CAR DRIVER FINED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 239, 6 September 1928, Page 8

CAR DRIVER FINED.

Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Sept. 5. A Eoman Catholic priest, Father Joseph Duffy, aged 41. of Papakura, was fined £5 by the Magistrate, Mr Hunt, in the Police Court to-day for being intoxicated while in charge of a motor car in the city on Tuesday afternoon. Sub-Inspector McCarthy said that the City Council traffic inspector was sitting in his office in the Town Hall, when on looking through the window he saw a motor car travelling crown Grey’s Avenue on a zig-zag course. The driver apparently attempted to turn round wnen he reached the foot of the avenue, biuf lie ran the .car into a tree. An endeavour was then made to back the car on to the road and an accident with a passing vehicle was narrowly averted. The traffic inspector found that accused, who was the driver, was not in a proper state to be in charge of a car, and with the assistance of another man from the traffic office the inspector took accused to the folice station, where he was examined y a doctor. In the opinion of the doctor, accused had had too much to drink. There -were no serious features about the case. It appeared as though aocused had had some trouble with his gears in trying to turn the car. Counsel for accused, who pleaded guilty, referred to the difficulty of changing the gears of accused’s car. Accused had lunched in town and as he was suffering from influenza had one drink after lunch. No doubt, in Ills weak state, it affected him. The Magistrate said that anybody who was going to drive a car should not have any liquor at all. There was always danger. In imposing the fine, the Magistrate added that the case was tire least serious of the kind that ho had been called upon to deal with and thereupon ho was imposing the lightest fine that had been inflicted by him for such an offonco. Suppression of accused’s namo was refused, the Magistrate’s saying that he was not going to make any class distinction.