LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4810, 18 February 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Some amusement was caused in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning -when the case Frost v. Grant was called. Mr. Paterson asked for the case to be stood down as his client, the defendant, was likely to arrive any minute. A few minutes later Mr. Mackersey informed the Court that Frost was in England, and therefore the case could not proceed. Mr. Paterson then urged that his client be given the chance to turn up, as he then would be.entitled to his costs. However, no client turned up, and the case was struck out.

"The case is in the process of settlement," said Mr. Paterson in the Court yesterday, when the action, Te Kuiti Construction Company v. W. Frerichs, was called. He asked that it be stood down for half an hour to give the parties the opportunity to confer, and later the Court was asked to adjourn the matter. The meeting of the parties prior to the Court had evidently brought forth a satisfactory agreement in at least another case, as it was announced that there was no appearance of plaintiff.

"We will dump the wheelbarrows, and you had better send one of the oldest and most ragged to the late Prime Minister as a souvenir," remarked the Minister of Public Works (Mr. R. Semple), when stressing the importance of using the most modern equipment. "I have seen more wheelbarrows during the last four or five years than I have in the whole of my life time," he added, amidst sympathetic laughter.

"The disappearance of the skylark, though admittedly slowly, from our countryside may be put down in quite a large measure to the depredations of the hedgehog," said Mr. C. W. Hervey, secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, at a recent meeting. "The society has recognised the damage done by this animal, and for the last four years has been paying a royalty of 3s a dozen for snouts. Since the royalty was initiated I think that about £25 has been paid out, and this represents about 2000 hedgehogs killed."

The question whether a barrister holding a doctorate should be referred to in court as "Dr." or "Mr." was referred by the council of the New Zealand Law Society to the General Council of the Bar in England (reports the New Zealand Law Journal). The secretary of the General Council replied stating that "in the courts in England holders of legal degrees entitling them to the use of the prefix "Dr." are not so addressed in court. Upon a previous occasion the council has ruled that the degree of Doctor of Law does not confer any right of precedence in court. It follows therefore that the differentiation is not existent in court. The actual degree at Oxford entitled to the social use of the prefix is D.C'.L. (Doctor of Common Law), and unless a member of the university has attained to that he would not be entitled to its use on any occasion." The New Zealand Law Society decided to adopt the above ruling and to circulate it among the district law societies.

A prominent citizen of Otorohanga and an erstwhile bandmaster of the local band, Mr Charles F. Sass, received a very pleasant surprise the other day in the form of a Government cheque fo £35, arrears of pay for war services. After having served at Gallipoli during the landing there, over 20 years ago, Mr. Sass returned to New Zealand. Communications were sent to his childhood's home in Denmark, from the N.Z. Defence Department, but these evidently did not reach Mr. Sass. Some time ago his sister in Copenhagen received a further communication which she duly forwarded to New Zealand. Mr. Sass informs the writer that he has now ascertained that the New Zealand Defence Department had been searching for him in many parts of the world—for which he is most grateful to them.

A little inside knowledge of the way in which Cabinet is going about its tasks was given to those present at a complimentary social to Mr. D. G. Sullivan in Christchurch on Saturday night by Mr. T. H. McCombs, M.P., who is associated with. Mr. Sullivan in part of his Ministerial work. "Cabinet works very hard," said Mr. McCombs, after remarking that he was going to give away some secrets. "One morning recently," he added, "Mr. Sullivan went to his office at 7 o'clock. From his office he went to breakfast, then he went to Palmerston North by rail car, and afterwards visited Foxton, and on arriving back in Wellington went to his office' again and worked till midnight. I don't think there is any 40-hour week in that. From what I've seen of Cabinet, they are all workers. They are not worrying about a 40-hour week for themselves, and some of them wish there were 40 hours in the day."

A seaplane belonging to the Hobsonville aerodrome base alighted at Kawhia on Thursday morning, having accomplished the journey down in« exactly one hour, states the Kawhia Settler. It was piloted by Flight-Lieut. E. A. Gibson, Engineer to the Controller of Civil Aviation, Wellington. The purpose of the visit was to consult, with the local authorities in connection with the establishment of an aerodrome at Kawhia for commercial flying. Mr. Gibson said that in about two months time there would "be a service passing over Kawhia en route from Auckland to Wellington, and that unless the local authorities were prepared to move in the matter of the establishment of a landing ground Kawhia would have the mortification of seeing these large 12-passenger 'planes flying over and would not be able to make use of them. He instanced Kaikoura in the South Island, the local authorities of which were approached two years ago to establish an airport and which they refused to do, and now the regular passenger service from Palmerston North to Christchurch passed over that town and the residents were unable to use this rapid means of ingress and egress.

About 150 people journeyed from Masterton and contiguous towns on Sunday by the excursion train to visit the Waitomo Caves.

Golfers are reminded of the annual meeting of the Golf Club, which is to be held on Thursday evening at the Municipal Hall.