MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1937, Page 5

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

THIS MORNING’S SITTING. At a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at 10.30 o’clock this morning, the following cases were heard by Mr Ray- ■ mond Ferner S.M. : . ; Police Charges. For being 0 n licensed premises of the Pioneer Hotel after hours, three first offenders were convicted and fined 5/and costs. i Police y. Peter O. Patterson, driving' motor vehicle without a license. There ' wa s no appearance of defendant who was convicted and ordered to pay court *. costs. ■ j Borough Traffic Inspector (TV. ES. j Gaylor) v. Kevin Mulrennan, operating a motor cycle without a number plate.' Defendant who appeared and pleaded guilty, ‘was convicted and fined 10/and costs with solicitor’s fee of 10/6. Ragwort Charge. C. S. Neville v. Frederick Albert Winter, for failure to clear ragwort. Defendant appeared and pleaded not guilty. The Inspector in evidence, 1 stated that defendant had cut about 5 or 6 acres, but 3 acres had been left which had on it a considerable deal of ragwort that had gone to seed. Defendant in evidence, stated the land in question was Crown Land of which he I was not the occupier. This area was a small one but it carried a good amount of ragwort. Witness said he experienced considerable trouble in preventing the i spread of ragwort weed on his own property due to flood waters which an times covered the portion of his land near the riverbed, leaving deposits of ragwort seeds from' the Crown Lands area. The Crown Lands area was available for anyone to run their stock on. He did not pay any rental for the use of the Crown Lands area. The Magistrate dismissed the information stating that since there wag no proof of the defendant being the occupier of tho land in question he could not be held responsible fo r preventing ragwort to spread on the area. Debt Cases. Judgment for plaintiff By default was given in a case in which the Hokitika Borough Council claimed from William Holley the sum of £9/19/1 for outstanding rates, together with court eost s and solicitor’s fees.