Magistrate's Court

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 276, 22 November 1935, Page 11

Magistrate's Court

LOCAL JUSTICES PRESIDE The monthly sitting of the Pahiatua Magistrate’s Court was held yesterday, ■when Messrs A. Barroll and A. A. Vaughan presided in the absence of Mr L. Logan Stout, S.M. Farmhand Steals Watch A young man appeared to answer a charge of tho theft of a watch from a resident of Kiritaki. He pieaued guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily. Constable Prussing, prosecuting, told the 1 Court that defendant had been employed on the farm for some weeks, and on leaving there to work for a local farmer, stole a watch. Some time later he confessed to his new employer that ho had taken tho watch, andiacting on tho latter’s advice had the watch cleaned, tho glass renew'd and' then returned it. According to the constable, defendant’s present employer was prepared to retain him in his employment. The Bench took into consideration tin? fact that the watch had been repaired and returned, and in inflicting a fine of £l, warned him that he had better not repeat the offence. f “A Cheeky Hawker”

Pahiatua, along with many other towns, has suffered from the activities of 'itinerant hawkers, who dodge their obligations in so far as securing necessary permits from the authorities, and local business men have -rightly been incensed against their actions. However, one of the brotherhood, named Janies Henry Hammond, has found . that. Pahiatua is not a happy hunting ground for such a campaign, and moreover, his visit to the home of one of the local civic officers will convince him that cheekiness is not always a fruitful' sales manner. Hammond, it seems, went to the hoUse of the man in question, and find ing the lady of the establishment was not’ hurrying to answer liis hopefui knock, made his way uninvited into the - wash-house, where he helped hintself to a drink of water. The good la'dy:'then made her appearance, and oninquiring what he was doing in the shed, was answered in a very cheeky manner. Things moved swiftly after this;:and*it transpired that Hammond hadv-Thot conformed to the usual formalities as required, under the authority lit .question, and was interrogated by the police again .proved somewhat cheeky. All this happened away back on March, and since then the police in various parts of-the country have been trying to serve a warrant on Aim. At length Hammond’s business career took him to Nelson, where the local constabulary effected the necessary serylcc/ ' The Bench noted defend-ant’s^-admission.of flic offence, and inflicted a fine of £2, with 10s costs. No Heavy-traffic License

Mr W. G- Milne, traffic inspector for tho Akitio County Council, proceeded against Hislop • Meek for operating on the highway at- Pongaroa without a heavy-traffic license. The inspector said Meek had been before the Court for similar offences at various times, and pointed out that in certain oases it was cheaper to pay the fine than to procure a license from the due (late.

f' The Bench therupon weighed up all ythe -circumstances and fined Meek £l, “With 10s.'costs, remarking that the lat.ter was'not making a fortune on run. ; .........