The Flaxbourne Estate.

14. The Compensation Court, which opened on Friday to hear the case of Clifford v. Minister for Lands, a claim of £400,000 in respect to the compulsory acquisition of the Flaxbourne Estate of 56,000 acres, for close settlement, is still engaged in consideration gof the preliminary law points. Mr Justice Cooper §b President of the Court, and the Assessors are Mr J. G. Wilson and Mr T. Kennedy Macdonald. Mr Skerrett, with Messrs Johnstone and Con oily, appear for the claimant, and Dr. Findlay, with Mesrs Stringer and McCallum, for the Crown. There are^four claimants, as follows: — Sir George Clifford, Canterbury; Walter Clifford, Flaxbourne ; Charles Clifford, England ; and Francis Clifford, London ; and. the total of the area they have retained under the Act is about 9,000 acres. At the outset Dr. Find- , lay asked his Honor to reserve certain law points for the decision of the full bench of the Supreme Court including the preliminary question of disputed classification. To-day counsel intimated that they had agreed that it was desirable to state a case for the Full;) Court, and that Dr. Findlay would telegraph the proposal to the Minister. The Court is now awaiting a .reply from the Minister. The present suggestion is that the case be adjourned for the hearing of the legal questions by the Full Court and be resumed by the Compensation Court early in 1905.