NAPIER COURT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 303, 7 December 1931, Page 7

NAPIER COURT

(Before Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M.) TO-DAY’S PROCEEDINGS. Ole Sorenson, who pleaded guilty to being drunk and with committing an offence, was convicted and fined £l. Laurie Johnston, who appeared charged with fighting with William Oleary in Hastings street, was ramanded till December 14 A plea of guilty was entered by Hector Gordon Robertson, aged 26 years, to a charge of being found drunk, of using bad language, of resisting Constable Smith in the execution of his duty, and of refusing to quit certain licensed premises whet requested to do so by the licensee. Senior-Sergeant Pender stated that at about 6.30 p.m. on Saturday night the accused was on certain licensed premises, being ordered off when making a noise. He immediately wanted to fight, and resisted the police. When out on the footpath he became most violent. Counsel for defendant said that he was a first offender and the four charges arose out of really one charge. His Worship told Robertson that his behaviour was most disgusting, and if it had not been his first offence he would have sent him to prison. He imposed fines totalling £5. Charged with loitering in Dickens street so as to have the effect of ob structing the use of a footpath, Joseph Courts and Mervyn Ferguson were each convicted and fined £1 and 10/costs, Joseph Mathew Sinden, charged with procuring liquor while prohibited, was convicted and fined £3 and 10/- costs. On a further charge of entering a hotel while prohibited, Sinden was convicted and discharged. A fine of £1 and 10s costs was imposed against Miss Z. M. Mellor on a charge of driving a motor vehicle across a railway crossing near Taupiri when such crossing was not clear. Senior-Sergeant Pender said that the defendant missed an engine of a train by only a small margin. The defendant’s father stated that the day being Sunday no trains were expected, with the result that a lookout was not kept, as would have otherwise been the case. On a similar charge of attempting to cross the railway line at the Miller street crossing, Leslie Cromie was convicted and fined £2 and 10s costs, being ordered to pay 9s 9d damages to a guard’s van. Charged with failing to give way to traffic on his right when approaching tho intersection of Hastings and Dickens streets on November 17, Alexander Loudoun, garage proprietor, of Napier, was convicted and fined £1 and 10s costs. A fine of £2 and 10s costs was imposed against William James Keen, a second-hand dealer, on a charge of purchasing second-hand goods from a boy under the age of 16 years. Senior-Sergeant Pender stated that a boy aged eight years sold a watch and chain to Keen for 2s 6d. The watch had been stolen by the boy a few hours previously. His Worship, in entering a conviction, stated that Keen should have made enquiries as to how the goods were first obtained before making the purchase. Charged with riding a motor-cycle on the footpath in Station street, Frank Morris was convicted and fined £2 and 10s costs, ALLEGED FAILURE TO SEND CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. No clothes and no food were the reasons given by a number of Maoris living at Moteo Pa when charged with failing to send their children to school at Puketapu. The secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board (Mr W. L. Dunn) pointed out that for a long time past the children in most cases had seldom attended school, with tho result that their education was suffering. His Worship pointed out that it was compulsory for the children to attend school and he adjourned all the charges until February 20 next to give defendants an opportunity to send their children to school regularly, failing which penalties would be imposed. One defendant, who received no education whatever at school, stated that he was agreeable that his children should attend School, but ho was unable to clothe them sufficiently.