WESTPORT NOTES

Grey River Argus, 14 June 1933, Page 7

WESTPORT NOTES

(Our Own Correspondent.) The Mines. WESTPORT. June 13. Millerton, after a period of three weeks’ idleness, resumed yesterday, and is expected to work all the week. Stockton also resumed yesterday, after a two weeks’ spell. Supreme Court. Mr Justice Blair was on Hip bench al the quarterly sitting of the Supreme Court, which opened here yesterday. A claim by Hugh Hagen against the! Public Trustee for .£BOO wa-s adjourned for three months conditionally upon Mr Molony, who appeared for defendant, undertaking not to ask for a further adjournment. Mr L. Morgan appeared for Hagen. Theft at Denniston. Gladys Mary Holbrook. who w;:-s not represented by counsel, and who pleaded guilty in the lower Court, to three charges of breaking, entering and theft at Denniston, appeared for sentence.. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr, A. A. Wilson, said that £5 13s in cash ami £7 1()s worth of clothing had been taken from L. Peacock; £2 in cash had been taken from IT. Wake; and £4 from Mrs Henderson, who was custodian of tin' money for a Lodge; and another sum of £4 belonging to J. Somerville had been taken I rom the house of Mr Findlay. A further sum of 8s had been taken from Mrs Newman. Prisoner w::s admitted to probation for three years and was ordered to re-pay the sum of £l6. being amount stolen, within three months, and to pay IGs costs within six months. Sequel to Millerton Fire. Mrs Janet McNeil, for whom Mr Morgan appeared, claimed from the Commercial Union Insurance Co (Mr H. Lovell) the sum of £350. being the amount for which her house ami furniture, destroyed by fire, had been insured. The defendant company contested the claim on the grounds that the statement of loss was not true ami it was also alleged that plaintiff set tire deliberately to the house. The plaintiff, .in course of her evidence, said she was a widow residing at Mil Ir.rlon. Iler bouse was insured under a policy with the Commercial Union for £350. and the furniture for £l5O. The house and furniture were destroyed on November 14th. Plaintiff woke up between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on the lltli ::.ml smelled smoke. It affected her breathing, She got out ol bed and opened the sitting room door, to receive a shock wlii'u smoke issued, and she saw a red glow. She sla-mmed the door and called out Io her daughter, felling her to get up as quick as she could because there was fire in the house. Plaintiff was suffering from shock and had no time Io dress. Bedclothes were used for a covering ami her daughter helped her to escape through the window. Her sou, Donald, was always away on the week-end and she left the fire going to keep his supper warm when h(‘ returned home. Plaintiff collapsed after being taken out. of the window. She did not remember making a statement to the police. She was interviewed by an in-

surance adjuster, Mr Hutchins, who inquired when the chimneys were built. She replied they were built in 1929 by a good tradesman from Christchurch. She signed a. proof of loss form for Mr Hutchins about a week after. In it she claimed £5OO. When Mr Hutchins came up hi' had a builder named Hunter with him. Hunter

said to Hutchins in her presence that the deficiency which caused the fire came from the chimney. Hutchins wanted her to sign a claim for £350, but she told him she would rather have, the house replaced. He told her he did not think the company would do that. The property was worth £6OO to her. She signed a claim on November 28th for £350, the figures being altered to that effect. Plaintiff wrote the company on December 20th, stating that she had the offer of a house, and that she was awaiting the money. The company replied that it was not yet in a position to settle the cla.im. She received no further correspondence from the company ami in March she consulted a solicitor, Mr Scully, instructing him to claim the £350. Later the company disclaimed liability under the policy. Plaintiff did not know why. The house cost £450 and was in good repair at the time of the fire. Cross-examined by Air Lovell, witness sa.id her son purchased the house, and furniture for £450 in 1924. Neither her son nor her daughter got any furniture when they left the house, except that the latter took her sewing machine with her. She could not remember what she told Constable Miller when he interviewed her after the fire. There was a chesterfield suite in the house, which her husband had bought in Wellington, At the tijjjtof

the fire £l5 was claimed in respect to The remainder of the day was occupied by evidence for the claimant. The case for the defendant company opened this morning. JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF. WESTPORT, June 13. The Judge, in giving his decision in the McNeil case, said: “1 cannot understand so feeble a. defence in charging tin* woman with arson, without bringing evidence in support thereof. It was an effrontry to come into the court with such a feeble defence. I never saw such a case in my life before and cannot see any suspicious element about the fire. I do not intend to go into any improper defence. There are good claims ami bad claims against insurance companies. This is one of the good ones. Mrs McNeil has something to complain about in the wav she has been treated, with respect to her claim. The insurance company beat her down to £5O on her furniture and £lOO on her house, and then would not pay. The fact that Mrs McNeil had agreed to take a reduced amount did not count, as defendant’s own valuer admitted that the property was not unduly vrJued. ” Judgment was for the full claim of £5OO, with costs as per scale, and all Women’s Institute—Waimangaroa Branch. There was «, satisfactory attendance at the usual monthly meeting of the Waimangaroa Branch of the Women’s Institute. Au offer from Air Beynon to give the use of his billiard room for meetings of the Branch was accepted with thanks. Mr Struthers’ prize for a sugar bag competition ■will be competed for at the next meeting. An invitation from the Westport Branch was accepted. Before the conclusion of the meeting, Misses Pottinger gave a piano duet, and Miss Lunn an interesting demonstration on passe partout. Poultry. The entries for the Poultry Show t o he held this week-end closed la-sl. night, ami easily establishes a record for the West port Club. The number

icceived from all parts of the Coast exceeds those of any previous year by 100. A large entry is expected from Christchurch to-day. The excursion train from Christchurch on Saturday is well booked up and everything points to a. very successful show. Shipping. The Parracombo sailed this morning for Sydney. The Titoki is due here on Friday. There were no arrivals or departures yesterday. Of Interest to Farmers. In the Town Hall, Air Gorringc, Chief Instructor of Swine Husbandry in the Department of Agriculture, spoke for close on two hours to a meeting of farmers. Mr E- McFadden, Presiilent of the Westport Farmers’ Union, was in the chair. The speaker gave an account, of the good work done by the Agricultural Department in swine husbandry ami particularly of his own share in the business. He ha<] peen instrumental in establishing piggeries in different parts of the Domhiion, planning out the subdivisions of suitable areas, housing and feeding. and with surprisingly good results. There was a large market for quality pork in the Old Country ami his object in visiting the Coast was t() induce farmers to give attention to the pig side of their farming. The pig, properly looked after, would bo the best paying animal on the. fa.rm. The lecturer dealt with every phase of swine husbandry ami demonstrated what to aim for ami what to avoid in the breeding of pigs'if farmers were to obtain suitable markets. The speaker was accorded a vote ol thanks.

Yes, why continue this contradiction? Whv support other newspapers qnd not the “Argus”? Oh you wh« look with longing eyes to see fair freedom’s sun arise know that your hopes unfilled 'Will be till Labour stands in I'nity, with a big I'! Now. listen to this: — There are two kinds of people on earth to-day, Just two kinds of people—no more, I say, Not the sinner ami saint, for its well unde rstoml The good are half bad and the bad arc' half good. Not the rich and the poor, for in counting man’s wealth You must first know the state of his conscience and health iXot the humble and proud, for in life’s I little spr.-n, Who puts on fine airs is not counted a man. Not the happy and sad, for the swift flowing years Bring each man his laughter and ea.ch man his tears. No. —the two kinds of people on earth 1 mean Are the people who lift, and the people • who lean. Wherever you go you Liu’l the world’s masses Arc always divided in just these two And oddly enough you will find, too, ] ween There is only one lifter to twenty who lean. In which class arc you? Are you casing the load G’f over-taxed lifters who toil down the road? Or are you a leaner, who lets others beaj.‘

Your portion of labour and worry and —Anon. Morgan’s Pictures To-night Wednesday Thursday and matinee Thursday, the British International Pictures’ present and old favourite Leslie Fuller in ‘‘The Last Coupon,’’ with Mary .Jerrold. ALolly .Lamont, Binnie Baines. Gus McNaughton and Jack Hobbs. “The Last Coupon” that very human and delightful North Country comedy which had such a successful 'an at the Caijiek Theatre London, nas been brought to the screen by Thomas Bentley and to-ni'.'ht will be screened at the Victoria Theatre for two nights and a matinee. Leslie Fuller, as Bill the one and only, in a new role with twenty thousand pounds and twenty thousands laughs. It is a rollicking •story -of a coalminer, who wins a twenty thousand pounds football com I etition. Approved fur universal exhibition. Excellent supports. Friday, .Saturday, matinee Saturday

Paramount pictures present two great stars. Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Coo per in a thrilling engrossing drama, “The* Devil And The Deep.” It is as packeel -with action as it is 'with romance and drama. It is the kind of 'lrama that both obi and young will enjoy.