COPYRIGHT OF CABLE MESSAGES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8793, 1 May 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

COPYRIGHT OF CABLE MESSAGES.

(Per United Press Association.)

Gisboenb, April 28,

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning the manager of the Press Association sued the publisher of the Gisborne Standard for piracy of cable messages. Three informations ■were laid. The evidence of Mr Atack, manager of the association, showed that defendant had been in the habit of appropriating cable news without paying for it, although he had been repeatedly warned. For the defence it was attempted to show that tho messages uad been telegraphed from Auckland by their agtrnt (VV. J. Geddea), who was supposed to know which telegrams were protected and which were not. Some amusement was caused by the attempt of defendant to conceal tho name of tbe sender by tearing off the signature; but the R.M. refused to admit a document so -mutilated, and counsel had to produce the missing link from his waistcoat pocket. A large nnmbcr of objections in various shapes w. ro raised by the defence; but Mr Booth overruled them all, holding that the I'ress Association bad a perfect right to hava its cables protected, and on the first information fined the defendant £1, with costa £9 15s. The other cases were adjourned till to-morrow. April 29. The second case agaiust the Gisborne Standard for alleged piracy of telegrams was taken this morning. Tho defendant gave notico of appeal in the first case, and to expedite matters it was arranged to merely hear the evidence of the prosecutor in the second case, which wss somewhat different from tho first, and the matter was then adjourned for hearing till after the decision of the Court of Appeal. Tho third case, which was similar to the first, was likewise adjourned.

—According to the Begistrar-general there are centenarians in Great Britain at the rate of one to each 127,000 of the population, or about 300 in all.

—Great advances have been made within the past year in the application of electric power to coal mining operations. A great saving has thereby been effected in the cost o£ the product o£ the mines, which in due time should diminish the price to consumers of coal.