SUPREME COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 191, 13 August 1919, Page 4

SUPREME COURT.

TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. INDECENT ASSAULT John Robert Price (Mr. A. Moodyl -wa's charged that between November 1 last and February 4 he indecently assaulted a girl of seven years, and, on a minor count, that he acted in an indecent and offensive manner towards the girl. The circumstances were that the child mentioned some time after the event that accused, a bootmaker, had acted offensively towards her in his'shop and her complaint was supported to some' extent 'by what a small brother ca w When challenged on the subject accused did not deny the outward actions, bat made an explanation which minimised the inference of indecency to be drawn from the action. The jury returned a verdict of "guilty," and the prisoner was remanded till to-morrow for sentence. COUNTRY TOWNSHIP BRAWL. A case from the country was a charge gainst a labourer, James Odium (Mr R. A. Singer) that at Hikutaia on June 2 he assaulted Jack Olsen so as to cause him actual bodily harm. Evidence was given by Olsen, a Norwegian contractor of Paeroa, who stated that on June 2 he attended a stock sale at Hikutaia. He was in the hotel there when Odhim whom witness knew by sight, came np to him and demanded that he pay back the £2 "ne (Odium) had lent him." Witness had never borrowed any money off Odium, and owed him nothing. He told him so, and Odium called him names, and struck him and dragged him out of the bar. Witness g-ot clear, and Odium attacked him again, so witness cldsed with him Then Od-Jm sunk his teeth into witness' right arm. They wers separated by bystanders, hut Odium attacked him again, and hit and kicked him till the spectators again separated them. Witness was too much mauled, to go home, and he stayed at the hotel. Next day he went to a doctor at the Thames, and was sent into Thames Hospital, where he remained for four weeks. To Mr. Singer Odium had asked for £2, which he said witness owed him, twice before, on other occasions, and witness had said he would tell the police. He had never 'borrowed money from the accused, but he had borrowed money from two or three other pers<~ mentioned by counsel. The ease is proceeding.

Striking light on the relation between clean and noiseless streets and the health lof the community was shown by the figures in the possession of >Ir. W. D. Craven, an American road expert, at present visiting Dunedin. The figures concern New York. In 1592, with a population of 1,630,000, that city registered 44,329 deaths, or an average rate of 27 per 1,000. In 1914 the city had a population of 3.296,197, but registered only 43.253 deaths, or an average of 13 per 1,000. The Health Department credits this remarkable decrease largely to the extension of smooth paving during the intervning yars. In 1890 New York had only 27 miles of asphalt street, but in 1915 the total mileage asphalted was 982. Those 982 miles were all paved prior to 1890, but with stone blocks or brick or some other type of paving that could not be kept so clean or so quiet as asphalt. It Yens reported at a meeting in Timaru (says an exchange) that a new union had been formed called "The Natural Oddities' Union." This raised a laugh, but it was shown that men had actually refused work, giving as a reason that they belonged to this union. They were too heavy, they said, for light work, and too light for heavy work; and they declined the work which was offered them thought it was neither light nor heavy. Remnant and oddment day on Thursday at the A.8.C., Newton. All remnants at half marked prices.—(Ad.)