GAVE FALSE ALARM

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 149, 21 March 1934, Page 7

GAVE FALSE ALARM

Masterton Man Fined NO APPEARANCE IN COURT Dominion Special Service Masterton, March 20. The prolonged ringing of the Masterton firebell at 12.30 o’clock this morning had its sequel in the Masterton Police Court later in the day, when charges of drunkenness and of wilfully giving a false alarm of fire were preferred against Archer Blinkhorne, 26 years of age. Messrs. R. Krahagen and W. G. Lamb, J.P.’s, were on the bench. Accused was convicted and discharged on the former charge and convicted and fined £5 on the charge of having given a false alarm. Accused, who was arrested in Queen Street by Constable Ellis, at 1.10 a.m. to-day, and bailed out at 8 a.m., failed to make an appearance in court, but was dealt with in his absence. Shortly after the firebell had been rung Constable Ellis arrested accused in Queen Street. He was then obviously intoxicated, and when questioned made several contradictory statements. , Charles Clark, stationkeeper to the Masterton Fire Brigade, and Percy Watts, a fireman, both gave evidence to the effect that on goingn to the front door of the station Immediately after the bell had been rung they saw accused a few yards down the street. He was under the influence of liquor, and when asked if he had rung the bell be replied in the negative. They could get no satisfaction from him. The seriousness of the offence, especially at the present time, when people had been alarmed by earthquakes, was stressed by Sergeant Dyer. He pointed out that accused was liable to a fine of £5O, or one month’s imprisonment, on the charge of giving a false alarm