YAGRANCY PROVED

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 14

VAGRANCY PROVED

TWO YOUNG MAORIS

IMPRISONED

Early on Saturday nighfc two young Maoris went into a tobacconist's shop in Manners street, arid' one had his hair cut. When they left the shop the barber found that a pair of hair clippers and a razor were.missing. As a, result, Percy Greav-eSj aged 26, and Matenga Tukareaho, aged 32, appeared at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., charged with stealing the clippers and razor, which were valued at £1. The accused were also charged with being idle and disorderly persons with insufficient means of support. Greaves admitted' stealing the hair clippers, but denied having taken the razor. Tukareaho pleaded not guilty. Detective-Sergeant Holmes said that the two accused had been associated for some time, and on the date mentioned in the charge they had been drinking together about the town. Greaves admitted having taken the clippers. Gilbert Henry Price described how the two accused came to the shop, and how, after he had gone to the front of the shop for a minute, he missed the clippers. He missed the razor after the accused had left the shop. Detective Waterson said he had interviewed the accused, but they denied having knowledge of the thefts. Later on Greaves said he had stolen the hair clippers, but not the razor, and that lie had thrown the clippers into the harbour. Greaves had been convicted for vagrancy and theft, said Detective Bobinson. For three weeks before his arrest witness saw him about the streets in working hours. He had apparently made no attempt to get work during the last month. ... Tukareaho, speaking from the dock, said he was a returned soldier. He arrived at Wellington about five weeks ago, from Wairarapa, where he had been working. He had obtained from the office of the Minister of Native Affairs a letter which would help him. to get work. , . The Magistrate said he -would convict Greaves on the charge of stealing the hair-clippers. : The theft charge against Tukareaho would be dismissed. They bpth appeared to have been wandering about the streets and making no attempt to get work, and the charge of vagrancy was therefore established. They both had long lists of convictions. Ho sentenced_ each of them to three months' imprisonment on the charge of vagrancy, and Graves to three months' imprisonment on the charge of theft, Greaves's sontences to be concurrent.