Telegrams.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXI, Issue 3770, 19 July 1905, Page 2

Telegrams.

Wellington, si aly 18. The Appeal Court gave judgment to-day in the case of Rex v. Ewart. Defendant was convicted of selling a copy of Sydney Truth, which was held to contain indecent and obscene matter. The point was whether knowledge of the contents of the paper was necessary for a rightful conviction. In the view of the majority, Justices Williams, Edwards and Chapman, the defendant could not be convicted unless he knew or ought to have known the nature of the matter he was selling. Mr Justice Williams said it was quite impracticable that a bookseller should make himself acquainted with the nature of the whole of the literature he sells. The Chief Justice and Justice Cooper dissented, holding that the onus lay on the seller of ascertaining at their peril the nature of the contents. The conviction was quashed and a new trial ordered, Ttie new scheme for providing workers’ homes, alluded to bv the Pr emier, was suggested by F. Watts, of New Plymouth, who is now in ' Wellington at the invitation of the Government to elaborate details. Ministers regard the proposal very favourably, and intend to put it on trial at Spotswood, a suburban block near New Plymouth, acquired by Government some time ago. The idea is that a man desirous of acquiring a house should take out an endowment policy for 20 or 25 years, and pay a yearly amount sufficient to cover the premium and in£isvaneo on the bouse. At the end of'tbe terra the property becomes his own. It is said Mr Watts thought he could see his way to providea house under this scheme worth £350 for 10s per week.

Nelson, July 18. The men employed at the Puponga Coal Mine refused to work unless the Company came to certain terms with the Union, which the management absolutely declined. The strike ended to-day, however, when all the men turned up unconditionally. The management refused to take back the disaffected men, but the mine is in full swing again and everything is quiet. Auckland, July 18.

Thejofficial assignee, Mr Gerard, has received advice from Perth announcing that an absconding bank' rnpt, Wallace Maxwell, who in July, 1904, when engaged in storekeeping at the Q.O.E. Stores, Cambridge, with two others, levanted, after, it was alleged, obtaining for the firm over £SOOO credit and allegedly £SOO cash from the business for himself, has been sentenced to twelve month* gaol in addition to six months already spent in gaol, for offenses against the bankruptcy laws of Weatralia. The methods adopted there were identical with those al'eged here, that of obtaining goods by means of bills and plausible promises. Maxwell, who posed here as a nephew of Sir Herbert Maxwell, and said he possessed £20,000 in England, was in reality namel Williom Donald Cameron, and is declared to be identified with ihe QO. E, man. Steps wall be taken to arrest and extradite him to Auckland after he has finished his pretent sentence.