AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 283, 28 November 1911, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN CABLES.

WORKERS' HALF-HOLIDAY. SYDNEY, November 27. In the Industrial Court the President (Judge Seholes) over-ruled the conviction of a permanent employee for accepting work from another employer on his statutory half-holiday. The President held that the Wages Board bad no power to dictate how a person should spend the half-holiday, which was given unconditionally, with the right of the recipient to use it as he liked. CYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP. (Received 9.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The hospital cycling carnival was continued yesterday. The international paced championship, three miles, resulted: Mutton 1, Grenda 2, Horder 3. Won by a length and a-half. Time, Cm 475. DR. PEACOCK'S APPEAL. (Received 9.15 a.m.) MELBOURNE, this day. The appeal of Dr. Peacock against bis conviction for the murder of Margaret Davies was commenced before the High Court. Mr. Duffy, for Dr. Peacock, contended that either the body should be produced or circumstantial evidence of death tendered.

The points on which the appeal rests are: evidence of the death of the person supposed to be murdered. (2) whether there was sufficient evidence that if dead the person was murdered; (3) whether there ha", been a mistrial because the judge did not direct the jury that they ought to hesitate before convicting on the uncorroborated evidence of an accomplice, and if they considered it was uncorroborated: (4) whether there was a misdirection by the judge as to the effect of the treatment by the jury of the prisoner's unsworn statement.' Dealing with the question of corpus delicti, Mr. Duffy, for Dr. Peacock, explained to the High Court that there was an absence of evidence as to the death of the woman supposed to have been murdered. The only evidence was her disappearance and the doctor saying that she was dead. The only person who told of the doctor having said so was Poke, the young man who had been keeping I company with the gifl. AN ISLAND TRAGEDY. (Received 10.20 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The Pacifique brought news of an outrage at Malekula. A native trading crew went ashore to buy yams and was treacherously attacked, one being fatally shot and two seriously wounded. QUEENSLAND DROUGHT BROKEN. (Received 10.20 a.m.) .BRISBANE, this day. Reports from the western districts show that the drought has broken. Three inches of rain have fallen on some stations.