RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 185, 4 March 1868, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Chas. Broad, Esq., R.M.) Mondat, March 2. John Kelly, for beiug drunk and disorderly and obstructing the police, was fined £3 or one month.

John M'Lachlan, an old man, was charged under the Vagrancy Act, with having no visible means of support. Detective Rowley stated he had known prisoner for some time ; had seen him in gaol at Hokitika, and afterwards living in a disorderly house with two women at Brighton, but never saw him earning a living. He was now Irving in a disorderly house with two women.

Prisoner said he had worked for Mr Duff, but Rowley stated that Duff had told him prisoner had been entrusted with a basket of eggs to sell but had not been seen again. James Mitchell stated he lived next door to the house prisoner was living in, and gave evidence as to its disorderly character, saying his wife was in terror of her life owing to the drunken characters always about the place. The Magistrate said he had already warned the prisoner more than once, and should now commit him to gaol for three months with hard labor. Charlotte Crisp v. John Coughlin. — Cliam £8 for two weeks wages as dance girl. Mr Horne appeared for plaintiff, for whom judgment was given by default, Kennedy and Co. v. Galland —Mr Horne for defendant.—This was a similar case to one tried before, in which Kennedy sued Galland for rent of the butchers' shop adjoining the Melbourne hotel, of which the latter insisted upon retaining the key, and a verdict was obtained for rent up to 10th February. The present action was brought to recover rent for a week and a half subsequent to that date, the defendant having continued to keep the key for that period. Judgment for £5 and costs. Kennedy Brothers v. Goldstucker — Claim £6 4s for goods supplied. Judgment for plaintiffs by default with costs.

Kennedy and Heighway v. L. Davies —Claim £18 15s for board and lodging. Judgment for plaintiff by default. Knopp v. Isaacs —Claim, £35 on an IOU. Mr Johnston for defendant, admitted the debt, and only wanted time for payment, having property at the Buller to realize. Judgment for amount claimed, £10 to be paid now, remainder by three weekly instalments.

Behan v. Singer & Knight —Claim, £10 for sheep skins. The plaintiff in this action had to submit to be nonsuited, a few clays ago on a technical point. The delivery of the skins was admitted, but Mr Horne, who appeared for Singer, said he could prove that his client was not a partner of Knights, but had lent him money. He called Knight, who stated he did not consider they were partners — had never borrowed any money from Singer. Judgment for plaintiff, to be paid by Singer, £2 at once, the balance in 14 days. Wm. Kennedy V. Daniel Morgan — This was a claim for 11s 6d, against which a set-off was pleaded, of 12s 6d, value of a shirt said to have been torn off defendant's back by plaintiff. Judgment for plaintiff with costs. Whittle v. M'Mullin and Kelly — Claim £12, for rent of cottage and damage done to furniture and building. Plaintiff stated defendants had agreed to rent the cottage for four months, at £1 per week as per agreement produced, and there was 7 weeks' rent owing. As to the furniture, the bedstead had been broken up and used, the chairs were broken, and the carpet destroyed by defendants chopping wood in the room. Cross-examiued by Mr Johnston, who appeared for Mr O'Kelly, had taken an IOU from O'Kelly for £2 16s. Had heard them chopping wood but did not see them. The house was weather-tight when let to defendants. O'Kelly stated the damage was done by water leaking through the roof; had given an I O U for his share of the rent—Dr M'Mullen had left the district. Judgment for the amount of the I O U, £2 16s and £3 for damage to furniture.

Employing Women as Compositors.— From what we can glean, the experiment has signally failed in printing-offices. The girls can manage to scramble up their reprint copy pretty tolerably, but when they come to correct at the stone they do not like it at all, and squabbles of all sorts are the consequence. Then, again, stopping after eight o'clock to get a proof out is quite out of the question. Sundry signals and whistles are often heard from their anxious swains in waiting, who cast up small pebbles to the windows, and then the girls are artful enough to throw their bonnets and cloaks down to their sweethearts in the street from the top windows, and leisurely pass down the stairs in their office costume, and if merely going from one room to another, they quickly slope off in a mysterious manner. In spite, therefore, of much oral humbug, the female compositor idea is but another proof that whatever may bo a woman's mission, or whatever her proper place may be, it is not in the workshop, to injure her father, brother, or husband, whatever interested advocates may say to the contrary.

Editors. —Speaking of these mysterious personages, Captain Marryatt most truly says:—" I know a periodical will wear down one's existence. In itself it appears nothing ; it is the continual attention it requires. Your lite becomes, as it were, wrapped up in it. One publication is no sooner corrected and printed, than on comes another. It is the stone of Sisyphus, an endless repetition of toil and constant weight upon the intellect and spirits, demanding all your exertions, and compelling you to the severest drudgery. To write occasionally for a paper is very well, but to edit one is to condemn yourself to oppressive slavery." To this might be added the task of pleasing everybody ; never giving an unpleasant opinion ; being able to answer whatever any of your correspondents might ask, whether it related to ihe possibility of an atmosphere in the moon, or how to restore decayed photographs. "While an editor is everybody's slave, nobody thinks he has anything to do but to read their letters, and too often answer them at his own outlay of postage! " Boys will be Boys."—A short time since, as the Liverpool steamer Constance was lying in the harbour of St Nazaire, in France, the attention of the captain, who was on deck, was attracted by some boys shouting to him. One of the boys had a letter in his hand, which he said was for " Monsieur le -Captaine." The captain in consequence sent a sailor for the letter, and the boys retired some distance from the quayside, but within sight of the steamer. Inside the envelope the captain found a rude drawing, in the genuine school-boy style, of an artilleryman firing a cannon, the ball of which had evidently made a great hole in an English union-jack. On the opposite side of the flag was a " John Bull," shaking a stick with one hand and carrying a double eye-glass in the other, as he Tittered the familar phrase, " Goddem." Over the drawing was written—" Mister Englischs, you are sills blockets and dogs, mokey," and underneath, " A has l'Angletaire." The reading of this epistle was watched with great interest by the young " Mossoos," who ran off in great glee when they saw that the captain had mastered all its mysteries.— Liverpool Albion, Nov. 11.

Cardinal Wolsey aKd the Peess. —This eminent Minister of Henry VIII. closed the printing press of the monastery of St. Albans, whose abbot be was. It is said that he told the clergy that if teey did not destroy the press the press would destroy them. His penetration recognised already the growing enlightment of the people by the gradual decline of priestly domination. The Cardinal feared the press, and tried to curb its power, having discovered that his actions were c'ritised, and referred to under an assumed name. Among the many references made to him was a pamphlet entitled " The Beggar's Petition," which depicted the poverty of the people and the enormous taxes levied upon them, for which Wolsey was made responsible. The cardinal was compelled to fear public opinion ; and well he did fear it, for what else is man's visible conscience ? He sacrificed everything in order to suppress this power; the burning of the books should procure him repose, for the first edition was always followed by the second, and he found it easier to burn the authors than their books. Every book sacrificed to the flames produced a new one from its ashes.—" E. F." in the Stationer.