SALE OF RAILWAY TICKET.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17018, 15 December 1920, Page 4

SALE OF RAILWAY TICKET.

4- : oCONVICTION RECORDED. A case of interest to travellers on the vailway was Lewd at the- Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M, when Frances Marie Spears was charged with having sold a, first-class railway ticket for uar- bftwee-n Christchurch and Dun-sdin, and xhoMoa Brydone with having transferred his" ticket to another person. It was decided to deal with the latto-r ciuirge to-day. Mr Sargent, for defendant, stated that the Railway Department wished to withdraw the charges, but the police ■ in-slated coins on with them. •Sub-Inspector Dow said 'that Btydone gara Spears the ticket because ho wished to return to Dunediu by other menu's than the railway. Speara advertised the ticket for sine-, and when seen by the uolico admitted ku.vm.sr received £1 2s Gd for the ticket. The liailway Departoien-fc desired that the charge should ho withdrawn on the ground that Spears had since paid the full amount of tho faro. • 6 Constable Packer said that when he interviewed tho defendant, .oho admitted having advertised tho ticket for sole, and sold it to a man whose name sir? did not know, for £1 ia 6d. She said she did uofc know ir iras an offence- to pell Mich a. ticket, and sue had not noticed that it was not transferable. Mr Sargent said the cuss was a. contest between two Govcrrnmemt departments. Tho J woman had been open about the. matter, j and had paid the liailway Department tho sum of 30=: 3d. In view of the facts ct the case ho intended to take advantage of eventechnical point to win it. :<a ticket had ' bran produced, and he submitted that no ticket, had been sold within the meaning- of the Act. ■ There wa* r.o suggestion of dishonesty. Jf na offence- had been committed it meant that, any mnn committed an offence who bought a ticket for his wife or for a. friend. _ The Magistrate said that, there was no aoubt that an offence had been committed Aith record to the contest between the two" departments, the siiramons had been issued before the police could withdraw the case. It then had to gn to Court, because it was not permissible lor parsons- Jo compromise. If it_ were otherwise, persons in-influential' positions could, by paying- certain Mima of money, escape ah.-wvtrer. No doubt the , vefendant though! sho wus acting righ'. ~S O dis-hone:-ty had been committed. " The defendant would be convicted and di-^har^d