MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10954, 2 May 1901, Page 6

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

INEBRIETY. A first--fv-.ndir.g ir.-ch-rlata at the Magistrates Court yesuroiy was fin-:d ss. or 21 hours, and Jo.-i._ph Barnrs 10s. or 48 hours, by Messrs Manhfre, Bnrr.eU, and Yorke, J.P.'s. ALLEGED THEFT. Joseph Marsh, charged with stealing £1 9s from th- Wellington Fre_i Food and Ice (ornpanv. was :-en.3r.ded to Welling! •**... en the application of Sub-Inspector Blark. ALLEGED STREET BETTiNG. The case of John Ross, charged with cm-r----ing on busints.! as a batting mm in Hig-h sleet, was adjourned until May3th.se tli„t it may be heard with other cases of the same kind. A REGISTERED LETTER. Thomas Blue charged his brother. Archibald Blue, with stealing a registered letter add.esn-.-d fo hims.if. Thorn...** Bins was living with his brother, ard. so it was stated, for the defer.'}.?, ht.l given him authority to receive L .rcrs for him. This statement was d r *nied by the prosecutor, and tha Bench dismissed the case. A second charge was heard, in which defendant stated that hi had revived the letter, and told his brother to take it. He ret'ii*/. J, and walkrd out. of th. room, whereupon dcfan-l.nt flung letter into the fire. The slatemt-nt was corroborated by defendant's wife. The postman, who he.d overheard the conversation, said that defendant's remark wa_, "I liave ths letter, but I won't give it to you." The case was dismissed. WORKING A TOTALTSATOR WITHOUT A LICfvNSK. At the -Magistrate's Court, Temuka, on Tuc-day. S. B. Wightman, lion, secretary of ;hfi Temuka Trotting Club, appeared" to insvrer n. charge of having allowed a totai. ator to be worked at the club's hst meetng without a license. Ihe offence was adnit'.ed, and a fine of £10 was imposed. Ir Wightman a.nd Mr E. Richardson, pre silent ot tlie club, explained the position, j 'he club received information that at the I 'rotting Conference a permit had been reommer.dcJ. This was confirmed !>y correspondence, and a programme issued accordingly. In due course, application was made for a permit, but no reply was received until -shortly before the meeting. The secretary then received some papers which it wan desired should be filled in. This was done, and the papers returned. The secretary, in all con fid.* nee, daily expected a permit, and arrangements for the use of a toffllisator were made. Just prior to tho meeting tliß secretary directed attention to th? fact of the permit not arriving, fl.rd tho chairman, te'egrapliEd the Colonial Sceret'iry about it. On the day of the meeting the club, hourly expecting the permit to arrive and not wishing to disappoint the public, ordered the totalisator to be opened. The constable in charge at Temuka made enquiries, and «received the explanation a.s above, but was instructed to takepi-oeecdings. It wa* explained that the club nvidio no profit. The amount of £297 was put through, of which the club received 10 per c-r.t. The charge for the totalisator was £25 .and it cost £5 for a house. The Magistrate, in giving his decision, expressed the opinion that tha club acted in good faith, but a cunsidarable lack of prudence had been manifested. If the haEd acquainted himself with the regulations, he would h«.ve realised that he was liable to a fine of up to £50 or three months' imprisonment.