Pahiatua Magistrate’s Court

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 160, 9 July 1938, Page 2

Pahiatua Magistrate’s Court

Tho monthly meeting of tho Pahiatua Magistrate’s Court was held yesterday. Mr. H. P. Lowry, S.M., was on the bench. The first case was one of a young man wnose name was ordered to be suppressed. He acted as secretarytreasurer for a country sports body and converted to his own use the sum of £ls. {Sergeant Bonisch stated that accused nad taken charge of moneys from dances and different functions the- club nad run to raise funds. There had been no authority to.open a banking account and tho accused had just wasted the club’s money away. £3 of the money had been reiunded, stated the sergeant. Accused pleaded guilty and stated he would refund all tho money. The magistrate ordered that accused be placed on probation for a period of twelve months and that he refund the whole of tho balance of the ineney3 taken by him. Ida Mary McMinn was charged with driving without due care and attention. Mr. >6. K. Siddells appeared for defendant, who pleaded guilty. Sergeant Bonisch stated that Mrs. McMinn was returning to Pahiatua on a straight, flat piece of road after dark, when she met another car with bright lights coming towards her. A man and his wife were walking at the side of the road and she hit tho man, who was afterwards taken to the hospital. Mr. Siddells said that what the sergeant had stated was correct, but instead of just one passing car there was another, aud the two dazzling lights completely blinded her. What she should have done, stated Mr. Siddells, was to stop lier car instead of driving slowly as she did. Mrs. McMinn was an experienced driver, was tho wife of a local garage proprietor and often taught clients to drive cars. Mr. Siddells submitted that tho act of negligence was a very minor one despite tho fact that a man was injured under unfortunate circumstances, and suggested that the penalty be a nominal one. The magistrate agreed that the penalty should be commensurate with the degree of negligence and fined the defendant £1 and 10s costs. Robert Norman Mabey was charged with driving a car without a license and without due care and consideration. Defendant pleaded guilty of not renewing his driving license, but not guilty of the second charge. {Sergeant Bonisch stated he was surprised for he could prove the facts. On June 10, at C. 45 p.m., he and Constable Le Comte proceeded to Konini on the Main road and found that Mabey’s car had run into tho rear of a stationary truck parked with its lights on at the side of tho road. Measurements showed that the truck was 13 feet off the bitumen and the defendant's car had travelled 40 feet after the accident. Mabey, in evidence, stated ho was doing between 30 and 35 miles per hour and was dazzled by approaching lights. None of his passengers had seen the truck parked before the accident. A fine of £2 and 10s costs was imposed, and 10s and 10s costs for not having a driving license. Mr. James Champion was lined £2 and 10s costs for not giving way to approaching traffic when travelling between Pahiatua and Makuri on June 7.