchild, was refused. SHARE-MILKING DISPUTE. The case in which James Kettles (Mr. Crump) proceeded against Alexander Melvin Boddie (Mr. Chrystal) for two separate claims of £l9 19s and £46, and Boddie counter-claimed for £74 7s, was proceeded with. The hearing was commenced a month ago, decision being reserved. The case was a complicated one, revolving round the employment of Kettles by Boddie as a sharemilker. Kettles’ claim was for wages and damages for alleged breach of a sharemilking agreement, and the counter-claim was for x house rent, payment for a horse, alleged damage to. property, and an alleged breach of a shareifrilking contract.

The magistrate gave judgment for plaintiff for £l4 19s and £7 Ss costs, for items of work done, and for the defendant t Boddie) on the counter-claim for £l7, and £5 19s costs, for rent, grazing and cleaning the house, but held that no agreement had been entered into as to sharemilking. and disallowed that part of the counter-claim. In the case in which Kettles claimed £46 for alleged breach of contract for sharemilking, plaintiff decided, in view of the magistrate’s finding that there was no contract in the first case, not to proceed, and the case was struck out without costs. CIVIL CASES. Judgment for plaintiff by default was given in the following cases: Clough and Harris v. E. James, £9 4s lid (£1 17s 6d costs) ; official assignee in estate of Albert Geo. Mills v. John Hunter Graham, £7 3s 9d (£1 10s 6d costs)