LEGAL QUESTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 110, 19 February 1935, Page 5

LEGAL QUESTION.

DISCOVERY BY GRAND JURY. JUDGE'S CONGRATULATIONS. (Per Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, February 18. The congratulations of. Mr Justice Blair on their discovery of a nice legal point during their deliberations were received by the Grand Jury at the Supreme Court. The jury . had been considering whether there was a case for trial against R. Bennocb, W. J. Pycroft, Albert Edward Lewis and W. H. Cosbrook, who were arraigned on 46 charges, including the forging and uttering cf relief workers' time sheets and time coupons. The Grand Jury had returned to Court to ask a question of his Honor. "We would like to ask what is the meaning of forgery," said the foreman. The point was that the time sheets had been signed by each of the men in his own name. . Was it not false pretences rather than forgery, and in that case should they not disregard Jhe forgery charge and concentrate deliberations on the alternative charges?

"I anticipated that some question would be raised " as to whether the giving of an incorrect time sheet, seeing that it is signed by the men themselves, is' really forgery," said Ins Honor. "I must congratulate you on finding a nice legal point. A better point for tne Crown to have made would have been a count of false pretences. I had meant to deal with the question in summing up, but it appears I turned over two pages at once in my notes and overlooked it."