WESTFIELD STOCK SALES.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 119, 19 May 1920, Page 5

WESTFIELD STOCK SALES.

] Me-ssrfc. Alfred Auckland and Sons ; report aa follows: — I This day at our weekly Westfleld fat ! stock market our supply of fat cattle j totalled 371 head, comprising 24'J steers, i 11<5 cows and heifers, and (Tbulls. There '■ was a steady demand at last, week's reduced rate. Kxtra choice ox sold to £2 11/ per lOOHj; choice and prime ox, £2 7/ to £2 10/; ordinary and plain, £2 2/ to £2 5/; rough beef, £1 »/ to £1 13/; cow and heifer beef, £1 15/ to ;£2 S/ per 1001b. Steers ranged in price I from £24 10/ to £28 for extra heavy 'prime steers from Mr. W. Wright, , Ota.ua: CIS 10/ to £22 10,- for heavy | steers; lighter prime steers, £14 10/ to ! £17 10/j plain lipjht and unfinished steers £S 10/ to £13 10/; extra hravy cows £14 10/ to £1S 17/6 for a cow from Mr. R. H. Nicholson. Xgaruawahia: heavy cows, £12 to £14; lighter fat cows" £0 to £11 10/: other cows, £•"' to £8 10/.

In c-onnection with the high price of footwear, it is interesting to note that one shop in town bus on view a number of boot* v.ith wooden soles, something like an unproved clog. Several pairs of soles are also shown with the heel and the curve of the instep all carved out »f i one piece of wood.

THE CRIMINAL SESSIONS. A MAORI ABDUCTION. JUDGE'S GENERAL WARNING. SENTENCE OF THREE MONTHS. -'' annual sittings of the Supreme Court at Auckland, were continued yesterday and to-day 'before Mr. Justice Chapman. Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C., appeared for the Grown. A young Maori namer Iwi Hohaea, for whom Mr. E. C. Blomfield appeared, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of abducting from her home a Maori girl under the age of 16 years. He pleaded not guilty to a further charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of the girl. With the judged consent this eecond charge was withdrawn. Mr. Blomneld stated that the girl's departure from home was an ordinary case of a Maori boy running away with a -Maori girl. Even the police were in Home doubt as to the girl's age at the time, and it was agreed that ehe was now over the age of 16, at -which it was not unusual for Maori girls to be married. Addressing the prisoner, his Honor said: "I am going to give consideration to your jfood character and the fact that you have served your country, but J cannot, allow this offence to pass without punishment. You will receive a ehort sentence of imprisonment. The object of this is to let all Maoris know that this thing cannot be done- If a man comes before the court for doing what you have done —taking a young girl away from her parerits —he comee for punishment. The next man who does so will get a more severe punishment than you. You will be sentenced to three months' hard labour. ASSAULT ON WIFE AND CHILD. THE rON'SONBY CASE. Charges of assaulting hie Tvife and

young child so as to cause them actual bodily harm were laid against Alexander ! MeM-asters (Mr. J. Qaburne-Liilly). In respect to his wife, MeMasters -was aci cused of intent to do her grievous bodily harm. Evidence was given that on April 21 last, McMasters, who was a marine en- ■ gineer and had just came ashore, told two acquaintances that he waa going home to do something detrimental ■ (which he described) to his wife. He was ithen slightly in liquor, the witnesses I stated. Mrs. Cissie Pearson, a neighI boux of Mrs. McMasters, at Ponsonby, ' stated that in the afternoon of April 21 she heard an altercation in the next--1 door, backyard, and 6aw the accused ! strike hie wife heavily on the jaw with his clenched fist. The wife was carrying a twenty-months-old child in her arms at the time, and the child received part of the blow in its face. The woman fell heavily backwards, striking her head upon the concrete. The child's teeth proved to have been driven through its lrp, and it was bleeding profusely. Other evidence was to the effect that Mrs. McMasters, who had lately come out of a convalescent home when ehe was assaulted, suffered from concussion of the brain, and was now unalble to remember anything of the aeeault. Constable Watkins stated that -when he questioned the accused the latter was slightly in liquor, and stated to him that he had only given his wife a slight push. Mr. Osburne-Lilly did not call evidence, but, addressing the jury, submitted that it was imposeible for the woman and child to have received such a blow as described by Mrs. Pearson without suffering extremely severe injuries. He suggested that the accused's original statement to the police —that he gave his wife a slight push — ■was the truth, and that in Mrs. McMasters' state of health, as it turned out, a push might have been eufflcient to cause the fall, and the fall to cause the injuries described. The jury found the accused guilty of assaulting his wife and child so as to cause them actual bodily harm, but acquitted him of intent to cause his wife grievous 'bodily harm. His Honor in passing sentence said he co"uld not imagine a more brutal act than the assault which the prisoner had committed. "I always visit imprisonment on men who do these things," be said, "and I wish it to be known that 1 do/ Mcll-asters was sentenced to IS months' 'hard labour. » ALLEGED THEFT AT SEA. A young man named James Malm, a ship's steward, wa s charged that on j February 19, on board the s.s- Monowai, between Gisborne, and Auckland, he stole two watches, a chain, and £2 10/ in money from the person of Alexander Sligo, a fireman. Mr. V. R. Meredith appeared for the accused. The Crown evidence was to the effect that Sligo, who like the accused wae a passenger on the ship, was sleeping about . midnight on one of the deck seats. The second officer, coming out of his room, saw Malm bending over him, and searching in his waistcoat pockets. The ollicer awakened Sligo, who inisfted his watches and chain. These Malm produced from his trousers pocket, saying that he had taken them in view of the possibility that the man might be robberl. He admitted, however, that he did not know Sligo. The latter afterwards found that £2 10/, which he had in his hip pocket, was missinsr. When the ship reached Auckland Malm wa3 found to have only 11/ in cacTi on him, though his bank account showed a credit of over £30. The case is proceeding. TWO COXVTCITON?. ! In the case of Peter Peke, an Islander, charged with assaulting John H. Thomas, aged 64, aboard the e.s. Waipori, so as to cause him actual bodily harm, the jury returned a verdict of "guilty under the influence of liquor," | and recommended the prisoner to, . leniency on the ground of his youth, and his previous pood character. The foreman also stated that the jury had passed a resolution: "That this jury desires to direct attention to the evils 'of the drink traffic, ac disclosed by the : evidence in thifl case." ; Sentence was postponed til! later in the week. Thomas Percival McQuillan, charged with the theft of a pea-rifle, two rugs, :CV.I 7/ in cash, and a quantity of wearing apparel, from John Findlay, of Koutu, near ]totorua, was found guilty. Sentence was deferred. MURDER CHARGE KEDUCED. The grand jury, which concluded its sittings yesterday afternoon, returned true bills* in a 'l the ca-sea brought before it with one exception. The charge of murder laid against Arthur Thomas Percy Victor l>are, who waa alleged to have knocked down and killed a man near Westfield while recklessly driving a ' motor car, was reduced "to one of mant slaughter.

BROUNIAN COLLECTION OF HEW ZEALAND INSECTS. GOVERNMENT PROHIBITS EXPORT. a Wellington: explas? ation. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. In explaining the acr : a. <tf the New Zealand authorities in < ..king come eteps to prohibit or delay the Broun collection of insects from going out of New Zealand, the director of the Dominion Mueeum says the coEection, the only important collection in New Zealand insects that has ever been made, was bequeathed by the late 'Major Broun to the British Museum. The collection becomes the undoubted property of the British Museum, .but tie N«w Zealand Institute has asked that it be not cent abroad for some time, in order ti&t the specimens may ,be examined, their descriptions noted, and, if possible, duplicates obtained. Dr. Allan Thomson, director of the Dominion Museum, said to-day tihat he regarded the retention, of the Broun collection in New Zealand as important. The question of export did not effect ownership, and apparently the collection •became tie property of the British Museum even if it were retained in New Zealand, and this course was strongly advocated by the Institute in a lettw to the British Museum authorities. RESENTED BY TRUSTEES. PROHIBITION WAS ABSOLUTE. WTUL SHOULD (BE CARRIED OUT. •Strong resentment is expressed by i&te trustees of the will of the Jatr Major •Broun at the attitude of the authorities in Wellington endeavouring to secure Mc collection of insects for the Dominion Museum at Wellington. The suggested ttiat the prohibition against sending the collection oat of New Zealand was only intended to 'be limited to euch time as the specimens conld be examined and the descriptions noted was quite wrong, said Mr. G. Gribbin, one of the trustees, to a "Star" reporter tiii3 morning. In the letter sent to the trustees last October the prohibition was absolute and final. There was nothing about it being merely for a time. "As a matter of fact," said Mr. Gribbin, "the object of prohibiting , the collection from leaving New Zealand seems to be solely that it

should go to the Wellington Museum. In their communication the authorities say nothing about depositin git in the museum at Auckland, tho city where the late Major IJroun made his collection, and lived for so many years." When tho suggestion that the collection was partly the work of other collectors waa referred to, Mr. Gribbin explained that people interested in coleoptera certainly did send specimens to Major Broun and they did bo in order to have them classified and named. The Major was an indefatigable collector, and all his spare time was spent at his hobby right tip to the time when he wae too old to get about as !ae used to do. "The Government, I am informed, never assisted Major Broun in respect of the collection," continued Mr. Gribbin. "Hie works were certainly .published by the Government, but they sold them and got the profits, and all that Major Broun got out -off ifc wae a few presentation copies." Asked, what the attitude of the truetees was, Mr. Gribbin sasd they were firmly of opinion that the will should be given effect to. They felt that il the collection were to remain in th 6 'Dominion Museum, one student might inspect and use it, whereas if it were placed in the British Museum, as willed by Major Eroun, it would oe of use to hundreds.