TWO MAORIS FINED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20132, 29 December 1939, Page 9

TWO MAORIS FINED

TROUBLE IN FRUIT SHOP OBSCENE LANGUAGE USED (Special to the Herald.) WAIROA, this day. Some trouble in a Chinese fruit shop on Marine parade on Wednesday afternoon resulted in the appearance of two Maoris in the Wairoa Police Court yesterday to answer .charges of drunkenness and using obscene language. They were Percy Isaac, alias Tione El)aka, aged 25, of Te Reinga, and Lala Pouwhare, alias Lala Reremoana, aged 23, also of Te Reinga, and each was fined £5. Messrs. V E. Winter and H. A. Bygum, J.Ps., were on the Bench and pleas of guilty were entered in each instance.

Sergeant L. T. Moore stated that at about 11 o’clock on Wednesday morning Pouwhare took a small case into the Chinese fruit shop end asked if he could leave it there. The request was granted and he returned for the case at about 3 p.m. He was in a drunken state and became very abusive. There were other people about and the Chinese communicated with the police. In the meantime Isaac, who was also drunk and who was at the shop door, then “stepped into the breach" and he became very abusive, to. The excuse made by both accused was that they had had too many drinks, whereupon they were told by the Bench that if they could not take drink without using such filthy language they should leave it alone.

It was also pointed out to them that they were liable to 12 months' imprisonment, of a fine of £2O. However, on the drunkenness charges they would be convicted and discharged, while for the other offence each would be fined £5. The men were allowed a week in which to pay the fines.