PRINTER FINED

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 58, 1 December 1934, Page 21

PRINTER FINED

Unregistered Presses

OTHER FIRMS CHARGED

“There is obvious absurdity if certain words of the Act are to be construed literally,” said counsel, when charges of keeping unregistered printing presses were brought against a number of Wellington firms at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mr. E. Page, S.M., was on the bench. An adjournment was granted in six cases, those of Truth (N.Z.). Ltd., George Deslandes, Hutcheson, Bowman and Johnston. Ltd., The Lankshear Printing Co., Ltd., W. T. Rawleigh Co., Ltd., and Yeoman and Podloek, Ltd. A plea was entered of not guilty on nehalf of W. T. Rawleigh Co., Ltd. Detective-Sergeant T. Y. Hall, prosecuting, said that, under the second schedule of the Printing and Newspaper Registration Act, all presses must be registered. A detective who had visited the premises of H. W. Tolan, had found that there were unregistered presses in use there. Appearing for H. W. Tolan, Mr. PKeesing said that when, in the eightheenth century, the Act was first passed, only single presses would have been used in a factory. In these days of development, multiple and numerous presses might be employed, and the question arose of whether a single press or a printing concern under such a comprehensive name as “The Oxford Press,” might be indicated by the requirements of the Act. As Tolan had been engaged in printing for a great many years, and was guilty of a purely technical offence the magistrate imposed the minimum penalty, and fined defendant £5.