MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21866, 20 August 1936, Page 17

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

WEDNESDAY (Before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M.) THEFT OF CORNET James Phillip Hooper (Mr S. R, Dacre) pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a comet, valued at £lO, the property of the Christchurch Municipal Band. ' . Chief-Detective W. H. DUnlOp said Hooper, a former , member of the Municipal Bandrmfida arrangements to rejoin the band and was issued With a comet He did not go to practices, and when enquiries were made for the comet. Hooper said it had fallen out of a car on the way to a party in the country and had been run over. His explanation was not accepted, and when further enquiries were made it was found that Hooper had pawned the comet for £l. He had later sold It tof the. broker for ah additional £l, with the right of repurchase if It had not been Sold within a certain time. Hooper, who was on sustenance, had seven previous convictions, and all except one were for dishonesty. > *Mr Dacre told the court that Hooper had intended to get the comet back when he pawned it. It was a very unfortunate offence from which Hooper himself had obtained ho benefit—it had been /done to keep his family from starving. Hooper was ordered to come up for sentence if called oh within 12 months and to make restitution of £2. CREDIT BY FRAUD Percy Thomas Timmins appeared for sentence on a charge of obtaining credit by fraud for £4 from Gold Band Taxis. He was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for three months. ■„ . : Chief-Detective Dunlop said Timmins had, hired a : Gold Band taxi to go to Ashburton, representing that a Mr Til Son, of Hinds, owed him money. When Mr Tilson had been communicated with, he-said he knew nothing about Timmins’s allegation. Timmins had been placed under the care of the Salvation Army earlier, but had not stayed there. He had a very long list' of previous convictions—more than 40, involving credit by fraud, theft, and false pretences. : UNREGISTERED PREMISES For selling milk from an unregistered dairy William. Lynn, prosecuted by Thomas A. Coulter, inspector of slock and dairies, was fined: 10s and ordered to pay coSts. Alexander Malheson, charged with failing to register premises as a factory, was ordered to pay costs. Bernard Rolleston Walker, similarly charged, was fined 20s and ordered to pay costs, PROPERTY NOT DELIVERED Fred Arthur Biggs was charged with failing to deliver on demand Government property valued at £4 5s 3d. It was stated that since the issue of the summons all the property except puttees valued at 3s 6d had been delivered, and defendant was ordered to pay that amount With costs. FALSE STATEMENTS “Can’t some of you fellows be men and play the game by Others?” said the magistrate to Henry'Bri* l Kissell. who was-charged with making a false statement- to the Labour Department For the department Mr T. A. M. Johnson said defendant was om sustenance and was also employed by a caterer, usually at 17s a week. Sometimes, however, as in race week, he earned extra money, but/still declared only the :17s. The amount of excess money obtained by the offence with which he was Charged Was £1 6s lOd. Kissell was fined £2 and ordered to pay costs. Colin McDougalt also charged with making a false statement to • the Labour Department was ordered to come up for, sentence if called on within six months! and to repay £2 6s fid as directedby the probation office*. Mr Johnson said McDougall had been receiving relief under the No. 5 scheme. His \yite had been earning £1 a week until March 21 and £1 5s after that. He .had not declared the extra amount, which would have meant a reduction in relief of 2s a week, his 'excuse being that he did hof know his wife was earning it Mr Johnson added that McDoiigall’s cdse was a typical one, and was brought as an example. UNLICENSED HAWKING Market Gardens. Ltd., prosecuted by the New Brighton Borough Council on a charge of hawking without a license, were convicted and ordered ! to pay costa, Mr £L do R. Flies her ap-

peared for the New Brighton Council and Mr J. K. Moloney for Market Gardens, Ltd. BREACHES OF AWARD Five charges of committing breaches of the North Canterbury Bakers* and Pastrycooks’ award were: brought by the Labour Department against Edward Frederick Wilde and Albert Frank Kennett, trading as Wilde and Kennett, bakers, Oxford terrace. The charges, on each of which the department claimed a penalty Of £l6, were: (1) Failing to exhibit a copy of the award in a conspicuous place; (2) failing to keep a wages and time requiring Kltehener Kennedy andWilfretf James Wde w start work earlier than the prescribed time without paying them the required extra money; (4) failing to allow Kennedy and Weir half an hour for breakfast; (5) failing to pay the award rate of wages of £4 7s 6d a week from October . 27, 1935, to April 21. 1930. The charges were contained in two summonses, on each of which the department was allowed a penalty of £lO. V; V, : ~ v On a charge egainst the employees, ,Weir and Kennedy, of working for a weekly wage of less than the award rate of £4 7s 6d, judgment was given for the department without penalty, Mr R. T. Bailey prosecuted for the Labour Department, and Wilde and Kennett were represented by Mr E. A. Lee. The employees, Kennedy and Weir, were represented by Mr R. A. Young. PROPER HALF-HOLIDAY NOT ALLOWED Charged with tolling to allow an assistant a half-holiday from 1 pm., George Hudson Nieholls Was ordered to pay costs. UNLICENSED RADIO SETS For being hi possession of unlicensed radio sets, the following were fined and ordered to pay Costs: — Voluntary Appearances—John Bennett, John Thomas Cook, Ronald Charles Gray, ss. Summons Cases—James Burns, 20s; Andrew Carney, 17s fid; Bernard Rettnell, 10s; Arthur Walter Andrews, Charles Buddy, Ada Riley, Eileen Semb, and Amy Welsh, ss. RANGIORA (Before Mr H. A.Youpg, S.M.) A theft charge agaihst George Hilton Woods, which had been adjourned for a year, was dismissed under the First Offenders Probation Act. Judgment for the- plaintiff by default, with costs, was given in each of the following undefended civil cases: —Horrell’s, Ltd. .(Mr A- G. van Asch) v. N. Wilson, £4: Is Id; F. E. Griffin (Mr A., C. Fraser) v. A. Clist, £1 14s 4d; Owen Alford v. T. Rehu, sen., ss.