CIVIL LAWSUITS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 30, 5 February 1908, Page 2

CIVIL LAWSUITS.

«> The CommifcFiouer of Crown/ Lands, at : the Magistrate's Court yesterday afterj noon, sued- Archibald Whitaford for , £30, being rent of, or license to le- ; move clay from, Reserve 15, Adelaidc1 load. The amount claimed was mado i up by a yearly rental or license of ±siu for tho » years 1905-6-7. Defendant | argued that his license was one merely giving him permission to occupy the land if he desired to do so. lie had nevor occupied tho land, and thereforo could not be charged rents. It was admitted that some workmen in the employ of defendant had inadvertently removed somo clay from the- section. His Worship reserved his decision until ilth Fobruiiry. Mr. Fell appeared for tho Lands Department and Mr. Quick for the defendant. A ca&c in which a silk dress was concerned was heard beforo Mr. Riddell, S.M., yesterday. Mary Watson, laundress, claimed £5 11s 7d from Mrs. Hettie Dodson, dressmakei*, for alleged damage to a silk div?ss, supposed to have been spoiled in the making. On tho suggestion of Mr. Blair, wno appeared for plaintiff, it was decided to have tho dress inspected by an independent dressmaker, as the best way of settling the trouble. An adjournment was accordingly made till Thursday to enable (^he dress to be fitted. Mr. Cook appeared on behalf of defendant. • The hearing of a civil case, occupied considerable time before Dr. M'Artnur, S.M. John Arthur M'lntosh sued the W. H. Comstock Co., Ltd., for £30 for alleged damage to stock caused by an overflow of water. Plaintiff, it wa-s stated, occupied tho ground floor of Howdsn's Building 3, and the defendants an upper floor. Through 'a blockage in a water pipe from defendants' iioor plaintiff's stock was damaged. Mr. Morifron, who appeared for plaintiff, claimed that it was through negligence on the part of tho defendants that the stock was damaged. The defendants, whose case waa conducted by Mr. Skerrett, K.C., admitted no liability in tho matter. If a stoppage had occurred, and if tho overflow pipes were not sufficient to carry away tho water from tho tap, it \va.« tho fault of the landlord, and not the tenant of tho building. After hearing evidence on both sides, Dr. M 'Arthur reserved judgment until Tuesday, 11th inst.

The Maoris in the Taupo district havd been exercising their minds very considerably about church matters as a result of the Rev. Frederick Bennett's mission among them, with the result that a few days ago they opened a new ilinrch at Tokaanu free oJ debt, the del clication of which was the occasion of j a visit from the Yon. Archdeacon Grace, I of Marlborough, whose father was the first missioiuuy to the Maoris in tho 1 Taupo district in the early days*