S. M. COURT.

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1907, Page 4

S. M. COURT.

MONDAY JULY 29th 1907. (Before W, K. Ken rick S. M.) DRUNKENNESS. A first offender was lined 10s on a charge of drunkenness and sentenced to 14 days imprisonment with hard on a charge of using obscene angua&c. AN AHAURA CASE, The Magistrate read the following decision; J. H. Williams (Mr Hannan); G. Chittenden (Mr Kitchingliam). This is a claim for £5 12s for the value of four pigs killed and wounded by the defendant. Defendant does not deny that lie shot the pigs. I think that the e\idenee proves that the pigs wore shot in the potata patch, there is no evidence to the contrary.

The evidence proves that the pi staid not die where they were shot. Two died in tha adjoining paddock of the defendant and two found their way homo before dying. I am satisfied that the paddock where the pigs wore shot, namely the potato patch, was sufficiently fenced, although the adjoining paddock was not sufficiently fenced, if the pigs Ind been shot there. For the plaintiff Mr Hannan contended.

(1) The ; otice was not good the pigs being only wounded and there is no right to wound, only to kill on tHo land.

In my opinion the fact that the pigs were shot in a fenced paddock, but two escaped and died in the adjoining oaddock and two on returning to their home does not alter the position.

The evidence proves that they were shot in a properly fenced paddock that they escaped from their and died on their way homo. That defendant offered a written notice to plaintiff (which plaintiff admits) and he refused to take it. \ That defendant also told plaintiff verbally what ho had done, and it is proved that on a previous occasion he had warned plaintiff his pigs were trespassing but from the evidence plaintiff treated the matter in an off hand way.

The notice put in evidence is sufficient compliance with the requirements of the Act.

I am of the opinion that the defendant is not liable for the damage of shooting the pigs. Judgment was given for the defendant with costs £1 Is.

The Dunedin Trades and Labour Council on Thursday night (says a Press Association telegram), passed a resolution, urging the Government to enforce the Coal Minos Act more stringently, as the opinion is that had this been done the lives of three men lost in the Nightcaps disaster might have been saved. The Council congratulated the Hon. J. Itigg, M.L.C., on his re-appointment to the Council.

The opinion that the climate of the Northern Territory is not particularly salubrious is not shared by Senator Dobson, of Tasmania. He remarks in a pamphlet he has published on the subject:—“The climate at Port Darwin and the surrounding country is better than is generally supposed. Several old inhabitants declared it to be the most healthy, and a man and bis wife said that it had saved their lives. All tho men are healthy, but women and children look pale and delicate, and for them an occasional change is necessary. The men working in the railway shops and on the line look <n splendid health, and all said that a white man could do pick and shovel and other hard work if he kept off the drink.’ This is satisfying so far as it goes, but the men quoted all bad the highest inducement to work—namely, a permanent billot, and payment of a generous wage for every day’s labour. Will many men bo willing to engage in tropical agriculture and pastoral pursuits at 25s a week and rations, supposing such wages could be paid; or, better still, will men with young sons take up land in the Northern Territory and engage in farming pursuits? Judging by the past the answer to these questions appears to be in the negative.” At the Wellington Diocesan Synod the following motion, moved by the Rev. A. V/. H. Compton, was carried : “That this Synod heartily recommends the habit of family worship, and, in order to obtain a suitable form of family prayer, the president be respectfully requested to enquire why the resolution passed by the General Synod of 1904 on this subject has not yet been carried into effect.” Mr Compton remarked that at the General Synod of 1904 a resolution was passed requesting the i Bishops of the province to compile a form ■ of family prayer. So far as he could gather, nothing had come of it. The president of the Synod said that he welcomed the motion. A good deal had been done, but the final stops had not been taken. The resolution would strengthen the hands of the Bishops.

Replying to the toast of “The Army” at the Cadet Battalion Officers’ annual dinner at Wellington on Friday, Captain T. W. McDonald referred to the physical side of the cadet movement, says the Post. He thought that some of the objections to their system of military drill was based j upon the fact that the “soldier business” ! tended to overshadow physical training. While strongly of opinion that they could not, in an Imperial sense, afford to dispense with the “soldier business,” he thought that sports like cricket, football and so on, ought to be honoured with a definite reference in the school syllabus, | and it was his intention, at an early date, , to bring this important matter before the Education Boards. These games, he conI sidcred, were a valuable factor in the evoI lotion of good citiens, and ought to have ! systematic attention and official recognij tion. He contended that the physical ! side of school training would thus be i amply and well provided for. i The German Navy League, the Berlin correspondent of The Times states, now numbers 911,293 members, as compared with 906,705 last year and 865,522 the year before. The British Navy League according to the Standard, number* only 20.000 members (the Spanish Navy League 13.000 members; the Italian N;ivy Leugpfl lo opf) meinmsKS ( ths Ftfiiiolt Navy Ktiihiuu «iaa ffinuuimi ihe .Affladf-an WaW W maud riicm-pfla; j sm thsHiijsiwt is«Q§ ':