DUCKED IN TROUGH ?

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 May 1935, Page 8

DUCKED IN TROUGH ?

RESENTMENT ENDURES 40 YEARS MELBOURNE, May 24. In the County Court to-day it was alleged that a Moorabbin city councillor had harboured resentment against the foreman for 40 years because of a ducking the councillor had suffered when both were youths. The case was one in which G. Cole, council foreman, claimed £249 damages for alleged libel from Councillor F. K. Severs and two ratepayers, F. Reeves and 11. H. Simmonds. The grounds of the claim were that the three defendants caused to be published to the Moorabbin Council a letter stating that Cole was “in the habit of wasting a good deal of time by visiting houses when he should be attending to his work.” Mr. Gamble, who appeared for Cole, said that Cole and his brother ducked Bevers in a horse trough at Malmsbury 40 years ago. Years later Bevers’s animosity manifested itself when Bevers became councillor in the Moorabbin City Council where Cole was foreman. Bevers moved in the council to get Cole out of his job. Mr. Gamble alleged that Bevers then had a letter placed . before the council signed by Reeves and Simmonds, but a handwriting expert said that Reeves’s name, which was misspelt, had been signed by Bevers. The defence presented by Mr. All Ket was that Bevers was privileged to make the statement in the course of his duty as a councillor, and that Reeves and Simmons were privileged to make the statements as ratepayers, and that the statements were substantially true. Bevers, in evidence, said that it. was untrue to say that he had been ducked in a horse-trough when lie and Cole’s brother were aged 16 and Cole was aged eight. Bevers added that he had no personal spite against Cole, but, as a councillor, he thought Cola’s services should be dispensed with. The hearing was adjourned.