STARTING A TRAM CAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 155, 1 July 1913, Page 7

STARTING A TRAM CAR.

A CONDUCTOR PROSECUTED.

A most unusual case at the Police Court this morning was that in which Charles Scale, a tram-car conductor, was charged with giving a signal that caused a trarccar to start before a woman who was an intending passenger had taken her seat in the car. The prosecution was instituted by the police, whose evidence was to the effect that an elderly woman, Mrs. Morpeth, was about to "board a Herne Bay car. at the Three Lamps stop, on June Oth, that she had put a little grand-daughter on the back 'of the car, and had one foot on the step, to follow, when the car started, with the result that she fell on the road. Mrs. Morpeth, two women who were with her at the time and intended to follow her into the car. and a youth who was about twenty yards away, gave evidence to the effect that the starting-beii rang and the car started just as Mrs. Morpeth had one foot on the car-step.

For the defence. Mr. Towle led the evidence of the conductor, the motorman, and another witnesß. The motorman stated that before starting ho looked back, and sa-w nobody at the rear platform waiting to go on. The conductor stated that be the starting signal in response to a "gong" from the motorman, it being mutually arranged that the driver should, when there was a rush, look back and sound his gong when the back platform passengers had got in. The other witness was a male passenger, who considered that be was the last man in. The car moved, he said, while he was on tbe step, and he saw no/body else waiting. Then, when he got on the platform, he heard a call that sounded like, "Wait n minute!" and he turned to see the child standing on the step, and Mrs. Morpeth with her hands out as if she had just put the little girl there. He caught hold of the child as the woman let go, and herself fell down on the road. He thought there were two other women there, hut he could not say where they had come from. Mr. K. ('. Ctttten, S.M.. reserved- judgment, in order to consider the by-law.