POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 18032, 28 July 1922, Page 6

POLICE COURT

Friday, July 28. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) TOO (MANY CATS. The storv of the guinea-pigs anu the Railway Department was repealed to a certain extent in the case of a cat which Constantino Soumaris had put into his premises in High street to keep the rats down. The matter was discussed in court whim Soumaris was charged with allowing his premises to get into such a slate as to bo dangerous to health and offensive. Inspector King said tliat the promises, which wens at the corner of the Arcade, had been, occupied by the defendant ns a restaurant. For sonic, weeks'ho had nut lived there, another man, a cook, being in occupation. The -place had been found in a, very dirty condition owing to the fact that a number of cats had l been locked in and wei’O’ unable to get outside. Iheui were twelve tins of fat m the place, and bags, tins, and boxes did not, said the inspector, add to the beauty of the place. The premises had now been cleaned out satisfactorily. , Mr Hay,"for defendant, said that Soumans had shut down those promisee several weeks ago. and ho was arranging (o gel other premises. The Arcade was a verv old building and infested with rats. The Health Department had tried to deal with tho pest by poison and trapping. Defendant had got in a cat, but there had been a natural increase, until there were, at tho time of inspection, six cats. Defendant had been in the habit of cleaning up on Sundays. Tho. cook fed tho cate. IT is Worship said that apparently the premises were in a filthy condition, 'J hey had now, however, been cleaned. Defendant would 1 bo fined 20s, with costs (7s). TAX COMMISSIONER’S REMINDER.

Archibald Miller was charged with failing to furnish the Commissioner of Taxes a return in the proscribed.Jorni of all land iu respect to which lie was ascssabk.—Mr F. 15. Adams prosecuted on behalf of tho department, and said that since 19116-17 defendant had followed the method of waiting for the department to send a default assessment before sending in his return. IE this assessment was too high it Was objected to; if not, it was paid. The department wished to mate it known that this practice would not be allowed.— Defendant said that, being a busy man, ho had overlooked the matter. It had been the custom of the department to send in what he took to be a, reminder. 'lbis time it did not do that, but sent a cumin on s instead. His tax bad always been pa id when tho debit was sent.—Mr A Tams added ihat.be thought the department had allowed a good deal of laxity. It was afraid that the public was now forming the opinion that it need not send in returns. It therefore wanted publicity of (bo mfilter. -Defendant was finer) (lie minimum amount of p. 9. with costs f7s) and solicitor's foe (£2 2s),

I’MMAXDMD. Henry Lorraine Scott, a young man, was chawed with having com mitten a 1 ireach ol the conditions of a probationary liccm-e. —Sub-inspector Decks said that the- accused had been anesied at Auckland and remanded to Dunedin. The, probation oOieer. however, was out of town, and a, further remand (ill Tuesday was asked.— llc n ianidod acw’diugly. ST DA LI N’t; DO 11 A I,IV! NO.

“He camo to Dunedin from Invcrmirgi!!, and appai-ntly could not yd work, so look to Mealing bicycles.” Mild the Chief Detective ■ in givinfr the facts of the case in which Leo James Ambrose, Murliff pleaded guilty to stealing a bicycle valued at £lO Ids, the property of Jack Cameron; another bicycle valued at fid--10?. tin; property of Charles James Fiyn; and n third bicycle valued at £7, the property of James Page. The first bicycle, said the Chief Detective. was sit !cu and taken to. various second-hand dcaDrs, hut ho- could not dispose of it. Kventuadv ho tookMt to Kings, a. bicycle dealer, who gave him £3 for it. and afterwards displayed it. for sale at £7. Accused showed Bings a forged receipt for the bicycle, but Biggs failed to help the police in any wav, and did not deserve any compensation. 'the bicycle dealers were not licensed as sec-ond-hand dealers, and there' was always trouble in tracing stolen bicycles. The second bicycle was taken to Jago, a bicycle agent, but he thought it was stolen, and notified, the police. Bicoelo stealing was very prevalent at the present time.

The .Magistrate said that the bicycle dealers should assist the police in every way. The forging of the receipt was very much against accused, and showed that

he intended to embark on a. career <i fraud. The conduct of Bigs?, the bicycle dealer, was not exemplary, and he was not entitled to restitution. Accused would be admitted to probation for two ccars, on condition that be returned to his father at Invercargill and paid l ack v 3 on the first bicycle, and the same ■ mount on the third bicycle. The bim'h-s verc to be returned to thou - owners-