CALLED "A NUISANCE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 281, 27 November 1941, Page 8

CALLED "A NUISANCE"

CHRISTIAN PACIFIST GAOLED OBSTRUCTED THE POLICE "Apparently your views carry you to deliberately flout the law and obstruct the police. People with such views as you should be the last to talk about peace. You are a nuisance and might possibly be harmful to weak-minded people. The sacrifice that you are going to make, by the term of imprisonment I am going to impose, is really very trifling compared to that made by those who are away at the war." With these words, uttered by Mr. J. Mot-ling, S.M., still ringing in his ears, John Whitely Boal, a member of the Christian Pacifist Society, left the dock in the Police Court this morning, to serve a term of three months; : imprisonment for wilfully obstructing Superintendent R. Ward in the; execution of his duty on November 23. Boal, a carpenter, was further charged with conducting, on the same date, a meeting, the holding of which had been prohibited by Superintendent Ward under regulation 3 of the Public Safety Emergency Regulations, 1940. The first, charge was of a summary nature, and the second an indictable one. Boal pleaded not guilty to both charges, and elected trial by jury on the second. He consented to being dealt with by Mr. Morling on the first charge. After he had given evidence, Boal, under cross-examination by SubInspector Macnamara, who prosecuted, admitted that he had been sentenced to terms of three months and six months' imprisonment for similar offences. On the first charge Boal was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, and on the second he was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.