NOVEL CHARGE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 245, 31 January 1921, Page 6

NOVEL CHARGE.

ALLEGED HIDDEN TOOLS.

A novel charge arising‘out of a Xnkm jniini episode was road at the Wanganui Court on Friday morning, before .Messes A. Gower and 1). McEatTane. J.’sP. The defendants were Frederick Richmond, Alfred Edward Hawker. Herbert Thomas. Robert Brown and Charles Gallery. Ihe charge was as follows: —“That on or about January 19. at? Nukurnaru. with a view to compel Alexander 11. Ruscoe to abstain from doing an act which ho had a legal right to do. defendants wrongfully and without legal authority did hide tools used by the said Alexander JL Ruscoe.”

The case was no doubt the first of its kind in New Zealand, the section on which ii was based being introduced in the Police offences Amendment Act of 1913 during the lime of the strike so as to make it- illegal to interfere with a workman’s tools, clothes, or other property, or deprive or hinder him in ihe use thereof.

Air Coin'll, who appeared for defendant's, <-;i it I that with all deference to the Bench, he Thought the case dinuld lie taken he I ore the Magistrate‘as it involved certain technicalities and to his knowledge was the first of the kind in the -Dominion, honr-.of-tlfO defendants were at a distinct, disadvantage' as one of the defendants, who was the chid witness,’ had not returned front Wellington. Detective-Sergeant Cameron opposed the adjournment, lie said he believed the defendant referred to by Mr Cohen had gone to Wellington . for the express purpose of getting back to Australia and was probably now on the water, lie. the detective, had met the train yesterday to. interview the defendant, bur the latter had not arrived although he knewlie was summoned to appear to-day. ’ Mr Cohen said-it was the obvious duty of the police to have stripped ibis man from leaving New Zealand. Personally he. Mr Cohen, was at a distinct disadvantage through the man’s non-appearance.. Detective Cameron replied that it was impossible for the police to take action until the man failed to appear. Afr Cohen replied that if the police had suspicions a man was going away they had power to arrest him. The Bench. agreed to Mr Cohen’s request for an adjournment and the case was sol. down for hearing on February 7. Herald. ‘ ;