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Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 822, 25 January 1868, Page 1 (Supplement)

Supreme and District Court Sittings. — The arrangements for the accomodation of these courts in the Odd Fellows’ Hall have been broken off, the contracting parties being unable to come to satisfactory terms. Negotiations are now opened with Messrs Barnard & Allen, for the Freemasons’ Hall, which are likely to be more successful. The entrance to the latter is not quite so convenient as to the former, but otherwise, as it appears to us, the Freemasons’ Hall would be the preferable place of the two, more especially considering the extra accommodation afforded by the number of side rooms attached to it. It does not seem to be very clearly settled, while we write, whether the District Court, to be held on the 3rd of February, will meet in the Odd Fellows’ Hall or revert to the old Court House once more. Fortunately there are no criminal cases to be tried on this occasion — a gratifying fact, which will lay the sub-sheriff under the necessity of presenting Judge Ward with a pair of white gloves. Resident Magistrate’s Court. — Hume v. Neville. — On Thursday, this case, which was an action of damages for £10 for injury done to a horse lent by Mr Hume of Fordell to the defendant, came on for a second hearing. It will be remembered that on the previous week the case had been heard and dismissed on the ground that the horse having been lent and not hired no action could be brought, but this decision was immediately after retracted and an adjournment granted on the application of Mr Roberts, the plaintiff’s attorney. This gentleman now cited authorities to prove, according to his showing, that damages could be sued for on borrowed articles injured by the borrower. The bench thereupon gave judgment for plaintiff, damages £10 and 17s costs. We refer to this case for a moment because our remarks when it was first before the Bench, — remarks to which we emphatically adhere, — have been misunderstood by some readers. They seem to suppose that we animadverted on the Bench for holding over their decision : no such thing. That magistrates should pause and deliberate well, when they feel the least difficulty, is only proper and right. What we considered a mistake was rather the opposite of this — it was the not holding over the decision for a week or two weeks if need be, but giving a decision — settling the question — and then unsettling it again at the bidding of a gentleman practising at the bar. On the law of the case we offer no opinion, but what we have said and now reiterate is this — Don’t give decisions until you are sure of them ; when they are given let them stand.

Kaitoke School District. — The following gentlemen have been elected a committee for the present year :— Messrs. J. King, J. Blyth, A. McDonald, W. Batchelor, J. Fernie, and John Morgan, (Chairman.) Mr J. H. Murray has been appointed Collector of the District. Warrengate Line. — A Provincial Government Gazette, of the 17th inst., contains a declaration that this line is now finished and forms a public highway, connecting the upper part of the main and district roads, viz., Nos. 1 and 2 lines. The Special Auditors’ Bill. — The Superintendent has intimated to the Chairman of the Town Board, that any sum of money paid for the special audit of the accounts must be taken from the general rate of the town, without its receiving any equivalent from the treasury, — a course which can hardly be objected to, but it deprives the public of the benefit not only of £45, or any sum, more or less, which may be paid to the auditors, but also of its equivalent — making probably £100 of which the community will be the losers. The equivalent on the cart licenses is also stopped through the intervention of Mr Walter Taylor and Mr Soulby. They ought to be proud of their work.