MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24237, 20 April 1944, Page 3

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

WEDNESDAY (Before Mr # G. G. Chisholm, SM.) THEFT OF MONEY BOX Ernest Wade, aged 34 years, beaded guilty to a charge of stealing a box and contents of a total value of 18s ll|d, the property of the Sisters of Nazareth. Senior-Sergeant J. Bickerdike said accused had visited the Southern Cross Hotel between 5 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and. apparently under the influence of liquor, he had taken the box from a shelf in the hotel. . ' Wade was sentenced to seven days imprisonment with hard labour. DESERTION FROM SHIP Arthur Patrick Torley. aged 44 years, and Joseph Bobb, aged 34 years, two firemen in an overseas ship, were charged with desertion. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with , hard labour. RETURNS OF INCOME Joseph Henry Bell was fined £7 for falling to supply to the Commissioner of Taxes a return of Income. ' Mr A. W. Brown, who appeared for the Income Tax Department, said that up' to last year Bell had been earning anproximately £6OO a year. Previously he had been prosecuted and had been fined : £5. He had been warned that if he did not furnish returns he would'be prosecuted. He had not heeded the warnings given. Marjorie Playshed Cotton (Mr A. N. McKay) pleaded guilty to charges of falling to furnish returns of income and a social security declaration. Mr Brown said defendant had car- - ried on the business of hairdresser, and when investigations were made by officers 'of the Income Tax Department it was found she had not furnished returns for some years. , On the first charge, a fine of £3 Wat imposed, and on the second a fine of £l with costs, including solicitor's fee, £1 . Is. . ■ On a similar charge, Hugh Brown, Ltd. (Mr E. A. Cleland) were fined £5 and ordered to pay costs, including solicitor’s fee, £1 Is. PRICE TRIBUNAL BREACHES The New Zealand Farmers* Co-opera-tive Association of Canterbury. Ltd. (Mr C. S.' Thomas), pleaded guilty to two charges of selling goods at prices not in conformity with the Control of Prices Emergency Regulations, and to a further charge of failing to display a> price order list. Mr J. D. Hutchison, for the Price Tribunal, said the offences were committed at one of the association's branch stores in North Canterbury, and the overcharges were made in respect of carrots, which were sold at 4d, instead of 2Jd, and a shirt that had been sold for 19s «d. Instead of 18s, Mr Thomas said the firm’s turnover in merchandise for 12 months was just under £1,000,000, and the firm had done its level best to conform ; with the regulations and not to evade them. The charge made for the shirt was the correct one before the regulations came into force. . A fine of 10s on each charge was imposed, and the defendant association wag- ' 5™ er ®d to pay costs, including • solicitor’s fee, £1 lls 6d. CHARGES OF ABSENTEEISM -June Allison Gardiner pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a direction given by the Manpower: Officer. . Mr H. L. R. Read, who appeared for the department, said defendant had absented herself from her employment'with Lane. \ Walker,- Rudkin, Ltd., to which firm she had been directed. Her loss in working : time amounted to 300 -hours, and. .' the ' department regarded absenteeism -as a . ; serious offence. ’ Defendant had 'been ■ warned more than once and had '” com-, plained to the Manpower Officer that she did not like the atmosphere of the factory. - - ■ The Magistrate said he was - not only concerned with the offence. ■" but, wlthythe.: ■> attitude defendant intended to adopt;-in future; ■ Defendant said she would like .another < job. The Magistrate said he had no-'control in the matter, but it was a question, a* to whether : she was prepared to'resume - work and keep at it steadily. “If you • propose to defy the regulations,’’ - tinued the .Magistrate, "the* penait/ can- - ; be very severe,” Gardiner was fined £3, and ' given a warning that absenteeism could - be a continuing offence, and be fined for each day she was absent, - For failing to comply with a direction of the Manpower Officer, Desmond T. Sin- ‘ clair was given a chance until next Mopday to obey the instruction given,, and'it. this were done the Magistrate said '. be ■ would have a chance to deal leniently ? with him. /„■ Mr Read said Sinclair had been 'em- --!• ployed by Mercer and Sons, arid ‘ .had asked for permission to leave his employment to join the Merchant mission had been granted, but defendant had not joined up. He had beemd£rriwed -y| back to'bis formed employment, but-iad *\; riot gone back, ' - t’. ’ * Ltr *"j Defendant said, he did not like the Job, and did not think it was essential, . 'VThe. Magistrate; It is not for you, to, ; say. You do hot have the choice.' -. If you are going to defy the regulations , there is only one thing tor me to dd,.. Eileen Taylor, a domestic, who had' been directed to employment at .‘the V Christchurch Public Hospital, was fined - 10s for failing to obey the direction of ~ the Manpower Officer. Defendant, .it was’ stated, bad been absent on four-occas-* ions and bad absented herself for 64 hours altogether. .• - FAILURE TO PAY WAGES.? ■ X The Inspector of -Factories charged Douglas Shirley Simpson with failure to .. pay wages fortnightly, and with toiling ; to register his factory.' ~ '?’ •- h"> It was : stated that Simpson, was tha • proprietor of the Lifetime Doll Company, situated in Sherborne/strget, St. i’Albans,and had under his control :as many as --( 40 men and women. The factory was well equipped and conditions , wore good;’ but the premises had riot:been!registered., it had operated from November nntU. March. ' Everything went satisfactorily for. ji ttmf, • but financial difficulties .prevented I the employer from meeting the wages bill. < There was a sum of £282 in wages owing to the staff. Thompson said he-had made the mistake of paying- big Swages in-the hope, of getting a better return.- He knew better now. He had paid too much in overtime, and had landed himself to ' ■ difficulties. He had told the, workers, that he could not pay them, but be had been told that “as. he had been pretty ; decent they would stick around.” He had been trying ,to. reorganise the business and had a good chance of getting things going again. ,- The Magistrate said defendant had apparently started'business without sufficient capital. On the charge of failing to pay wages fortnightly he would be fined £5 arid for operating an unregistered factory a fine of £1 would be imposed. . UNLICENSED RADIO SETS For being in possession of unlicensed radio sets, Francis Augustine Stetnpa was fined £3, John Wilson £1 12s 6d. Tui Glynn Rees £l, Peter George Elliot 17s 6d, Hazel Constance Haig Pusey 15s, and Leslie Herbert Bavage and Mary Whit# • each 12s 6d.