POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 299, 16 December 1911, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before- Mr. T. V. Primer, S.M.) THE DRUNKARDS. John Hansen, on -whom £42 waji found when he was arrested helpiessly, drunk in Queen-street last night, -was cautioned of. the dangers of drinking about the city with that amount of cash on him, and added to the. caution was the stiffening: of a fine of £ 1 and a prohibition order for twelve months. Makea, a native who had stubbornly refused to leave an hotel when refused drink and ordered out, -was fined £l, and James Moase. for drinking wheat prohibited, was fined £2. A first offender forfeited his bail of 20/, and Donald Mclherson, a seaman ol tha Talune, who amused himself by- shouting in Queen-street when he was drunk, was reminded 1 of the respect due to public decorum by a. fine of half-a-sovereign, THE HOMING INSTINCT. The drinking habits of Arthur J. Pitzgibbons some time bad: resulted in his wife obtaining a judicial separation from him, but since then the man's drinking •bouts appear to have always resulted in his footsteps turning instinctively to tha old home, and the intoxica.ted appearances of the exile have been a source of i considerable annoyance to his wife. Last I night tbe drink guided him along tb» old path again and he arrived at tha house to find the family in bed and asleep. No doubt his befuddled braia retained recollections of a 6imilar predicament in pre-separation days, of niebls, for he managed to reach tha roof and get through an upstairs windq«v' without attracting undue attention. In the morning he was found lying ask.-p on the bed with his children. Charged at the court with heing illegally on premises, he attributed the circumstances to drink, and the prosecution stated thai there was no suggestion that the man had any criminal intent. The magistrate said that he had no wish to punish accused for desiring to see his children, but advised him to make soma arrangement by which he could see them at a proper time. On fitzgibbon promising not to again ssek to annoy his separated wife, he and ordered to come up for sentence when callel on. HIS BROTHER'S . PROPERTY.

Denis Andrews a young man who had recently been a tram conductor, in Anril last seized on the. opportunity of "liU brother's absence in Sydney to attempt to realise on a bill of sale on the brother's furniture. He forged the brother'* name to the necessary document, and obtained £ls, but when the money-lender came to Tealise he discovered the fraud. Andrews was arrest* i;l and charged at the *ourt yesterday, .vhen ho pleaded "Guilty," and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, DRASTIC RAILWAY ACT. In June and July three trucks of timber consigned on the railways by the Selwyn Timber Company, at Putaruru, were found, on measurement at Frankton, not to agree in quantity with tha consignment note- In consequence, tne managnr of the company, William McArthitr, was charged with having mads false statements in the consignment notes. Mr. Soiwyn Mays, for the department, pointed out that the Railways Aci bad besn amended in 1910 "by which tha onus oi stating exactly tfce measurement, quantity or weight of goods was thrown on the consigner, ignorance of the mnstaike being no excuse or defence. Dr. Baaoford, for accused, led evidence to show that timber-measuring was not an exact science and that the measurements given for the consignment notes were the same as charged to his customers, the latter getting advantage of undermeasurement. His Worship said that accused's act was honest, ibat the com signanent note- contained a false declaration -under the Act, and accused must he convicted and pay £4 4/ costs. t