PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. MEtßoinprE, December 31. In the Supreme Court yesterday the jury In the Speight—"Age" libel action brought in a general verdict for the plaintiff, awarding £100 damages. Mr Justice Hodges refused to receive the verdict, and asked the jury fora decision upon each of the eleven libels, showing how the general verdict was constituted. The jury replied that they had been unable to agree on the eleven libels. The judge said by the oath they had taken they had to decide each libel, and that a general verdict without a detailed decision was bad and would be immediately upsetable by the full Court. The jury then re tired and were locked up until Tues day. Melbourne, January 2. In the Speight-" Ago " libel action the jury returned a verdict on one count out of eleven, and declared that they were unable to answer the other counts. They gave a verdict for the plaintiff on the eighth count, which refers to the "Age" comments alleg ing gross extravagance, and assessed the damages at £100. The question of costs was reserved. The solicitor for the plaintiff when interviewed said Mr Speight regarded the verdict as merely £100 on account, as it was intended to take fresh action on other alleged libels. Melbourne, January 3. Defendant's costs in Speight's case are about £21,000. Speight's amount to £8000. Mr Purves, principal counsel re tained by the "Age" in the libel action, received 850 guineas retainbr fee, and thirty guineas per day refresher. Mr \Deaker received 251 guineas retainer fee, and fifteen guineas a day. Mr Duffy, Speight's leading lawyer, was paid four hundred guineas fee, and twenty guineas a day , Coldham, three hundred guineas, and fifteen per day. Ninety-six witnesses were examined, and over a thousand exhibits put in at the trial. If the case, as reporced in the "Age," were published in book form it would make a volume of a thousand pages. The verdict in the Speight case is not entered up, as the legal effect of the jury's finding will be argued nsxt month (Received January 4, 12.15 a.m.) | Melbourne, January 4, At Speight's instigation the trial on the other ten counts in the libel action against the (> Age" will ba resumed without delay. 