NEARBY FARMERS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 8

NEARBY FARMERS

MILK PROSECUTIONS.

The City Council brought several prosecutions iii the Magistrate's Court yesterday', aftei-noon against nearby ■ farmers for alleged breaches of the Wellington City Milk Supply Act, 1919. ; , * -David ilowell, of Tawa Flat; was charged with selling milk without a li-' cense, to his brother, Thomas Rowell a pastrycook, and Thomas Rowell was charged with aiding the offence. . Evidence was called by Mr L C Hemery showing that, milk for the past eighteen months had been sent from one brother to'the other.. -.; It was contended by Mr. 6. C. Mazen-. ,garb, lor the defendants, that there was no evidence of a sale, and even if a sale had. taken place it might reasonably be held that a sale had taken place outside the city, or that the brothers were in partnership, in which event there could be no sale. ' \ The Magistrate (Mr.' C. R. Orr-Walk-er, b.il.) upheld the contention,- and dismissed, the information. Mr. Mazengarb asked the Bench to depart from the usual procedure and allow costs. He said that the case.was one where the City Council was a trading corporation protecting its monopoly ° Costs were allowed. Failure to keep an exact record of milksold was the subject of proceedings taken against Alfred Sievers. ' ° . Corporation inspectors stated that they had called at defendant's farm'and requested pie production of books. Some had been produced, but o tl lers , vere withheld, as the defendant had stated foiat he desired to seek legaladvice first. -Mr. Maxengarb said it was quite obvious that the City Council wanted to collect all the information it could about nearby farmers with a view-to'approach-ing I arliament for an amendment of the Act. ■""■■. The Magistrate reserved bis decision .as to whether a pi-ima facie' case had been established.' ■