HEAVY FINES

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 28 November 1925, Page 6

HEAVY FINES

FOR SPEEDING MOTORISTS. PENALTIES UP TO £2O. Jt is obvious, from tho substantial increase mado in all penalties imposed in tho Lower Courts by Mr H. A. Toung, tho Magistrate who recently canio to Christohurch from Hamilton, for breaches of the laws by motorists, that ho intends to make the way of the motorist transgressor hard. Audible exclamations of surprise wops beard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday when a number of motorists wero fined for various offences, '''hey were prosecuted hv the Chief Traffic Inspector, Mr Herbert Macintosh. Travelled too Past. "Dangerous speeding' 1 along R.icearton road was the charge against Edward G. Keys, taxi-car driver, who pleaded guilty to the offence. "It was a race da-v." said the prosecutor, "and three lines of cars wero racing down the road. Defendant was doing about -J.j miles an hour.'"' His Worship lined Keys £2O and costs and endorsed his license Charged with having travelled at a dangerous speed in the City. Fred. W. White was lined £lO and costs and his license was endorsed. Dangerous speeding along Riccarton avenue was alleged against L. Conibridf?e, who, having - pleaded guilty, was fined £lO and costs, and his Wbrsbio endorsed Combridgo's license. "I saw this man travelling past other cars at .'io to 3o miles an hour," said Mr Macintosh. "It was a vaco day and ho passed another car on tho wrong side." Many Complaints re Noisy Exhausts. "Complaints are coming in thick and strong about those motorists who have noisv" exhausts on their machines," said Mr Maciutosh, when William Grocott was fined 10s and costs for having had a noisy exhaust on his motor-cycle. "This man was making an awful noise," ho went on. W. E. "Udell was find 20s for a liko offence. Three Charges. There was no appearance of Archibald Martin, who was charged with dangerous speeding on a motor-cycle, no license to drive, and with having a noisv exhaust on his machine. "He was travelling at about 30 miles and hour," said tho Inspector, "a.nd the exhaust was making a loud noise. He had no license." His Worship fined Mr.rtm £lO and costs on the first charge and endorsed his license (when ho gets it), and on each of tho other charges ho inflicted £2 penalties and costs. Car W&at Over Bank. A taxi driver, Gordon Aston, was convicted and fined £o and costs for having plied for hire in an unlicensed motor-car. Tho Traffic Inspector explained that "Aston had changed cars and wanted to license the new one. This, however, was refused until such timo as tho vehicle was brought up to standard re(juired, the brakes, etc., being wrony;, Aston had used the vehicle without a license and on one trip he ran over a bank on the Hill Top. The driver of a motor-car, Douglas Morrison, was fined 40s for having defective brakes on the car, which, ho said, was not his own.

Pillion Eiders Pined, rillion riding cost Colin Carr a fine of 10s". "Accidents are rather numerous in this City and a number of them are duo to pillion riding," said tho Traffic Inspector. Stanley Ellen was also fined 10s for a similar offence, and Erank Murdoch 20s. Women Motorists Convicted. "I thought I was doing right," said Mrs E. Wade, who was charged with having left her car unattended. "IVo always been so conscientious about it and have taken a lot of trouble to keep within the law—much to the amusement of my friends, who didn't trouble. Thov think it's a great joke, me being caught after all the trouble I've gone to." "You can go away and give them some information," said his Worship, when ordering Mrs Wade to pay 7s costs. Miss A. M. Cunningham, who left her motor-car in a street and catised a traffic obstruction, was fined 20s. She was fined 10s for having left tho car without lights in a street. "I was ignorant of the by-law," Miss Cunningham said in mitigation. "There are less expensive ways to learn about them than coming into the Court," his Worship.told her. Mary Cotter, who drove round tho Bank of New Zealand corner at ten minutes past fivo ono afternoon, without a license, was fined £3 Mid costs. "She said she was practising!" explained the Traffic Inspector. Unlicensed Drivers. Penalties of 40s wero inflicted on the following motorists who had driven without licenses: —George Agar, Hester Archer. Mrs J. B. Batohelor, Henry S. Baversteck, L. M. Moore, F. C. Drury, D. Marqnet, J. Morrison, Henry Goldinc. Violet Robinson, J. W. Prebble, Cecil Peate, John Pcddic. V. A. McGeorge, H. F. Mullins, C. J. Stockden, and R. H. Stockholm©. James Smith and Henry Golding were fined 60s for similar offences. Sequel to Accident. "Not guilty,", pleaded Thomas George Gee, Papanui (Mr White) to a charge of having negligently dri.ven at motor-car in Rutland street. The case I .u"li,s the sequel to v.n accident in which defendant's car collided with a bicycle ridden by a man. After hearing the evidence, his Worship fined Gee £lO and costs and endorsed his license. Miscellaneous Cases. On a charge of having caused a traffic obstruction with his car, Clifford EstaJl was lined 20s, and a. further similar amount for having had no lights on the car.

Stopping his motor-car on the wrong aide c-f tho road cost W. J. Donald a fine of 20.5. For having had no marks on-his car W. T. Dobbio was.lined 10s.