Items of Interest.

Opunake Times, Volume VII, Issue 308, 20 August 1897, Page 4

Items of Interest.

In Germany, when the vote of the jury stands six against six the prisoner is acquitted. A vote of seven against five leaves the decision to the Court, and in a vote of eight against four the prisoner is convicted. At an English Police Court recently a man was summoned for neglecting to have his child vaccinated, but the defendant brought forward evidence to show that others of his children had suffered in consequence of vaccination, and thereupon the magistrate dismissed the case. It has been arranged that all actions against the Coal Company—22 in all—arising out of the Brunner disaster shall be heard in Wellington on October 6th, instead of in Hokitika. The Judge will sit without a jury. The cases will be taken together, and the issue of one will decide all. The programme for Mr Stoddart's English team's tour in Australia is being arranged. Five test matches will be played, the first commencing on December 10th at Sydney, followed on December 31st at Melbourne, January 14th at Adelaide, Janury 29th at Melbourne, and February 27th at Sydney. In the Wellington Magistrate's Court yesterday a firm of drapers was charged with a breach of the Shop Assistants' Act with having employed a shop assistant to deliver goods half an hour later than the prescribed time of closing. The shop assistant in question was the son of a carrier, who contracted to deliver the defendant's goods, and it was contended that he was not liable under the act. The case was a test one, and the Magistrate in dismissing it, said he could not unduly strain the interpretation of the statute. The three planets, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury, are to be seen finely just now in the north-west. Mars, the uppermost of the three, steadily increasing his distance from Jupiter, which lies beneath him. Below Jupiter may be seen Mercury, a very fine object at present, almost at elongation from the sun which takes piace on the 27th inst. Mercury and Jupiter will be seen in conjunction on the 13th. This should be looked for early in the evening. Mercury, owing to its nearness to the sun, is rarely seen in some localities, and the illustrious Copernicus, to whom astronomy owes so much, died regretting that he bad never seen this planet. This may be accounted from his position at Frauenburg the planet never rose to any great altitute above the horizon, and that dwelling close to the river. Vistula the vapour would no doubt, interfere with his view.