SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3099, 6 August 1913, Page 48

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(FiioM Cuk Own CoitßESi’ON dent.)

INVERCARGILL, August 2. On Saturday lust a young man named R. J. Blaekmore was stabbed in the Nith Street Woodwaro Factory. It appears that another youth employed in the lactory, A'. J. Simpson, was sharpening a knife on a grindstone when Blaekmore called him to do something. iSimpson not responding quickly enough, Blaekmore pu’.lcd him across the room, and in the struggle the knife, which Simpson still held in his hand, entered Blaekmore s back, making a wound which was at first regarded as very dangerous. Simpson was arrested, and appeared at the Police Court, Invercargill, charged with stabbing Blaekmore, but as Blaekmore was not abie to appear the hearing of the charge was remanded till Friday next. ' It is understood that the defence will be that the stabbing was accidental The Appeal Court has upheld the decision of iris Honor Sir Joshua \VUliams that Mr Gavin Brighton is not entitled to anything but the surface of the land which ho recently converted from perpetual lease to freehold. It was held that the Bennie case could not be taken as a precedent in this ease, clauses in the old Act which justified the decision in Bennie’s ease having been omitted from “The Land Laws Amendment Act, 1912." The Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) dissented from the finding of the other three judges, and leave to appeal to the Privy Council was granted to Sir John Find'ay, Mr Brighton’s lawyer. The election of a councillor in place of Mr Galbraith resu'ted on Wednesday in the return of Mr J. T. Carswell by the very narrow margin of eight over that unconquerable trier Mr J. L. Pctro. The figures were: Carswell 890. Petrie 882, Glass 485. Clearly’ Mr Glass did not get the hearty support of the Labour party, else he should have done much better. On Thursday evening a deputation representing the Invercargill butchers waited on the South Invercargill Borough Council and asked that the hawking of meat should be prohibited. Several butchers spoke in support of the request, which is clearly in the public interest. A judgment of very general interest was delivered by Mr George Cruickshank, S.M., on Wednesday. The Invercargill Milk Supply Company sued Robert Somerville for £9 11s for milk supplied, the defence being that although Mr and Mrs Somerville lived together, the milk was for her private business of a private hospital. His \\ orship, however, ruled that the wife must be deemed to be the agent of the husband unless (1) his wife had been already provided with necessaries; (2) his wife had a cash allowance wherewith to purchase the necessaries; (3) he hud forbidden her to pledge his credit ; (4) he had warned tradesmen nor to give her credit; or (.5) the tradesmen had given the credit exclusively to the wife her self. As defendant had not shown that he was entitled to any of these exceptions, judgment was given against him. On Saturday last a man named William Brown was accidentally killed while engaged in blasting in connection with a road contract near Longwood. No one saw the accident, but it is supposed that it was due to a premature explosion of gelegnite, with which he was preparing a blast. At a meeting of the Southland General Labourers' Union on Thursday night the president (Mr M. J. Forde) was asked to resign, and did so. The union, or some members of it, felt that Mr Forde’s views were not in accord with these of the union on matters of vital importance, and that he had done the cause of Labour lasting hurt by opposing the candidature of Mr Glass at the recent municipal election. One member protested against such a drastic step being taken by a sparsely-attended meeting, but his protest was -disregarded. At a meeting of the Trades and Labour Council the secretary (Mrs M. J. Forde) handed in her resignation with a quantity of papers, and left the room. The secretary of the General Labourer’ Union (Mr Glass) wrote that his union had expelled Mr M. J. Fordo on account of his opposition to the Labour Council’s nominee at the recent municipal council, and that, being no longer a member, he- was not eligible to represent the union on the Labour Council, ami Mr Ryan had been appointed in his stead. Several members spoke -approving of the action of the union, and Mr Glass was elected president of the Trades and Labour Council in place of Mr Forde, while Mr ■!. Alswriler was elected secretary in nlacc of Mrs Fordo. Mr W. Hannah was then elected vice-presi-dent in place of Mr Alsweiler. At Friday’s meeting of the Southland Education Board the following appointments were made: Pembroke. Resina Daplyn, head teacher; Invercargill South, George Cameron, .seventh assistant . Citation North, Delia O’Keefe, temporary sole teacher; To Tua. Marion Swap, temporary first assistant; Tuturan, Ada Bar-bar. temporary first assistant : Papatotara, Helen M'Ewun. temporary first assistant.