MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23353, 12 June 1941, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

WEDNESDAY ' (Before Mr H. A. Young, S.M.) : MINIMUM FINE IMPOSED George Stanley Henry, a staff sergeant, was prosecuted by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society for taking grey duck without a licence, and the minimum fine of £5 was imposed Mr M J. Gresson acted for the society and Mr R. A. Young for •Henry. The defence was that Henry had applied, in plenty of time, for a cpmpfi. mentary licence. He had seen an ap. nouncement in a newspaper, thajaycom. plimentary licences would to scidiers going away, and wnfen the opening of the season drew rSy? he tried to make sure he had QBTmed one Though he made seyertfiMflK he failed to make contact with the secretary of the society (Mr G. L. PomfretDodd), so defendant got an assurance from a "member of the council that he would be all right, and went out to shoot Three days later he received a letter from the society, dated May 3, and posted May 5. telling him he would have a licence if he was going away before May 31. Mr Gresson said the position was that Henry took a chance and went out shooting without a licence, and there was a minimum fine for that. . The Magistrate said that Henry could write to the Governor-General for remission of the fine. FARMER SHOT PUKEKO 1 John William Smith, a farmer, of Irwell, was convicted of taking pukeko unlawfully. His explanation was that he was out shooting rabbits in the raupo, and after firing a shot, he found two pukeko dead. He was going to leave them there but thought the hawks would eat them, so he took them home, and met the ranger on the way. He did not even know they were there until he had shot them, Smith said, adding that damage to his crops amounted to seven bags of hariev The Magistrate said he would take into account the annoyance the birds had caused, and ordered Smith to pay Court costs, 10s, and solicitor’s fee, two guineas. Mr Gresson appeared in this case also. : SOLD BAD FRUIT Leonard Kinzett, a vegetable merchant, of Addington, was charged with selling fruit below standard and in boxes without inspection-fee stamps. For the Crown, Mr A. W. Brown said the fruit was riddled with codlin. Asked where he had procured the fruit, the defendant had been obstructive, saying first that he had grown it himself, second that it had been given to him, and finally that he had bought it. Mrs E M. Yeatman gave evidence that she had bought the fruit and been perfectly satisfied with it. Kinzett asked for leniency, saying he was growing old and had given up his round. He was ordered to pay costs and solicitors fgg t UNLICENSED RADIO SETS , The following were fined for having unlicensed radio sets:—Robert Alexander Beggs £4 6s Bd, Reginald Dallow 17s 6d, George Geoffrey Davis £1 17s Id, Arthur James Laird ss, Wjlliam Alexander Parks 10s, Bernard Michael Scollard (two charges) 10s and 5s Donald Andrew Swanston ss. Ada Lorraine Timms £2 17s lid, Frank John Twiss ss. Walter Watts ss, Margaret Doris White ss. On the same charge, Edward Spencer Ranson was ordered to pay costs only.