REGULATIONS BROKEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 247, 31 July 1941, Page 3

REGULATIONS BROKEN

SELLERS OF PETROL CHARGED MAN FINED TOTAL OF £75. (P.A.) HAWERA, July 30. Fines totalling £75 were imposed on Edward Kirkby, a Hawera petrol reseller, when he pleaded guilty in the Hawera Magistrate’s Court to three breaches of the oil fuel emergency regulations. In February, he sold 258 gallons without authority, in March 304 gallons, and in April 175 gallons. He elected to be dealt with summarily. On each charge he was fined £25, one month being allowed in which to pay. The police stated that a check of Kirkby’s returns showed that in September and November, 1940, he oversold by 391 gallons, but could be charged only with the three later offences. Kirkby’s cards showed that licence holders had always drawn the full amount allowed under their licence, and also 25 persons who had overdrawn their allowances. Some of these had kept records of their petrol purchases, and it was discovered that Kirkby had altered their amounts to cover up unauthorised sales. He admitted that in five months he made 100 such alterations to cover up. He also had to put in fictitious licence numbers. The alterations amounted to forgeries, and the offences committed were looked upon as serious. “A breach of these regulations is always a serious matter, and in imposing the penalties I have to consider their deterrent effect,” said Mr Salmon, S.M. “Ili the three charges, I must take into account the number of gallons involved, over 700. It is said that defendant broke the regulations at the solicitation of customers; but I say that if customers behave in that, way, they display a poor public spirit.” George Zinsli was fined £5 on each of two charges of obtaining petrol without authority from Kirkby.