LAW AND POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7416, 26 August 1885, Page 3

LAW AND POLICE.

BANKRUPTCY.—Meeting of Creditors). Ai.bkrt Bkhoes, a jeweller, was examined by the Official Assignee yesterday. Ha commenced business in 1877, at Dunedin, with no oapi:)al, and in three years oleared £600 In 1880 trade got bad and other investments failing he obtained an overdraft at the bank for £140 without security. Shortly afterwards he had to sell off stock to clear the overdraft, and in 1883 he made an arrangement with his creditors to pay 10s in the pound. Hid debts ware then £420. He carried on business for twelve mouths, and succeeded in paying off his liabilities, and then he eame to Auckland with barely sufficient to pay his fare. He was going on well, and had sent for his family, when an old creditor, Messrs. Berano, of Silverton, claimed £36 as interest due od an old transaction, and this they used sua cessfully against him in Court. His liabil* ties were £132 14s 7d. Assets : Stock-ij* trade, £79 12s; and book debts, £11 4* 9d, diß furniture belonged te his wife.

DISTRICT COURT.— Before Mr. H. O. Seth Smith. E«q., DUtriot Judge, and a jury of fuur.) Jamks and John MoCoknaohik v. J. J. Odlom. —This was a claim to recover the sum of £93. balance of money due on a contract, and for extras on the contract. Mr. E. Hesketh appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Theo. Cooper for the defence. The statement of claim set out that the plain* tiffs contracted with the defendant to erect the Royal George Hotel, Newmarket, for the sum of £1700, and that they did additional work as extras, for which they now clcimed* The defenca was a denial that the extras were executed at his request, and that it was a condition that no extra work should be executed except upon the express ordar of the architect. He denied that the works were so executed, and also denied that the contract was completed according to plans and specifications.—Mr. Hesketh opened for the plaint.o"3. The balance due on the contract was only £13 4s 7d, and the remaining £79 odd was for extra works —Mr. Cooper ■said that to shorten the case, they would only ask for architect's orders for two items, namely, £5 for bar fittings, and £1 for ft noisting beam. Tha other items he wonld meet on other ground*, either that the work was not done, or that the charges were excessive.—Mr. Hesketh then proceeded to explain the ease. The plaintiffs had not received the architect's final certificate, and he offered to refer the matter to arbitration in aooordance with clause 20 of the general conditions, but r.he defendant said ha did not want arbi, tration, and preferred to have the matter brought to Court. There were certain de« ductions made in the contract, but the oiffs considered the amount deducted was too ijreat, and the defendant now claimed that in* stead of owing anything to the plaintiffs, the plaintiffs were indsbted to him in the sum >f £48 lis, which they had been overpaid. The whole matter resolved itself into a question of account between the parties. Many of the items claimed for were allowed, jthers were admitted, bnt not the amount* claimed or them, and in other oases they were disallowed altogether. Then, in re* gard to tha question of deductions from the contract, some were admitted, but not the imounts, which it was claimed for' the defendant should be deducted on aooount o£ chem.—The plaintiffs were examined at considerable length as to the items for which hey claimed, and were cross-examined by Mr. Cooper.—The case was ultimately referred to arbitration.

POLICE COURT.—Tuesday. Before Messrs. F. L. Prime and E. Stavemson, J.P.'aJ Drcnkbnnb.-s.—Mary Hamilton, for a second offence, was fined 10s and costs, and Henry Davis, for being drunk and disorderly in Hardinge-itreet, was fined 20s and c ists or seven days in default. Two men, for first offences, were fiaed 5s and costs, Mary Robinson, for being drunk in the Police Court, and also with being an habitual drunkard, was fined £5 and cost* or three months' hard labour. Ann Hogan, charged with habitual drunkenness, was fined £5 and costs or three months'imprison* ment. 'Desertion.—Julius Lumberg, on remand from Monday, was charged with a breach of the Foreign Seamen's Act by deserting from the ship Katharine on August 20.— defendant pleaded guilty.—Bernard Spiller, master of the German ship Katharine, said the defendant was a seaman of the vessel, and deserted from the ship on Thursday.—* Constable Bullen arrested the defendant in a boarding-honse in Karangabape-road.—The defendant, in his statement, said he ran away on acoount of ill-treatment he received from the captain and mate of the shift, and would not go to sea again, Sentenced to a month's hard labour, and to be put aboard the vessel when she was ready for sea. Assaulting a Female. - Edwin Bherwin was oharged with assaulting Eliza June Neil, by strikiug her in the face on August 17. The case was withdrawn. Wife Beating. -Geo. Stevens was charged with assaulting his wife by striking her on tbo head on August 20. As the parties had settled their differences, the case was struck out.