More Noxious Weeds Charges Heard At Lyttelton

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30678, 18 February 1965, Page 20

More Noxious Weeds Charges Heard At Lyttelton

Noxious weeds charges occupied the Magistrate’s Court, Lyttelton, for part of the morning and the whole of the afternoon yesterday. Mr H. W. Fawcett, the borough noxious weeds Inspector, brought charges against a number of persons who had failed to clear their land of noxious weeds after receiving notices of warning. The Court was told of heavy land infestation with noxious weeds in the Banks Peninsula area, ranging from Governor’s Bay, Gebbie’s Pass, Kaituna and Diamond Harbour, when the inspector showed photographic evidence of heavy infestation of noxious weeds, including gorse, hawthorn and hemlock.

The Magistrate, Mr E. S. J. Crutchley, S.M., reserved his decision after hearing evidence in a case of heavily infested land at Gebbie’s Pass. John Keith Dobson, a Christchurch company manager (Mr C. B. Atkinson), who leased more than 300 acres of land at Gebbie’s Pass, had spent about £7OO in 13 months in an effort to curb noxious weeds, the Court was told.

“My client has done everything possible to clear the land,” said Mr Atkinson. “He had agreed to spend £2OO a year on clearing the land, over a lengthy period, but an initial cost of £7OO had been already taken up in spraying, purchasing equipment, bulldosing and so on,” he said. Mr B. McClelland, who appeared for the noxious weeds inspector, said that the defendant, Dobson, must have known that the land was heavily infested before he leased it Mr Atkinson said that his client had been confused about the area of his property which was the basis of the prosecution notice, and, in fact, was still confused in spite of discussions with the inspector and the receipt of notices about noxious weeds. The inspector agreed with Mr Atkinson that the land was a bad area for noxious weeds and that the clearing task was a major one, even for ■ county effort. Henry Manihere, a resident of Tuahiwi, was fined £7 10s for failing to clear his land of noxious weeds. The property, at Rapaki, was heavily infested with hemlock. It was a shocking case, the inspector told the Court Hany Bayliss Goodman, of

Gisborne, was fined £5 for failing to dear his Diamond Harbour property, and Robert Nicholas Lee, of Governor’s Bay, was fined £1 10s. TRAFFIC OFFENCES The following charges were upheld and fines imposed on traffic offenders: — Carrying pillion passenger contrary to licence: Kenneth John Claydon, £l. Dangerously loading a vehicle: Len Francis Warry, £lO. Permitting the use of an unlicensed vehicle; Richard George Morrow, £2. Operating a solid-tyred vehicle: Ronald Taggart, £5. REMANDED TO CHRISTCHURCH Robert Francis Sheedy, a 20-year-old workman, .who pleaded guilty to a charge of using obscene language in front of young girls in a London street milk bar at Lyttelton on January 7, was remanded to the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court for a probation officer’s report and sentence. Bail was allowed at £5O and he was ordered to report at 7 p.m, daily to the Lyttelton police. DISCHARGED FIREARM Lyndsay Robin was fined £7 for discharging a firearm without reasonable cause and a further £1 10s for possessing a firearm without a permit MINORS* LIQUOR FINES Three youths under 21 years of age were fined for drinking in a public place. The offences occurred at Corsair Bay on Boxing Day. Robert Thomas Fallen, a 19-year-old labourer, Russell Allen, a 20-year-old labourer, and Lyall John Kissell, a 17-year-old mechanic, were each fined £5. PROCURED LIQUOR Charged with procuring liquor after hours, Peter Harding, a seaman, and James Toman, a watersider, were each fined £3. Eric Charles Orr, the licensee of the Albion Hotel at Lyttelton (Mr R. E. Wylie) pleaded guilty to selling liquor after hours. Mr Wylie said his client had an excellent record and that the liquor had been originally ordered and paid for earlier in the day. He was fined £3. DRINKING AFTER HOURS John Bissell, Ray Baker and Frank O’Rourke, were each fined £3 for consuming

liquor after hours at the British Hotel. Christine Joseph, a cook, was fined £3 for supplying liquor after hours.