A PORTENTOUS INQUIRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22067, 25 September 1933, Page 16

A PORTENTOUS INQUIRY

TROUBLE ABOUT A PUP [ HOW CANBERRA; DOES THINGS. ' (Fkom Ojjß Own Couresponuea t'). . :.*"' SYDNEY, September 14.' The recently popular song-about, all the King's horses and all the Kings men,_ wlio marched up the street and marched back again merely to increase .the display at the Lord Mayor's Show had its counterpart in real portentousness in an omcial inquiry at Canberra one day; thisi .week. A little yellow, dog, four months old, was responsible for the grave proceedings. lor six hours scenes in which it had i been concerned were investigated by.an. .inquiry, set lip by the Federal Executive Council at the instigation of the Attorney-gene-•Tho' object, of the' inquiry was discover the truth or otherwise of allegations that a member of the Commonwealth Police Force,, Constable Priestley, had flourished a revolver, had threatened; to shoot the dog,'and had behaved m a men-, 'acing and undignified, manner. .Allegations that he had done so were made by the owner of the dog, C. J. Graham,, a local newsagent, and to conduct an Jnauiry the Federal Government. appointed Sir Robert Gafran, formerly Commonwealth Solicitor-general, who returned recently from abroad after acting as arbitrator in important matters in dispute between the Governments of Great .Britain and India. ;•':■'■-."•- , _ i,:„ When Sir Robert Garran began 1m inquiry, the sheriff for the Federal Capital Territory was in"i attendance. l.ne second assistant secretary of the Attorneycenerai's department was present to represent the Crown. A local solicitor appeared for the constable Another solicitor watched the proceedingsi on behalf of the newsagent. Members of the Hansard staff and typists recorded .«▼»«%««. messengers and members of the Police Force were also present. Sixteen witnesses were examined and cross-examined at length. The dog was also produced. All to decide conflict between Pnftky and some witnesses, who said that The object in his hand was. a, closed penknife, and Graham and his witness, who declared that the object was a revolver. Now Sir Robert Garran has gone into seclusion to consider the evidence and give his finding. MAGISTRATE AS SOLOMON. The little yellow pup of Canberra had a comrade in distress in a blue; cattle dog, the ownership of which a Sydney magistrate, like Solomon with the two women who each claimed a baby as her own, had to decide. The magistrate was faced with much conflicting evidence. One man said he lost.the dog 18 months ago; the other said it had followed him home 25 months ago. The magistrate asked for a demonstration of the dog s affections. He left the Bench and from the body ot the court watched the dog s antics' as each of the claimants cajoled it with pats an endearments. The dog helped the, magistrate little. It growled at and gambolled with each claimant. Indifferent to the austre surroundings, the dog shook himself, with abandon and dunng_a lull in the proceedings .scratched itself, with a vigorous hind paw. Finally the magistrate called in the aid of modern science. The man claiming to be the I original owner at length' recalled, that the dog had once fractured a foot, and the magistrate adjourned the case until the foot had been X-raycd, and the resultant photograph shown to him.