Yesterday’s Cases in Magistrate’s Court

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 272, 20 November 1934, Page 5

Yesterday’s Cases in Magistrate’s Court

MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES HEARD Before Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in tlie Magistrate’s Court at Palmerston North yesterday, miscellaneous charges wero dealt with. Not having a motor driver’s license resulted in David Augustus Coley, of Shannon, being fined 5s and 10s costs. Licensing Breaches Charged with being found on the licensed premises of the Princess hotel after hours on November 17, Mervyn Richards and William Harrison were each fined £2, with 3s costs. They were given time to pay the fine. Alan Berkahn, barman, and Harry Burrows, tho licensee of the Majestic hotel, were charged respectively with supplying and selling liquor after hours. They pleaded guilty and were represented by Mr Abraham. Senior-Sergt. Whitehouse explained that a man had been discovered drinking in a right-of-way in tho city at 11.40 p.m. 6n November 12. This man had been questioned and subsequently taken to the hotel, where it was ascertained that the liquor had beon purchased at 8 o’clock that night. Berkahn was fined £5 and 10s costs and Burrows £2 and 10s costs. Tiring An Alrgun John Armand Borlace (Mr Rowe) pleaded guilty to discharging a missile to the danger of persons and property in Rolleston street on September 11 (contrary to section 3 of the Police Offences Act, 1927). Mr Rowe submitted that Borlace had been charged with the same offence previously, but the Magistrate declared that the facts were not the same. Defendant had previously been charged with discharging a firearm. Senior-Sergt. Whitehouso said that defendant had had a powerful airgun, which fired slugs, and could easily blind a person. Borlace had been using this missile to shoot at birds on his roof, but the slugs fired had actually crossed the road. t)nce they had hit a dog, while slugs had also embedded themselves 'in the walls of a house across the road. It was a dangerous practice, and defendant would be fined 40s with costs 16s, said Mr Stout. Negligent Driving charges Pcrcival Northe Keeling (Mr Lauxenson) pleaded guilty to negligently driving his car on the Gorgo road, Ashhurst, on October 18 last. The police declared that ho had swung wide coming around a corner and had collided with another car. A fine of £5 with 20s costs was imposed. A plea of not guilty was' entered by Gordon Alphonsus Cornford, of Pahiatua, who was charged with negligently driving a car at Ashhurst on October 9. Ho was represented by Mr Ongley. Senior-Sergt. Whitehouse, for the police, stated that two young men had been driving a horse and gig from Woodville to Ashhurst, and when about two chains on the Manawatu bridge on the night in question, a car had come from behind. It had crashed into the gig at a high rate of speed, smashing the shafts and body of the vehicle and throwing the two young men on to the road. George Garnett, one of the passengers in the gig, told how the car had smashed the vehicle almost beyond rep.air. The accident had occurred about 7.15 o’clock at night, the visibility being bad owing to rain. There had been a light burning on the driver’s side of the gig, he said. Cross-examined, witness admitted that there had been no fittings on the gig for lamps, while the light which had been tied with string and straps on the right-hand side on the night of the accident, had been a left-side lamp. . George Wallace Smith, the other passenger in the gig, corroborated the evidence of the first witness. When he had noticed tho car coming on to the bridge at a high rate of speed he had waved his arms in an attempt to signal the motorist, he told the Court. Defendant said that he had been driving four passengers to Palmerston North for a wrestling match. He had not seen any light ahead and the vehicle had only been noticed on the bridge when about a chain ahead of the car. Defendant held that the gig had not had a light on it at the time of the accident. He had applied the brakes but had not been able to stop in time, although only travelling about 25 miles an hour, because of the wet surface. ■ Evidence was then called by the defence relative ot the gig not being lighted as alleged, and the subsequent inquiries made to try and find the lamp after the wrecked vehicle had been removed from the scene of the collision.

Defendant was fined £5, costs 16s, and witnesses’ expenses 16s.