CHRISTCHURCH NEWS NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12989, 2 June 1904, Page 14

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS NOTES.

(From Oub Own Cobrestojident.)

OHBISTOHUROH, May 31.

The local dairymen are again in trouble A fresh batch were fined from £1 to £10 at tiho Magistrate's Court to-day for various •offences agaiwt the net. Apparently it is not in tho nature of tho Cliristchuroh dairymen, to keep the law.

In convicting somo bookmakers of tes. pass to-day Mr Hagelden, S.M., said ho would like to see the law settled' as to these cases. He had been in hopes that the matter would havo boon settled by tho highest court in New Zealand long before this. He would send the accused to prison if lie thought ho would appeal, but he wes afraid ho could not .appeal. Either tho law must bo interpreted in favour of the bookmakers, or they must be prevented from trespassing by fines, or by imprisonment if fines proved ineffectual.

Mr A. W. Rutherford, M.H.R.-, has been telling Hanmer about tho great skill with which the Seddon Government makes promises and forgets to kcop them; and having had a lot of experience of those promises itself, Hanmer expressed its prompt and complete approval of his remarks. Hanmer recollects the occasion when Mr Seddon descended on it in a special coach, groaning under the weight of pledges that weren't meant to be kept. He scattered those pledges in sheaves from JoDie's Pass to the Waiau. Hanmer was so overcome that it hardly had breath left to sing "For he's a jolly good fellow," and it went aud spent its next year's income in joyful eelebra&wi of the coming events. But-time wont on, and the events failed to turn up. The newparks and waterworks and roads didn't appear on the horizon. Nothing happened— not even a flag for- the schoollioiife that the .great in.™ was going to provide out of his own pocket immediately. Then Hanmer got restive, and another member of the Seddon Ministry went up and made a fresh hatch of pioinise?, and Ilanmer spread itself on a fresh celebration. But still.' barring tho flag, those pledges haven't been redeemed, ami Hanmer is ready to cordially and unanimously agree with any politician who asserts- that Government promises are more brittle than piecrust -and more elusive than sheet lightning. An important aimoiuicement was made by Mr A. \V. Rutherford at Amborloy last night. Referring to flic subject of land tenure, ho said tli.it since the election lie had though!; the. matter over, Mid come to the conclusion that under certain stringent conditions Grown tenants should bo given the right of converting their leaseholders into freeholds.—(Applause.) The price payable should be the. value of the limd 'at the' time the holder desired to convert, and the rental should bo payatle on the value of the unpaid portion. Thus, if a man's land was valued at £15 per acre, and he paid off a portion at tho rate of £s'per .lore, tho rent should- bo on the basis of a value of £10 per acre. If the man was previously paying rent on tho basis of £5 nor acre value lift would, on converting hi* holding, havo his vent doubled. He contended that holders of leases in perpetuity should ho taxed on tlio goodwill of their holdings. Those who contended that the agitators for the- freehold. wore conservative moneylenders forgot there was a State .moneylending department, where borrowers got money cheaply. Regarding tho financial position of the colony, he said time were rocks ahead during tho next six years, when loans falling due would be converted from a comparatively low to o, high rate of interest.

Or,© of the few members the Prohibition party announced the other day it was prepared to trust, Mr \V. W. "Tanner, last night addressed his constituent. Usually tho member for Avon is in an intensely loyal and servile Seddonite in Parliament, and an extremely disloyal and insubordinate ono out of it. The parliamentary attitudo suite Mr Scddon end the recess attitude suits tho constituenits, _ and tho fact that they aro both suited suits Mr Tanner. Bui this time Mr Tiunncr has varied' his address a little. Ho still speaks in terms of grave displeasure concerning the work of the seraion, and ho still affirm? .with Rreat pessimism that Parliament is misbehaving itself in a, shocking manner and generally acting in ' a most ■ discreditable way. But tho main burden of the Tanner cry this year is the huge injustice of our licensing laws. Evidently flattered by tho statement that tho Isitt party has complete faith in him, tho member for Avon devoted the bulk of his remarks to a criticism of tho licensing laws, and concluded by saying that so long a>3 lie wns in Parliament, and even if Jm was out of it, lie would hold to tho three principles he had laid -down—that popular control must bo maintained, that popular control over the traffic must mot be minimised, and that popular decisions with regard to the traffic must bo loyally and genuinely carried out. Mr W. B. Scott made a persistent effort at the meeting; at Ambcrley last night to get Mr A. W. Rutherford, M.H.K., to express an opinion with regard to (he appointment of a certain judge, but Mr Rutherford, in view of tho stale of tho law of libel, said he was unable, to speak of the appointment. His questioner said ho would'not give £25 for tho decision' of the gentleman appointed in any case that came before- him. "' I should not earn to say :vs much as you have about him," was Mr Rutherford's rejoinder. A most extraordinary e.iso of cruelty lo an unfortunate horse resulted in a ■ civil action at Amberley to-doy in which several very prominent Christchuroh citizens, wore involved. Immense interest is taken in the ease. On March U those incredible gentlemen chased a frenzied and agonised horse nino miles in a motor car until the exhausted animal, with blood streaming from its nostrils and foam flying from its heaving flanks, pulled up irretrievably ruined nun half dead with distress. . Tho owner of the horse, .1. Ashworth, a farmer, demanded from. P. Cannon £30, the reduced value of a hcrse which once was worth £40.: It was arranged that defendant Cannon would accept liability, if any, in tho action. Evidence* was given by .Tames Ash'yorth, who stated that he resided on tho North road, between Leithfield and Saltwater .Creek. On the day in question his daughter, about 5 p.m., put the horse (Darkic) into the yard to feed. Witness was in ■ the slieep yard vhen the motor cor camo un, having blown tho born twico for apparently no reason. Witness heard tho horses rattling in the yard, and was in time to se-6 Darkio ge-t away from his daughter. Those in- tho car sang out, "Look out for your horse," and they blew the hom and raised a great laugh, If the- car had stopped at the terrace load a little distance away the horse would have come back. Fifteen chain? down tho horse H«nfc off the formation, and it seemed as if it would have turned, hut someone put up an arm and tho horn was sounded end! tho horso was sent along tho road again, Witness had a view of a mile and a : quarter anil there was no uec<l for a horn. His son followed on a horso but could not find' Darkle till 11 p.m., when ho returned. Tho horse came back next morning blooding at the nostrils and its sinews strained. Ho was a horse that could be driven or ridden, and would take a family of 10 in <i waggonette to church. Ho would not have taken £50 for it. It' was worth £20 Ho 'purchased: it at £22 six years ago. To Mr Helmore: The horse would, bear tho motor car before it approached, bill could not sec it because of his house till it was within 30 yards, tt. Jlou'lor said 20 'eh.iim from Ashworth's ho saw the horso being chased by the car. When tho horse cased the horn was blowing, and if the horse got ahead tho steam was put on to overtake, it. Tho occupants of'tho car were laughing. There ware i!O'cross roads-to require' tho horn being blown. AYitness could hear.tho horn going till .Saltwater. Creek: would, bo reached. Albert Cooper, James Caughey, and others gave similar evidence. W. H. Little, postmaster, Woodend, saw the horso followed by tho car at eight miles from Mr Ashworth's. It turned off; in Woodend. At this stage counsel applied to the court for fivo minutes' rdjournment, :it tho end of wtiioh time it was announced the .case had been settled. ' The Magistrate said tho full hearing fees must be paid. The settlement was made at £20, plaintiff to retain the horse and defendant to pay all costs. June 1. There were less fireworks and fewer furious outbursts than usual in the speech made by the senior member for Christchurch at tho Choral Hall last night. Mr Taylor began in strong contrast to his last year's speeches, with a graceful reference to'the Premier. He expressed with evident sincerity his sorrow at the ill-health of the' Premier, a feeling shared by .people of all shades of political opinion throughout the colony, and his regret that there was a possibility of him being cut off in tho middle of his political career. It is impossible because- Mr Soddon- is sick to refrain from criticising the-acts of Mr Seddcm when, well, but he need not complain if he is treated with as little malice or discourtesy by the rest of his opponents as-the trenchant senior member for the city displayed towards him last night, A harassed Government department is rummaging round just now with a frenzied glare in its eye for a reassuring explication of the moneys it is alleged to have received and mislaid in connection with somo Maori land. A judge of tho Native Land Court has just been making sarcastic references to the bookkeeping of the Public Trust Office. The court at Kaiapoi was investigating a caw in which a Nativo trustee, who has received £2138 16s 3d by his admissions, is being .called on to show that this is either less oV more than tho Public Trust Office- has paid

to him in its general administration of Maori estates. The Public Trustee supplied a statement of accounts and tho Native trustee had explained his disbursements and made them tally within £200 of this statement, when the Public 'Trustee burst into view with another statement, which seemed to show that tlie first statement was inaccurate, and put matters further away by £609. The sooner tho Public Trust Office takes off its coat and works overtime to set ita books in order the bettor.