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^ The Budget.

I USK.

SALE OF GR\ZING LAND NEAR…

I FUNERAL AT USK.

! ABERGAVENNY.

ICAERLEON.

GKOSMONT. I

I NEWPORT. I

USK.

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USK. PETTY SESSIONS, THURSDAY. Before R. RICXABDS, Esq., H. HUMPHREYS, Esq. SUPT. JAMES* RETIREMENT. Before the commencement of the bueiness, th& Chairman elicited that this was the last appearance at the Court of Supt James, who is retiring on superannuation, and subsequently said he would like to express the regret of the Bench at losing his services. The magistrates had always found him an exceedingly active and useful officer, and he might say that personally he had very great respect for him. In addition to the performance of his duty, Supt James had a warm place in his heart, and he had often exercised his kindly feeling for the good of those whom he had sometimes had to act more harshly towards than his inclination would have allowed him. Th& magistrates would lose his services with very great regret, but on their behalf he would wish Supt. James long life to enjoy the rest he had so well earned. Mr Humphreys said that, as bon. sec. of the Monmouthshire Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, he should like to add to the words so kindly said by the Chairman an acknowledgment of the work Supt. James had done in connection therewith- work which he was not in any way called upon to do. Supt. James had always been ready to help a prisoner on his discharge. Mr Lyndon Cooper, Newport, on behalf of the legal profession, begged to associate himself with the remarks which had fallen from the Bench. Person- ally he had bad the advantage and pleasure of meeting Supt James for many years, not only at Usk, but at Caerleon and Pontypool, He thought that every one knew the Superintendent's abilities and appreciated the kindness that he showed, not only to members of the profession, but to everyone he met with in the course of his duties. It must be a source of great satisfaction to him to know that in his retirement, after so many years' useful service, be had earned the respect of everyone who knew him. Mr W. J. Everett, Pontypool, endorsed what had been said, and remarked that Supt. James knew the esteem in which they held him at Pontypool. The Chairman: We shall miss his services very much. Supt. W. James, in reply, said he bad performed his duties to the best of his ability, and it was very gratifying to find that he had given satisfaction not only to their worships but to the solicitors with whom be had come into contact. What he had done had been a matter of duty, sometimes a pleasure, some- times otherwise, but always with a sense of his responsibilities and in the least offensive way pos- sible for him. He thanked their worships and the solicitors for the kind manner in which they had referred to his retirement. EX-OFFICIO J.P. A communication was read from the Clerk to the Usk U.D.C. stating that Mr Frank Jennings had been elected chairman of the Council, and that he was, therefore, entitled to become an ex-officio J.P. The Chairman said that, without a desire to impair the welcome of the Bench to Mr Jennings, the magistrates wished to express their great regret at the loss of Mr S. A. Hiley, whom they had found a most able magistrate. ALLEGED CRUELTY TO CHILDREN. Mr Lyndon Cooper appeared, on behalf of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, to prosecute James and Margaret Cutter, described as a collier and his wife, for cruelty to their ten children, at Llangeview, on the 18th March. Defendants appeared with eight of their children, r, all of whom were small, the father nursing two on his knees and the mother suckling the youngest of the little colony. In opening, Mr Cooper said that the ages of the children ranged from ten or twelve week, to thirteen years. The case was adjourned from the list Court owing to the non-appearance of the defendants. The object the Society had was the welfare and benefit of the children. The parents were known to the Bench in connection with school attendance proceedings in October last, and representations then made induced a large amount of sympathy on their behalf, and Supt. James and other people were good enough to send food, money, and clothes to the family, while work was procured for the man. If the man's story had been absolutely correct, and the condition of the children had been due to circumstances not under their control, the de- fendants would be more entitled to be pitied than blamed, but if his instructions were correct, since that time an improvement had not taken place in the condition of the children. They had been several times visited by the police and the Society's inspector, and good advice had been given to the parents with the object of something or other being done for the children. A rather pitiful feature of the case was the fact that these children, or the majority of them, have been left alone for long intervals, sometimes a whole day, and that food had been given them on some of these occasions. At this juncture. Mrs Cutter passionately ex- claimed that she had never left her children as stated, and that the solicitor was telling untruths. She refused to keep quiet, and in a succession of exclamations said no one had brought food for her children except the Sergeant, who had given them a dry loaf of bread. She had only left her children while she was on business, and had returned ready to drop. She would not keep quiet; she would have the case stopped, &c. At length, the Chairman pointed out to the defendant that she was only making her case a great deal worse. They did not wish to be harsh with her in any wpy, but unless she desisted they wonld have to remand the case until she was in a better frame of mind. Defendant continued to assert that people had not brought food, money, and clothes to the house only Supt James and Sergt Sheddick had been kind enough to do so. The torrent of words ceasing for a time, Mr Cooper said he would say no more on that part of the case. Cutter could earn, and had been, earning, X2 Is a week when he worked full time, On March 12th and 19tb he earned that amount, and the two weeks following he earned Ll 7s 4d and £1 10a respectively. This work was obtained for him, he believed, through the instrumentality of Supt James. There could, therefore, be no suggestion of absolute poverty in the case. In. addition to that he should bring evidence to show that the man was given to drink. Poverty was no crime, and there might be some excuse if through unfortunate circumstances suffering was caused, but there could be no excuse for excessive drinking whereby a man either neglected his work, or, having work and earning good wages, he spent them upon himself instead of looking after his family In this case the family was a large one, and it was difficult to know what was best to be done for the children. Warnings had been of no use, and the Society, after careful consideration of the facts, had thought it right to lay them before the Bench, so that the parents might be advised as to the course they should pursue in the future. Another painful feature was that one child had been seriously burned and had been some time in a hospital, as a consequence of such neglect as was complained of. In a similar case elsewhere, Mr Justice Wills had thought the case so serious that a sentence of nine months' imprison* ment was passed. The Society's Inspector and P.S, Sheddick went to the cottage in February aud discovered in the house very little food, while

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I HIV KR REPORT. I

I ANNUAL MEETING OF THE U.D.C.

LLANTARNAM, J

I MONMOUTH. I

I PONTYPOOL. I

SKENFRITH. I