R.M. COURT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3356, 8 November 1889, Page 2

R.M. COURT.

MASTERTON-FKIDAV. (Before Colonel Roberts, IUI, HAIIBIT OASES. John Drummond v Charles F, Vallance, broach of section 9 of the Rabbit Act, Mr beard for the defence pleaded guilty, and was fined in the mitigated penalty of 40s, including costs 7s, IIREACII OK THE DESTITUTE I'EIISONS

Edward J, Williams was charged I with failing to comply with an ordor of the Court made 80th August, 188G, to pay the sum of 80s per month in support of his wife and family. Mr Skipper appeared for complainant, and Mr Fowuall for defendant, J. J. JTreetb produced the records of the Court of the date named when the order was mado by Mr Stratford, B.M. Ho said two payments of 80s each had been made since that order. It was the general practice to pay the money into Court, Mary Ann Williams said she had only received two payments since then, Cross-examined: Had obtained her living by occasional work, and had received help from her married daughters. Was unable to work at present from ill-health, Was aware that her husband had met with an accident whilo at bush work, Did not thmk ho had been working much for the last six months.

Re-examined; Her husband was keeping none of the children. Witners was keeping one boy besides herself,

Mr Pownall, for the defence, claimed that the information must be dismissed as the evidence of the order having been made had not been proved, The order itself was the evidence that must bo produced, The record was not on order, and as a matter of fact no order had been drawn up, therefore his client could not have failed to comply with it. Mr Skipper said thero was no form of order required by the Act. The order was made .by the Magistrate in Court and the record thereof duly signed by the Magistrate was produced.

In answer to tho Court Mr Freeth said the custom was to make an entry of the order, and when it became necessary to take action thereon the order was dawn up.'

Mr Pownall drew attention to a clause in tho Act which said an order shall be drawn up and lodged in the manner as after a conviction,

The information was dismissed, DAMAGING A FKNCE.

William Shaw, v John Butcher. Mr Board for defendant. ■

Plaintiff said he had frequently had his paddock fence broken.down, and from information lie received he had brought the present information. He brought forward, In support of his complaint, the evidence of Alice Scadden, a little girl 9 years of age, Witness having been sworn said she saw John Butcher standing in the road near the broken fence. Sho did not see him break the fee. Mr Beard characterised tho case as a most trumpery one-unfounded.

trom thi boginuing. Ho askod that the information be dismissed f and, under the'circumstances, that the expenses of all witnesses bellowed, also the expense's accused liad been put to. . '■• •■ •' The information was dismissed with costs, witnesses 15s, court costs Os. The Grand Lodge Movement. Lord Onslow's Views. In tlio correspondence ro the grand lodge, the Exeoutivo Committee of the Union(writing under date October 14) point out to Lord Onslow, who was askod to receive a deputation from them, that there are in tho Colony UT lodges-85 under the English, 15 under the Irish, and 47 under the Scotch constitutions. Of tbeao 50 English, 10 Irish, and 32 Scotch lodges had given their adhesion to the proposed grand lodge; while IS English, 2 Irish, and i Scotch lodges were opposed to it; and 20 English, 8 Irish, and 11 Bcotch were still undecided. The Executive have good reason to believe that the proportion of individual Masons in the Colony whose views they represent is even greater than tho majority of the lodges, Thoy also loam from , reliable sources that at least fourteen lodges are yet undecided, and are ' only awaiting an expression of the . Governor's approval to give in their adhesion, There was good reason to believe that, should he consent to accept tho Grand Mastership, 120 lodges would immediately enrol under a New Zealand constitution,

Tho Governor's reply, dated from Nelson, says tliut from tho moment of liia appointment as Governor lie made it his business, as a past officer of the English Grand Lodge, to inquire into the condition of the craft here, and studied the history of this movement since his arrival in the colony, He goes on to say;—" The approval ot the Grand Lodge of England has already been given to the establishment of a grand lodge in several of the colonies of Australia, and thero is no reason to bclieic that were tho conditions in New Zealand similar to those which obtained in those colonies immediately prior to the establishment of a grand lodge that that approval would be withheld in the present case. But as yet I have not felt myself able to represent to tho Graud Secretary that that practical unanimity which has been secured in Australian colonies has been attained in New Zealand. Although, according to tho figures given in your lotter, 92 out of 147 lodges have passed a resolution in favour of. the establishment of a grand lodge for Now Zealand there remains no inconsiderable number of lodges who have expiessed no such opinion; and further, there must bo in many of the 92 lodges a minority of Masons more or less numerous whose views are entitled to respect, though their opinions may not be those of the majority. I cannot but rccogniso the oarnestness of purpose, and loyal, courteous, Masonic spirit in which the Masonic Union have carried on their efforts for the attainment of Masonic autonomy; but I also note that the time during which their task has been prosecuted is comparatively limited, and though the results have been considerable the work does not yet appear to be done, for in such a case, and acting on behalf of such a body of Freemasons, whose chief bond is that of unity and coraplote accord, no result can truly be said to have bcon attained which does not bear with it tho complete approval of the craft as a whole, You say that in your belief a 1: least fourteen lodges do me the honor to attach such importance to an expression of my opinion on tho subject that if it were known that I was favorable to the movement their adhesion would be secured. If that be so I am glad to be able to express my opinion, which is that if the .establishment of a grand lodge of Now Zealand were thought by an almost unanimous consensus of Masonic opinion in the colony to be likely to conduce to economy and tend to the extension of charity and the other | guiding principles of Freemasonry, then—in a rapidly growing community such as this, which, in common with those of tho Australian colonies whose example you seek to follow, is fast growing in the nation—nothing should bo done to impede, but rather to foster suth Masonic autonomy; but circumstances at tho present moment appear to me to bo such that, while deeply sensible of the honor you propose to do me, 1 feel that were I to accept it I could not feel that all the lodgeß, still less all Freemasons, in New Zealand would enrol themselves under tho new grand lodge, and 1 entertain gravo donbts whether the necessary recognition would bo ascorded by H.11.H., and the grand masters of tho Scotch and Irish constitutions; while it is not impossible that grave schism, and perhaps a yesire to overstep tho bounds of legality, might arise in tho ranks of l'reemasons, I will not therefore, put you to the trouble of leaving Wellington for the purpose of seeing mo, but content myself with expressing the hope that in tho course of twelvo months, or possibly more, you may be able to show that your views are shared by a considerably larger majority of the Masonic community; unil if the conditions which I have suggested are then fu!6l!ed, you may rely on commanding my services with the Grand Lodge of England, or in any manner in which I can be of use in furthering your views, and in acting for the benefit of Freemasons in general and New Zealand in par ticular,"—Duiiedin Star