Mr. Hooley has been acquitted, and Mr. Lawson has been sentenced to twelve months! hard labour for false pretences, but has ben released on bail ponding the hearing of an appeal on legal ands, Nobody has been much surprised at Hooley's acquittal; indeed the general opinion towards the end of the Tong hearing was that both men would got off. Lawson defended himself with grant ability, and Hooley had, in Mr. Rufus Isaacs, the most jul and brilliant advocate of ti Even those who are most indignant that two notorious company-mongers of the worst typo have escaped punishment have to confess that the evidence against Hooley ju this case was exceedingly weak. One need not mince words in speaking of Mr. Hooley's gone i would hardly be possible to things about him than have bean said by judges who have tried cases arising out of his company transactions; but rely in spite of all recent legia-Iation, it remains a most difficult thing to bring home to promotors and directors sponsibility for company frauds. The recent proceedings against Hooley and Lawson are calculated to have cost something like £35,000, of which a large proportion will fall on Mr. Hooley and a Tir larger proportion on the public puree. It is not surprising that the E'Daily News" and some other journals tack the public prosecutor strongly for taking up a weak case when—af all events as regards Hooley—a strong case might surely have been found. For instance, in reference to the case of Bradshaw v. Kelly, heard a few months ago, the judge declared that the ' proceedings of Mr. E. T. Hooley in this case Srore fraudulent; every document in the Qase la a fraud; and from the inception Of the proceedings there has been nothing put fraud." Either the judge's peach secution of Thesley should have followed wore grossly improper, or a public pro-
—that seems clear; but no action was ever taken, though 8 promise was gi in the House of Commons that Director of Public Prosecutions should inquire into the matter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.