TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20057, 21 September 1920, Page 7

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

The Railway Appeal Board was unable to resume its sitting to-day, owing to the absence, through ill-health, of Mr B. 0. Jolly (First Division). A postponement was made to Thursday, at 10 a.m. ■ _ His Honor Mr Justice Sim, referring in the Supreme Court to-day to exchange of properties, said that values placed on the properties for the purposes of those transactions supplied uo idea of the real values. In a case 1 heard before him in tho North Island, three" sections at Coromandel were valued at £2BO. As a matter of fact, they were worth only £l2. “Look down there I” someone suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a calm pool . below a little staging on which members of - the South Waimakariri River Board were standing, by Brown’s Rock intake, near tho Waimakariri Gorge bridge. “By joye, they aro beauties—more like porpoises!” someone else exclaimed. There were eight of them, according to the official count —big dark trout.. Now. and then one of them would snap a morsel on the showing a big head and fin. “ I have never seen anything like that in the river before,” said Mr C. W. Hervey, secretary of tho board, who happens to be also secretary of the Acclimatisation Society . “ What about gaffing ’em?” leaked Mr WV P. Spencer, .covetously. "I will look the other way,” promised Mr Hervey. 11 Take*that down!” was the instruction given to the reporters by Mr Spenper, If an estimate made on the spot is to be believed, the trout weighed up, to 141b. They were unmolested, but later the party practically annihilated a bunch which was also of good dimensions. How ‘ho had “ caught another melon ”; was said to. have been related at a dub by an Auckland man who was proceeded against by a returned soldier,.the, latter claiming a refund of £125 paid for a dry-cleaning business. It was alleged that defendant, who had agreed to hand over a secret formula for dry-cleaning, and not to start, business within a radius of five miles, had made a breach of both engagements, as tho formula was not the correct one, and lie had engaged in business' shortly after the sale. The Repatriation Beard had advanced plaintiff, £2OO. It was admitted by defendant that he had twice previouslysold 'his business and bought it back again. He said that eleven tins of dry-cleaning mixture were valued at £SO. A witness said defendant had stated that ho was not working because he had “ caught another melon,” i.0., hoodwinked another innocent. ’ He was a most casual individual in Auckland who, the other day went bankrupt, and when asked what had become of his money said he really didn’t know 1 It was stated that the man had won £740 in a sweep, that he gave £IOO to his wife, bought a motorcar for £325, and used it us a taxi. Ho lost his license, engaged a man to drive for him, found this unremunerative, sold tho car for £3OO, spent the latter amount in living expenses, and then went bankrupt. At the meeting of creditors the bankrupt .said he hadn’t the. slightest idea of where the money had gone to, except that ifc had gone, and ‘‘ couldn’t really present a decent balance-sheet for the auditors.” The Official Assignee said his mission was not to whitewash delinquents. It was also stated that when - bankrupt was informed that the creditors would take proceedings, he smiled, and said that he “would put it right over them*” “He certainly has put it over us,” said one creditor, “ and that’s what hurts.” Another creditor (to bankrupt): ‘‘ Isn’t it a fact, Mac,' that you should tell the Official Assignee that you have thrown your money away and haven’t the least idea where" it has gone?” Tho bankrupt: “ That is about the strength of it.” At this stage the creditors agreed it was no use proringing the meeting I