WARDEN'S COURT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 37

WARDEN'S COURT.

ABANDONMENT OF SCHEELITE CLAIM. On Monday morning, at the Dunedin Courthouse, Mr J. L. Stout, S.M- (Warden), delivered judgment in the matter of three applications whioh canto before him' at Middlemarch last month. The applicant, Stewart Betty (Mr C. G. White), applied fo» a prospecting license over certain land in the Reefs district, and for a water race and darn site. The applications were objected to by Alexander Ewart on the ground that he held a special claim license for part of the land included in the application for th« pro'specting license and licenses for the water race and dam. A certificate of abandonment of thesa privileges was applied for by Betty on that they had been intentionally abandoned, or, in the alternative that they had been .abandoned by operation of law, Ewart having failed to comply with the provisions of the Mining Act as to working. The Warden held that abandonment had been and although Ewjirt had been seriously ill during the whole of 1915, and might not have been abla to do heavy manual labour in 1916, tho fact that he took up prospecting work and floated two claims in 1917, and was now manager of one pf these claims, prevented him from receiving the protection of th© Mining Act in regard to illness. He also held that there were no special circumstance* In the case to justify him in inflicting a fine instead of abandonment. He, therefore, made a decree of abandonment in all applications.