LAW AND POLICE.

West Coast Times, Issue 579, 2 August 1867, Page 5

LAW AND POLICE.

j There have been no sittings in Westland either criminal or civil of the Supreme Court during the past month, and only one sitting of the District Court, which was held on the 16th ultimo. At this, which was for the trial of civil cases, the amount of business transacted was but slight, and the cases disposed of possessed but few features of public interest. In the case of The HokitUca and Greymouth Tramway Company v. Spsnce Brothers, the action was brought to recover the sum of L 56, money paid by plaintiffs at defendants' request, for work and labor done, under the following circumstances : — Some time about the 9th May last, the schooner Goldseeker, of which vessel defendants were # the owners, went on shore near the Hau Hau Creek. The manager of the Tramway Company, on the 9th May, wrote a letter to defendants, offering to cany all the freight and store it for seven days at' 7s 6d per ton, lifting the goods from where they were left at high-water mark. ■ These terms defendants agreed to accept. At the time of making the contract the position of the vessel was such that where the goods would have to be placed was close to the Company's rails. Subsequently, the vessel, affected by the wind and thetide, forged ahead "for some distance,

thus causing the goods to be carried to a considerable, distance before they could be placed alongside the railg. The manager of .the .Company pointed this out to .defendants,: and an agree1 ment was- made by which defendants 1 requested the manager' of the Company to employ labor to remove the goods, and promised that' they would settle up for that labor. Such was plaintiffs' case. The defence was a denial on the part of defendants' that they ever entered into any agreement requesting the manager of the Company to employ labor to remove the goods, and a contention that as nothing was said about the contract being broken if the vessel forged ahead from Where she was lying when the contract was made, the plaintiffs were bound to complete that contract by removing the goods from high water mark. The Court gave judgment for the plaintiffs for L 54. The District Court Judge has now jurisdiction in insolvency cases by virtue of an order from His Excellency the Governor. His Honor's duties have, however, been . confined to the declarations, ■ of which there have been comparatively few.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, owing probably to its extended jurisdiction being restored, a considerable amount of business has been transacted, but none of the cases disposed of have, been of public importance. Although the amount of crime committed, considering the number of our population, lias not been great, yet some of the cases, from the position of the, parties charged, have excited a painful interest. On the Ist ultimo, John Allen Kinsjsniill was brought up, charged with embezzlement. The prisoner had been a clerk in the Bank of New South Wales, at Sydney, but had subsequently removed to the Bank at Greymouth, New Zealand. Whilst there he was taken into custody by Jt detective, who arrived from Sydney with a warrant for his apprehension, on a charge of having emembezzled the money of the Bank. He was remanded to . Sydney. Anoiher case was that of larceny against John Allen, who was charged with stealing deposit recepts, given by the Bank of New South Wales, the property of John Whyte. There was also a charge of forgery against the prisoner, who was committed for trial on both chnrsjes. On the 16th ultimo, Arthur Tanner was charged with embezzlement. The prisoner was collector of rates to the Municipal Corporation of Hokitika, and whilst acting in that capacity he had, from time to time, embezzled various sums of money, which came into his hands as such rate collector, and which amounted in the aggregate to upwards of L 174. He was committed for trial. On the 31st ultimo, two men, named Martin and Garvey, were fined LIOO each for illicit distillation. The defendants were ostensibly following the occupation of splitters at Longford, on the Hokitika river, about ten miles from the town of Hokitika. Under the door of the tent which they inhabited, a cellar had been very ingeniously constructed, and in-this there was a still in full work, when the" defendants were pounced upon by the Collector of Customs and the police. The defendants could not pay the fine, and, in default they were sentenced^respectively to four months' imprisonment.