COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 28 August 1939, Page 4

COURT NEWS

-1<&lr , NEGLIGENT DRIVING CHARGE, j ! i CHRISTCHURCH, August 25. j William Robert Connor, a motorj assembler (Mr N. S. Bowie), was i charged in the Magistrate’s Com I be-j lore Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., yester-1 day with negligently driving a motor-1 ear in Worcester street on June 16, | causing the death of William Fred-' crick Soper. Ernest R. Osborne, of North Beach, > a passenger in Connor’s car when <he ; accident happened, explainer that the car was being driven from Cathedral , square into Worcester street west. He! saw a pedestrian walking across the, road from Cameron Smith’s corner., He did not know if he was on the j pedestrian crossing. The pedestrian ■ hesitated, as if he did not know which wav to go. The man struck the side of the car. The car’s speed was 15 to, 18 miles an hour, o Mr Bowie, witness said that Soper had seen the car and walked back into it. The driver, could not have avoided the accident, i John J. Cuddon, a clerk, said he. was standing in front of the A.M.P. ; building when the accident happened.. He saw’ Soper crossing Worcester, street when the ear approached. The, car’s speed was about 25 miles an. hour. As the car got into the cross-, ing the front seemed to hit Soper, who was on the pedestrian crossing.. The car went 40 feet after the impact, j To Mr Bowie, witness said that Soper did not step back before he was struck. , i Ralph Cyril Summer, an office box,, said he first saw’ the car when it was i about eight yards from the pedestrian., The pedestrian appeared to notice tne | car when it was four yards away,, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped forward. Soper was on the. pedestrian crossing when he was struck. The car travelled about 10 yards after the accident. He could not. say what its speed was, but it was , too fast. Witness w'as standing on the •footpath behind the Godley statue, a• distance, he said, of 25 yards from the |

scene of the accident. James Williamson, a tailor, ol Sumner. said he was almost, across the crossing when he heard a crash, and saw Soper falling. He thought, Soper was on the crossing when the impact occured. The car stopped very soon, and then drove on ami pulled tn to the side of the road. He had no idea of the speed of the car. To Mr Bowie, witness said he couki ■not swear that Soper was on the pedestrian crossing when tne accident a clerk, of Kaiapoi, said he was sitting in a motor-car nt Worcester street in front of the main entrance to the A.M.P. building. He was looking towards the Square and saw Soper on the pedestrian crossmg. A’ motor-car was approaching from the Square, travelling fast. r i he car swung as if to go in front of the pedestrain and then swung back, striking Soper. The car’s speed would be between 20 and 25 miles an hour. Ihe pedestrian did not hesitate. The accused pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.

AFTER-HOUR trading. WELLINGTON. August. 25. Mr. Luxford. S-M-. in dealing with a

charge of liquor selling out of hours, said: “There is no doubt the sale of liquor in licensed premises, in Wellington, is getting out of hand.” The facts disclosed showed that, al the time of the raid, there were j about 60 men in the bar. Mr. Luxi ford remarked that prosecutions brought by the police every Friday disclosed that after-hour trading was becoming the usual thing, instead of [being exceptional. SHARE DISPUTE. CHRISTCHURCH .August 23. . Judgment in an appeal again: t the assessment of the value of shares held by the Public Trustee as admiivstrator of the estate of Thomas Gregory Russell (Mr K. M. Grcsson). by the Commissioner ol Stamp Duties (Mr A. W. Brown), was given in the Supreme Court yesterday, by Mr Justice Northcroft. The respondent valued 4000 £1 shares in Benjamins, Ltd., at 15s each, and 900 similar shares in the Square Picture and Theatre Company, Ltdat 30s each. His Honour said that lie had examined the figures submitted to him and lie considered the sales of Benjamin’s shares were so few as to provide no guide to assess their value, which would have to be determined from the earning power of the company. “I think I should adopt 6 per cent, as a basis, making the value of the shares 13s lOd.” said His Honour, “the earnings of the company over a period of 11 years being 4,1 per cent." ; His Honour said he would lix the price, at which investors would pay for small parcels, at 12s 6d, but if such a large parcel was placed on lhe market it would probably reduce lhe price by Is a share. Tie would therefore fix the price at Ils 6d a snare. The assessment, of the Picture and Theatre Company’s shares should be upheld, he said. Notwithstanding the vagaries of the picture business, the record of the company was a good one. No order was made for costs.