POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 148, 23 June 1908, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

'-(Before m &G; Sio :: ;'■ A CHEAP TBIF TO SUVA. Three able-bodies;, young men, Richard iDownie, : Jameg Corbeit, and Edward Lardner, by aame, were landed id. Auckland by the Talune;:yesterday alter a trip to Suva amdback. ' Mr. ;-Hacketti who appeared for the trio in Court this morning, explained that, .being ambitious to visit America, and yet' insufficiently endowed.with pelf to "pay. the necessary passage money, they conceived '; the notion of working their way acroes. So in pursuance of this ambition the three adventurers walked aboard the good ship Xalune on -the eye of her departure lor Fiji, took up their'quarters as. steerage passengers, and dodged the inquiries of the purser and steward ho well that no thing, was discovered of their .unpaid passage'money until the vessel arrived ati Suva; There they spent two•., days among the cocoanuts and bananas before 2Jemesis overtook them, and then'if or five days they languished in the durance of Suva Gaol, meditating sadly on their unkind fate, and killing cockroaches between whiles. Suva prison, Mr. Eackett explained, cm -behalf of the pacnetic; was not "nearly ao comfortable, and generally well-appointed as they pictured Auckland and other civilised gaols, and their hearts hungered for a change. Lardner also raised his voice in protest concerning certain property of his, which he declared 'had gone mysteriously aetray while"'he was in'custody at Fiji, so that his latter state was considerably less 'happy than the "days preceding it ■ .His Worship-expressed the. opinion that stowing away was not the correct manner for impecunious, young men to travel in. Honest work 'was much more encouraging to a proper aelf-respect. This offence of stowing away was becoming too common, and needed to be put down with a strong hand. He considered the maximum penalty, one month's imprisonment with hard labour,'to be often 1 inadequate. The three travellers were each awarded the maximum. MAINTENANCE. A provisional order of 7/6 a. -week was made against Edward John Howard for the maintenance of his child. v INEBRIATE. Three first offenders forfeited their bail, and a second offender was fined 10/----and prohibited for twelve months. WALLER'S BANKRUPTCY. James Walter Waller, the bankrupt who was charged with several breaches of the Bankruptcy Act, including charges of contracting debts whilst insolvent, without any reasonable hope of being able to discbarge them, appeared again this morning, the case having previously been adjourned to allow the defendant an opportunity of reviewing bis position. Mr. S. Mays appeared for Mr. E. Gerard, official assignee, and Waller was represented by Mr. Hanna. Seven charges of contracting debts without hope of paying them'were read this morning, and Mr. Hanna intimated that Waller would plead guilty, and urged that the matter be dealt with summarily. The magistrate, however, considered that the case should go to the Supreme Court, and that the application for discharge should then be heard also. Waller was accordingly committed for sentence to , H the.. t Supreme Court, his liberty'being granted on:the assurance that he .would appear at the Supreme Court when required.