POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 28, 1 February 1913, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr E. C. Cutten. S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. Percy Smith started the New Year by a celebration, but before the morning of the glorious first had waxed to noon his spree came to an abrupt termination by a fall in Federal Street, which resulted in bis left leg being severely injured. His later adventures included the requisition of a cab. a doctor, the ambulance and the hospital, so that his New Year's Day was full of incidents. In consequence, after a month's rest in the hospital, he came this morning to Court on crutches, faced with a charge of having been drunk and with a bill of costs amounting to nearly £7. He was convicted and ordered to pay the police expenses of 18/ when he was in condition for work again. John Hawker, aged 80, who had been found drunk in Albert Park a fortnight ago, had a lengthy record extending over nearly 80 years. An endeavour to get him into the Costley Home had failed, j for the reason that he had been there previously, and had misconducted himself. He was convicted and ordered to ■ pay 18/6 expenses incurred in treating him for illness caused by the excessive use of alcohol at his age. A first offender forfeited bail, and Henry Williams and Dennis Reardon were fined 10/ apiece. DEFRAUDING THE FERRY. H. Colledge was charged that being a passenger by the ferry steamer Osprey from (Birkenhead to Auckland, he, on a recent occasion, attempted to avoid paying his fare. A plea of "guilty" was entered for Colledge by his solicitor, and Mr Bell, for the Ferry Company, eaid that this -was the first prosecution of the kind in Auckland. In consequence of defendant frequently indicating that he was the possessor of a weekly ticket, which be didn't produce, he came under special observation. On the occasion in question he went aboard as usual, and when he was requested to produce his ticket it was discovered that he had neither a weekly nor an ordinary ticket. Defendant was fined .€2 and "costs. JTJVENII.E OFFENDERS. In the Juvenile Court two small boys were charged that they had caused various damage to three houses in Kingsland belonging to Alfred Pillar. One of the boys told the Court that both he and his companion had lit fires at the houses and had stolen a quantity of scrim and some keys. The other boy, for whom Mr Hackett appeared, denied all knowledge of the affair. Frederick Brown, a storeman, said that he had noticed the weatherboards of one of the houses was alight, and had put the fire out. He could identify the boy who admitted the charge, but he was not certain of the other. The case, was adjourned.

An eleven-year-old boy was stated by his father to be beyond parental control. He refused to stay at a school where high fees were paid for his tuition, and ran away time and again. He had been employed at various trades, but had always been dismissed, or left without giving any notice. He boasted ill the street that work was no good to him. Mr Cutten committed the hoy to the Weraroa Home, and ordered the father to pay 10/ a week for his maintenance. NOT FEELING GOOD. Cornelius J. Coltm.in. a fireman in overalls and bowyangs (among other things*, war charged that he used obscene language yesterday in Quay Street, and resisted Constable Blaikie in the execution of his duty. With l*'s torn 6hirt revealing his tatooed chest, and one sleeve of his coat only kept in place with the assistance of pins, Coleman looked the part indicated by the letter nart of the charge. He admitted that the constable had wakened him up from a drunken f-leep on the wharf, and told him to get aboard his ship, and that. Ik ing in an ill-humour, lie did not take the counsel in good part. His attempts to manhandle the constable resulted rather to himself. He was fined 20/ and 0/ costs. A ROW IN THE FO'C'SLE. Sydney Mason, bo-sun aboard the 6*. Kumara, wan charged that yesterday morning he assaulted George Reid, an A.8.. on the same ship. The circumstances disclosed by Reid's evidence were that at 6.-20 a.m. yesterday the bosun went into the fo'c'sle where witness was asleep, ordered him to turn to, and sta.ri.ed to knock him about, blacking one of his eyes. In reply to a queKtion, Reid said that as a matter of fact he did not turn to because he was too tired. Mason said that Reid x."as lazy, and had caused a good deal of trouble. Friday was .n busy day on the ship, and Reid was asleep in his bunk when everyone else was up at work. Witness went down and told him to get to work, reviving the reply from Reid that he would go to work when he liked. Witness said that Reid would work when witness liked, and caught him by the ear, whereon Reid got up and struck , him. and witness retaliated. The Magistrate remarked 1 that the case was a petty one. that should not have gone to Court, but nohodv was entitled to take the law into his own hands. 'Mason would be convicted, and ordered to pay 28/ costs. ALLEGED THEFT. Robert J. Nes-bitt, aged 21, charged that on Thursday he stole a rug, value 35/, the. property of Charles Nolan, was remanded till Wednesday, bail being fixed at one surety of .£SO. The allegation is that accused took the rug from a boardinghouse in Grey Street, where he and Nolan were staying, and sold it to a second-hand dealer. MISCELLANEOUS. Thomas John Wright, charged that on Thursday he assaulted Mrs Frances Hoggard, at Ponsonby. was remanded to appear on Wednesday. Thomas Allen, a bee-keepe~, for not taking the steps directed by an inspector under the Apiaries Act for eradicating foul brood from his hives, was fined 20/ and costs. A charge against Geo. M. White, that he had furiously and negligently driven a motor car on Mamikau Road, was dismissed. The Magistrate- remarked that the evidence fixed the speed at 15 miles an hour, and as, under the Motor Regulations Act, each case had to be decided on the circumstances, the evidence, in this instance, had to show that the traffic and circumstances were such as to make that 15 miles an hour was a speed dangerous to the public. The evidence did not shovr that, consequently the prosecution could not succeed.