THE COURTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17984, 30 January 1924, Page 3

THE COURTS.

MAGISTERIAL.

T"E3DAY. i,Bofore Mr' AYyvern Wilson, S.M.) KiSFOIUIATIVIS TREATMENT. Krie Kutluud Mander, 17 years of ago (ilr V.\ F. Tracy), appeared ior oenlence on eleven charges ot false pretences, to which lie pleaded * guilty a week ago. Air Tracy s-;ud tho boy was not on© of dull intellect. He was weli-rc<ui and had been interested in popular literature. Counsel suggested that he be placed somewhere where he would be put on the right path. _ Tho Magistrate said the lad had been beyond the control c! hie parents. He and another wha h&d been under, his influence, hatcT guilty to breaking and entering dwellings. The accused should bo under some control and thero was only on© phicc where he could be under that control, and that was the Borstal Institute, Invcr* cargiU. On a charge of obtaining goods moneys from a draper by means of a valueless cheque, Mn.nd?r was detained for reformative treatment in the Borstal Institute for a period not to exceed two years, and on the other ten charges he was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon. » MAINTENANCE. Phoebe Carter [Mr A. H. Cuvell) proceeded against ijnjuuel James Carter for freparutioa, guardianship, and maintenance vrders, on the grounds of persistent cruelty. Complainant said that she had been married nearly two years and had two children, but her life with her husband was a miserable one. He often struck her. and used vi!q language. Once he hit her cuid blackened one of her eyes. Another time ho dragged her down a passage and hit her. Several mornings he struck her before lie went to work, and again when ho camo heme. "What started the rows?'* asked the Ma-gis-trate. "He didn't just come in and shut the front door and hit you, did he?" "The trouble ia because he's married to me," replied- the complainant. "Ho always says lie shouldn't have married me because I am a half-caste Maori "Well, you're not ashamed of that, are 3*ou? It's something to be proud of—very proud."—"No, I am not ashamed of it; I am proud of it, but whenever he gets into a te-mper he always that up! He gets into a temper for nothing at all. I don't know why it is.. It's just his nasty temper!" Evidence waa given by a man* who said that at one time he boarded with the couple. He said he had seen the complainant struck by her husband three or four times in a week. Whenever he hit her he used filthy language. Thf» witness repeated language which he .alleged was used by the complainant's husband. He said that the husband often came. home drank and hit his wife. The husband interjected, "I deny that." Witness wheeled around: "You're a man like me, you are," he ©aid. "You would drink all the beer you could get hold of if somebody else, .paid .for it!" Continuing, witness said that' ho had never seen a place kept so clean as the one in which ho had hoarded. Complainant had the place spotless. . # Defendant, in evidence,' admitted' striking his wife. He said he had done - it because his wife had been cruel to his eldest child, whose age was two years. She often smacked the infant and he could not 6tand to it suffer and so lie' had struck her. Further, instead of doing her .work,-he alleged that she sat down and smoked cigarettes and consequently ' tho homo was in a very dirty «tr.te.' •

Mr Cavollr You want to have charge of tho eldest chi;d don't, you?— Yes, I would like to have itl

Why would yooi?—Because*l love it. Look, i-n't it because it 3 skin ia white? —Oh! No.

The skin of the younger child is dark and you don't want that child because of the colour of its skin?—l like both of them.

• Then wliy don't . you take them both ?—' I couldn't- take the little one away from its mother, 'could I?

Tako it away wlien it grows older then ? —No. I love the eldest one the beßt. The Magistrate: l)o you want to eay anything more?—No, your Honour. (But if you want any references as to character I refer you to Mx J. A. Fleßhcr.

His Worship said it appeared that the two who wore very young, had been married two and a half years, and during the la«*t six months it had been Very unhappy for the wife. When defendant married her' he knew- that there was Maori blood, in- her- veins. " If, in her spare tiine, she liked to read novels and smoke cigarettes he had to. try and overlook her. Maori habits, - especially when she kept his. house clean for f him But,. instead of that, .he flew into a temper and she was not bound to stand his cowardly behaviour. He granted the order and fixed maintenance at 5s per we*?k.

Jsobel Magdaline Austin (Mr R- Twynehum) proceeded against Thomas McWilli&m Austin" (Mr R. H. Livingstone) far disobedience of a maintenance order. - Defendant wns convicted and discharged without penalty. The defendant applied for a variation of the order and the Magistrate cancelled it. Arrears with the exception of a sum of £lO were also cancelled.. The Magistrate said the evidence' showed that the wife had lately forgiven her husband and cohabited with him. Levinia May Poor© proceeded against George Henry Fravies Poore for maintenance and guardianship orders on the grounds of habitual drunkenness and failure to maintain. The orders were granted nnd maintenance was fixed at £2 ICs ner week. Alfred Orange |was ordered to pay 17s Cd a weeV towards the support of his destitute grandchild. " _ AKAROA. (Before Mr "toyvera \vilsoir, S.M.) J.Ul* VruOiU jlXi x-k.OiEU.C3 b-wiiy inacceui act in a pj.uce. ile benteucea t,o three luontJis' mix>xi&onu*e*it. wuli liaid lubour. . ' 'xiioiua<j Wiison, licensee of the. Grand Hotel, was cjbiirgea that, on iNovernoer 17ui, JLU2j, he 4Soid aner closing hours to two persons, not being inmates or lodgers. Mr -tiolmes appeared lor detendant. • After hearing evidence of Constable McLennan and defendant, the charge \v«a dismissed For a breach of a prohibition order, Alan Macdonald was convicted and fined £5 and costs, the Magistrate stating that for the next ' offence defendant would be Bent to Pakatoa. For defamation of character . Archibald Brown (Mr J. Godfrey) claimed £2OO damages from C, T. E« Stewart'(Hr Amodeo). Evidence was given by F. D. LeComte, P. Haglund, A. R. Prichard, (x. H. O'Callaghan, A. R. Brown, and defendant. • Damages amounting to £SO, and costs £l3 5& ■ were allowed. Judgment by default was given in 0. E. Samuels v. J. B. Tweedie, £6 10s, and costs £1 16s Cd; A. F. C. "Williamson v. W. Anderson, £3 7s Gd and costs 17s 6d; 3". S. Dodds v. S. Gilbert, £1 10s 3d and costs 203. 'IN OTHER PLACES. ALLEGATIONS OF SYSTEMATIC FRAUD. (PBESS ASSOCIATION - TELEGBAM.) GISBORNE, January 29. Allegations of systematic fraud throughout New Zealand extending over eix years are made against a man the police have m custody on charges of forgery and false pr - tences to thres of which hz has pleaded guilty. The. police state that he has made a confession in other, cases. He operated in Masterton, "Wellington, Morrirsville, Matan.ata, "Wanganui, Gisborne and Auckland, and he may be taken to other towns fcr identification. His favourite method, the police state, was to write out a cheque for an amount likely to be paid to' a farm labourer and drawn on a well-known estate in the district. He would probably go to an hotel licensee or a storekeeper on Saturday afternoon or on a bank holiday and jjive a fairly bi=>- order to avoid suspicion, and rec:iv© the balance in cash. Perhaps several of these valueless cheques would bo tendered -bv Monday morning. "When the banks had opened he would have disappeared. It is stated that there are nearly 100 charges of false pretences and forgery pending from various towns in the North Island.