A WIDOW’S DOG.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16423, 11 May 1921, Page 7

A WIDOW’S DOG.

RUN oyer on road. 1 SLA IM AGAINST MOTORIST. • ■ jiie majority of tlic drivers of cars 51 the Christchurch-Aka roa service, hom tho moment they take their seats. as it : the King’s highway belonged to" them, and all others were trespassers. Their conduct was such as to bring motoring into disrepute. This was part of Mr Twvneliam’a opening address at the s Court to-day, when Mrs It. Goodwin ,Mr Twyneham), Motukarara, sued Allied J. Head (Mr Cuningham), motor proprietor, Akaroa, claiming £lO. value yi a cattle dog killed on. the public highway on March 27 last, by the alleged negligent driving of the defendant’s servant. Mr S. id. M’Carthy, S.JVI., presided Plaintiff, o widow, said that she owned a small dairy farm, and had two paddocks on. the Motukarara Road- She out the cattle in one paddock in the morning, and brought them over again in the evening. Her fo-ur-year-old sattle dog used to assist her. It was a i;ood. reliable dog. She used to wait io sec the road clear l>efore bringing the cattle in. She could see quite a roilo up the road. She had tb© cows more than halfway to the paddock, when she first saw the oncoming car. Bhe got her children into safety and railed the dog to get the* cows in the paddock. The car came on and went over the dog, which rolled over twice, and then ran to the paddock. Tho motor driver slowed up. and she called out that it was all right. She went to the dog and found it was dead. It was worth £lO to her, and was very usefulTo Mr Cuningham : She was scared of the motors, but agreed they had as. much right to the road as she had. The 3og was in tho middle of the road, and the car went straight over him. The dog was bought by her late husband, but she could not say how much was paid for it. Frederick Britcliffe. farmer, said that the car was travelling from forty to fifty miles an hour. Private cars would pull up when cattle were on the road, but tlie service cars did not, and took the risk. The plaintiff’s dog was a good cattle dog, and £lO was not an excessive estimate of its worth. _ Mrs Glare, Kaituna, gave corroborative evidenceFor the defence. Henry Sheldon, driver of the car, said that be knew tins road well, and where cattle were to be expected. Tie saw plaintiff’s cattle nib out- half a mdo away, and he slowed down to twenty-live miles an hour. Both cattle and dog were off the road, on opposite sides. He swerved to pass the dog, which came on across the road. Tito dog when half way across stopned and then went on. and the car wheel went over if. The stopping of the dog rm the middle of tb«* road was the »use of the accident. The car was then going fifteen to seventeen mile«= an hour. He was returning from ChristJliurch to AVfrvon. without passengers. To Mr McCarthy: He expected to take three hours and tweniv minutes rom Christchurch to Akaroa" He had no st-or>«. TsnnJlv there was one stop af about five minutes. Deci.non was reserved.