MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22593, 24 December 1938, Page 5

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

ASHBURTON SITTING FINE FOR INTERFERENCE WITH SPEEDOMETER Pleading guilty to a charge of obtaining money by fraud, Terence Laurence McGoverin, a tractor-driver, aged 19 years, of Rakaia, was fined £5, in default seven days’ imprisonment, by Mr H. Morgan, S.M., in the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. Constable W. Coatsworth, of Rakaia, said that accused hired a rental car from Harry Hopwood, of Rakaia, saying that he wished to go to Ashburton. Actually McGoverin made two trips to Methven as well, breaking the seal on the speedometer and adjusting it to read 34 miles, while an inquiry revealed that he travelled 154 miles. Questioned by the Magistrate as to how the offence was detected, Constable Coatsworth said that Hopwood had lodged a complaint, and an interview with a passenger in the car revealed the actual distance which had been covered. When he knew the police were in possession of the facts, accused admitted the offence, although he had previously denied it. ‘‘Why did you do this? You know you are liable to be imprisoned for four months,” said the Magistrate to McGoverin. “It was just pure devilment,” was the reply. The Magistrate refused to suppress the name. Fine for Assault For assaulting Orry Moore, a storekeeper, of Chertsey, ITafess Joseph Fleet was fined £2, in default four days’ imprisonment. Hit by Train j When the view of a driver was obstructed, he was bound to take more care and concentrate on the obstructed area from which danger was likely to come, said the Magistrate, in reply to a contention by Mr L. A. Charles that accused was not entirely responsible for his action, when Eric. Bailey Withell was charged with attempting to cross the railway line at Hinds when it was not clear. Mr Charles said that the express, on the night of the accident, was late in reaching Hinds, and Withell did not expect it. The train did not stop at the station, and as the line at the south was obscured by a hedge and trees, the car had been driven on to the line before accused was aware of the approach of the train. The train was travelling at 50 miles an hour, and Withell accelerated in an endeavour to cross the line. The rear of the truck was struck, damage being done to both the car and the engine. “The situation should be reviewed by the department. It is a death trap,” said Mr Charles. Withell was fined £2. Traffic Offences Peter Pap worth was fined £2 for speeding on the Ashburton traffic bridge. For driving a motor-car without a licence, Herbert William Mclver was fined £l. The defendant said he was learning to drive. William Brownlee was fined 15s for riding a motor-cycle without a warrant of fitness. A fine of £2 was imposed on Walter Harry Wilkinson, of Chertsey, for operating a motor-truck with deficient brakes. It was stated that at 20 miles an hour, the car pulled up in 66 feet with the foot brake and 309 feet with the hand brake, when the regulation distances were 40 feet and 70 feet, respectively. Civil Cases Judgment for plaintiff was given in each of the following cases:—T. Rattray v. E. Donald, £6 2s; D. W. Buchanan v. William Gourdie, £6 19s 6d; Ashburton Hospital Board v. G. R. Wells, £l2 15s; Ashburton Hospital Board v. L. A. Wilcox, £9; Hardy and Company v. M. Barnard, £1 2s 4d; Mrs M. O’Reilly v. Arthur Houghton, £5. T. Henderson was ordered to pay J. R. Procter, Ltd., £4 7s by January 23, in default five days’ imprisonment

NINETY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY MR JOHN HICKEY, OP HINDS Mr Johi Hickey, sen., of Hinds, who has been a resident of the Ashburton ! County for about 65 years, will celebrate his ninety-eighth birthday to- i day. An Irishman by birth, Mr Hickey came to New Zealand in the sailing ship White Rose. On his arrival at Ashburton he went to the immigration barracks, which were established near the site of the present Ashburton Borough School. Later, he assisted with a great deal of the pioneering work at Coldstream and Windermere. He was an expert fencer, and did a great deal of the subdivision on these two estates as well as at Surrey Hills. Mr Hickey was also in the Ellesmere district for some years. SERVICE AT LONGBEACH Extra scaling had to be brought in to accommodate the congregation at the Christmas service held at . the Longbeach Chapel on Wednesday evening. The service was a festal evensong, with Christmas carols. The St. Andrew’s choir, Tinwald, was in attendance and the following carols were sung: “Good King Wenceslas,” “Good Christian Men Rejoice,” “The First Nowell,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” and “Silent Night.” The solos were taken by Misses M. Brown, F. Gudsell, M. Jennings, H. Sewell, and Mr J. W. Dyer. Mrs B. Scales presided at the organ. The service was conducted by the Rev. H. A. Childs, who gave a shortChristmas address. At the conclusion of the service the Longbeach Sunday school prizes were presented. Special reference was made to the way the children had attended during the year, the average being 85 per cent., which' must almost constitute a record for any Sunday school. The prizes were presented by Mr J. H. Grigg to Elaine Belcher, Joyce Belcher, Margaret Blee, John Blee, Oliver Emery, Nprah Garrod, Winnie _ Garrod, Basil Garrod, June McKibbon, : Doreen McKibbon, Robert McKibbon, i Marjorie Reid, Gordon Reid, Nancy ■ Thompson, Muriel Thompson, Murray Thompson, Norman ThompSQn, Betty Roche, Gordon Speedy, and Dorothy Sampson. MOTOR REGISTRATION FOR CHRISTMAS There has been considerable activity in the registration of motor-vehicles at Ashburton during the last few weeks. A total of 100 registrations has been made this month. Of these about 60 were new vehicles. With the growing popularity of mo- . toring holidays there has been an increasingly large number of cars registered at Christmas.