COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 1 September 1938, Page 3

COURT NEWS

BREAKING AND ENTERING CHARGE, MASTERTON, August 30. Joseph Uru, aged 1 29, and Hawea Governor, aged 24, two Maori labourers, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning charged with breaking and entering the Hamua store on August 26, and stealing goods the property o$ M. G. Bailey, valued at £3l 15s sd. , , _ On the application of the police, the accused were remanded until September 15. Bail was allowed in each case of self £lOO and one surety of £2OO or two .of £lOO. An order was also made that the accused report daily to the police if on bail. The police said several ' other charges of , a similar nature were pending. , :

Widow’s £l,OOO Claim

FOR HUSBANDS DEATH. ■ < AUCKLAND, August 30. The value as board and lodgings of accommodation and meals provided on a ship for ah' officer was argued in the Arbitration Court during the hearing of a claim by a widow for £lOOO compensation for the death of her husband. The assessment of the value of the employjnent was the only point in dispute. . The plaintiff , was "Gladys Margaret Watts, and ’ the defendant Alexander Frederick Watchlinl master mariner, trading as the Watchlin Line. Mr Moody for the plaintiff, said >the plaintiff was the widow of Roy Douglas Watts, second officer on the Port Waikato, who was drowned near Jack’s Point, four miles south of Timaru on August 3, 1937, when he fell oydrboard while assisting in the dumping of dunnage. The weekly • earnings of Watts, calculated in accordance with the provisions of the Workers Compensation Act, 1922, were £6 7s 6d a week.

Captain William John Keane, secretary of the Auckland section of the Merchant Service Guild, and formerly Government surveyor of ships at Auckland and Wellington,, said £1 a week was the accepted allowance for keep on a ship of the Port Waikato’s class. As-on other vessels,, much food was wasted owing to the system followed. It was not the fault of the men. \ • . The defence denied*, that« Watts s < weekly earnings had been £6 7s 6d a week, and contended that they were in excess of £8 a week. j. William Gerald’" Carstens, clerk of the Northern Steamship.; Company, Ltd., agents for the Watch-’ lin Line, said the cost of providoring the Port Waikato a man a year, including cooking, was £lO9. By the award, an officer on shore was al-

lowed 5s 6d a day for accommodation. John Woodward Lowe, in charge of the providoring department of the Northern Steamship Company, Ltd., gave evidence of the quality of the food supplied to the Port Waikato. On some occasions, he said, the provisions included nuts and cream. Mr Justice O’Regan: This case might have very serious complications. I have acted in cases where £1 a week has been the ‘ accepted scale. It will put a lot of seamen workers’ compensation cases out of Court. The Court reserved its decision. SLY GROG. GISBORNE, August 31. On a charge of selling liquor out a license, Sam McKee, storekeeper at Tokomaru Bay, was fined £4O by Mr Walton, S.M.I this morning. The police stated that within the past six months defendant had purchased four thousand bottles of liquor in Gisborne, and was in unfair competition with the licensed hotels. Many complaints had been received, and as a result of a raid, a large quantity of liquor was seized. HIT WITH SAUSAGEI J AUCKLAND, August 30. . Although he did not purchase anything a visit, to a Queen Street shop the other afternoon cost Anthony Gainsford £2. A steward in the Rangitane, Gainsford, while created a disturbance in the shop, and after he had thrown a chop and sausage at the proprietor, he was arrested on a charge of behaving in a disorderly manner in Queen Street while drunk. He pleaded guilty when he appeared before two justices in the Police' Court. Sub-Inspector Fox said Gainsford entered the. shop and the proprietor asked him what he wanted. In reply he opened a parcel and took out a chop, which he threw at the shopkeeper. Gainsford was ordered out and left but he returned a few minutes later and, from the doorway, threw a sausage at the proprietor, hitting him on the head with it. Further disorder occurred at a time when the shop was particularly, busy, and Gainsford was arrested by a constable call - ed from the Queen’s wharf station. Gainsford was fined £2, or seven days’ imprisonment.

Children Thrashed

mXori woman warned.

• GISBORNE, August 30 A . Maori woman who thrashed two Wairoa children so severely that their armfr and hands were so badly.bruised and' swollen that they wer° unable to. write at school was convicted and ordered to come, up for. sentence if called upon by Mr E. L. Walton, S.M. at the Wairoa Police Court.

Defendant, aged 21, pleaded guilty to wilfully ill-treating the children so as to cause them unnecessary suffering. .. ’

Prosecuting, Sergeant D. Clark stated that the woman was acting as housekeeper for the father of the children. They appeared at school, one day with their arms and hands so bady swollen and bruised that they were unable to write. The. schoolmaster took the children to a doctor, and in the case of one child the doctor had to X-ray an arm. . The children said they had been beaten with a stick, but defendant: said she had used a buckled strap. Whatever she used, stated the' sergeant, she gave them an unmerciful thrashing". » The Magistrate. said that defendant was liable to a fine of £5O, on each charge, or imprisonment for three months. If she, misbehaved herself or if she ill-treated the children, the setgeant would bring her to. Court and she might go to gaol.