A MUSICIAN'S HOUSES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 19 March 1921, Page 7

A MUSICIAN'S HOUSES

RENT, tli) BONUS AND

MICTION

A £lO bonus, two other houses, and a blind violinist, who also 'played the role of landlord to 'three tenants, were leatures of a case which was heard in. the i Magistrate's Court, at. Wellington 'on Tuesday (reports the Domitnon), (before Mi*. I\ K. Hunt, S.M.' , JaiiK'S Hart, of Wellington, musicI ian, sued Archibald John Harding, lot' 17 Hopper Street, Wellington, to recover possession of a. tenement, and in addition to recover the. sum of .£C> ir>s for rent, or mesne profits or damages. Mr M. Luekie appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr A. i>. Sievwright for the 'defendant. It appeared that Hart was a blind musician, who played the violin on (.he street's. Me owned, according to Mr Sievwijghl, three houses, yet his ground for wishing to evict the defendant was thai he required the house in Hopper Street for his own use.

fu the witness-box (he plaintiff said he had given not ice to another tenant to epiit one of his houses. "1 wish the present defendant's house, became of its local ion." he said. "I get laryngitis badly, and my id her house .is, not in a good position-" He denied having attempted to increase 1 the re'iif of Harding's house. i

Mr Sievwright at (his stage re marked as to Hart's signature and its clearness.

Mr Luekie: Do you suggest that my client is not blind ' "I merely made a. comment," said Mr Sievwright. Further evidence was adduced to the effee*: that the defendant had paid a bonus in addition to the rent.

The defendant, in the witness box. said his wife was in ■'"ill-heal! h.

The Magistrate :,- Wives seem to he ill all the time in these eas^s.

Cross-examined bv Mr Luekie. defendant explained how he had paid the ,SlO bonus. "I'm sorry about that £10," remarked the Magistrate. "He> can recover if." said Mr Luekie.

"Ve-'- well," said the Maghlratc "Out he ;-:oes in a month."