Heavy Damages
p. 33 · Read in the full issue
Echo Of Papua Case
Former PO Asked to Pay Heavy Damages
A FORMER Patrol Officer in Papua, Lawrence Anderson Wall, was proceeded against in the Supreme Court in Maitland, NSW, at the end of June, by a man, E. W.
Murdoch, whom he had charged with theft; and a jury awarded Murdoch £2,500 against Wall, dam ages for malicious prosecution. It was estimated that the costs of the action represented another £2,000.
Wall now is licensee of the Rich mond Hotel, at Lismore. Before that, he was part owner of Manning Motors, ih Taree, and Murdoch was employed there by him. Bad rela tions developed between them; Wall charged Murdoch with theft; and Murdoch was arrested, charged and found not guilty.
In the course of evidence, Wall, under cross examination, denied that at Kokoda, in 1939, he was committed for trial for manslaughter by Mr. Chance, the Resident Magis trate; he denied that subsequently, before Mr. Justice Gore, he was convicted of manslaughter in re spect of the death of a native.
Wall was not to know that, sit ting outside the court, awaiting his call as a witness, was Mr. S. H.
Chance, formerly RM at Kokoda, who committed Wall for trial in 1939. Mr. Chance is now retired,
and living in Brisbane. Mr. Murray Mackay Hooke, solicitor, once well known in Papua, who prepared the case for Murdoch against Wall, somehow found out about Wall’s career in Papua, and it was he who brought Mr. Chance down from Brisbane to Maitland. He was pre pared to show that Wall was con victed in Port Moresby of man slaughter and sentenced to six months, and was subsequently let off on a bond, and departed immedi ately from Papua. This evidence was not produced, however, because a curious legal position developed when Wall denied on oath that he had been convicted.
J The High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, Mr. R. c. S. Stan ley, with Mrs. Stanley and Miss Stanley, visited the Eastern Solo mons from June 14-19 in the MV Bina. His Excellency inspected Kira Kira Station, and called at the Melanesian Mission School at Pawa on the island of Ugi.
An earth tremor shook Lae, Wau, Bulolo and Kerema (Papua) about 8 a.m. on July 7. This was reported as being a severe shake, but the only casualties were a few bottles and some crockery which tumbled from shelves.