THE COURTS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18547, 24 November 1925, Page 3

THE COURTS.

SUPREME COURT. (Before his Honour Mr Justice Adams.) A COMPENSATION CLAIM. His Honour .heard the case in which Mrs E. M. 'Webb claimed from the Railway Department the sum of £2OOO as compensation for the death of her husband, William Webb, line erector, who •■vva.s electrocuted -while working for the Department taking down signal wires nt Kowai Bush. The statement of claim alleged that deceased's death was due to the Department's negligence. Mr 11. A. Cnthbert appeared for the applicant, Mrs Webb, and Mr A. T. Donnelly represented the Railway Department. When the case was called Mr Donnelly announced that a settlement had been come to, and he asked that the case.be stood down to have details of the settlement confirmed. Mr Cuthbert concurred in -this, and said that at a later stage a motion would be put in on behalf of the suppliant, apportioning the amount between the widow and children. The case was stood down, as requested. MAGISTERIAL. MONDAY. (Before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. An elderly man was convicted and discharged on a charge of drnnkcuness. Another first offender was fined 10s, in default '--labours' imprisonment. SLEPT IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE. For having been found sleeping in a railway carriage at Addington on Sunday night, William Thomas Brown, labourer, aged 44 years, was fined 40b. in default seven days' imprisonment. Police statements revealed, that Brown had come to Chrislchurch from Hanmer recently, and that ho had been sleeping in carriages fur sduic nigh;?. YOUNG MEN AND MOTOR-CAR. Two young men, Bernard Lleweljyn Win j and Harold Edward Kecch Clever (Mr J. j B. Balchelor). pleaded roi guilty to a charge j of having converted to thoi.- own nse a motor-car belonging to Joseph Taylor, dairyfarmer, Pananui. on Saturday lant. Taylor said that on Saturday night Win had asked him' for the loan of his car. He had refused, saying there were no lights oa the car. He offered Win a bieyeK but this was refused. He went out after thai. When he returned home -afier nine o'clock, he found the car had be«n taken out. The radiator had been damaged, bnl he did not know to what exieel. Constable Millar, of Papanui, said that as a result of a complaint nude by Taylor cu Saturday night, he waited at Tajlor't pla.ee. and shortly after one o*c!oci on Sunday morning he saw the two accused drive the car into the shed on Taylor's place. They then ran into a whare, and were liter arrested. Win said he had a*keel Taylor for the e»T. and he had understood htm to say that -witness eonld ■ have it if it had lights. He theti went to Clever and told him abont it. fhey provided tic ear vili a light, and. believing they were actually within their rights, drove it to a dance in Uu- Caledonian . HalL "The cr.se against Clever is dismissed,"' said his Worship. He remanded Win to appear on Thursday, so that the extent of the damage done U> the car could be ascertained. . Bail was allowed.

CIVIL BUSINESS. Judgment by default was given for the plaintiff in cncli of tie following cases:— City Council v. A. J. Stevens, £8 38s .'id; Xew Zealand Farmers' Co-op., Ltd., v. Alan Stewart, A' 9 16s; V. Bradford v. A. W. Purvis, ili; New- Zealand Farmers' Coop., Ltd., v. E. A. Barnett, A'tl Lts 10<t; Booth, Macdonald and Co., Ltd., v. L. Condell and another, £lO lis 2d; Mark Brown v. H. S. Kowc, £5 ss; H. I). Spence v. It. J. Walts, £22 18s 2d; J. F. Hill v. G. S. Mills, JL2 Its 9d; Ashby. Bcrgh. and Co., Ltd., v. J. If. Borton, 8n lid: 15. W. Younger v. Campbell Automatic Fluslier, Ltd., i!2!) ">s lid; Simms and Sons v. J. M. Porter, i'li los Dd; same v. L. Kpiro, i'ty ISs (id; Mason, Slruthcrs. and Co.. Ltd., v. It. B. MacUersay, £5 12s 7d; same v. H. D. Thorpe, costs only. His Worship ordered It. J. Taylor to pay A. J. Norris £ls lis, in default 16 days' imprisonment. MOTOR COLLISION CASK. Reserved .judgment -was given in the ense in which Alexander Webster, county engineer, Lecston, sued .1. IT. Kile, furrier, Christchurch, for i:S9 Os, said , to be the amount of damages received in a motor collision. From the whole of the eTi'tle.nce the Magistrate said he was of the opinion that the defendant v.-gs to blame, in thai he did not keep a proper look-out. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for X3S 12s lid and costs.