LAW AND POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6815, 20 September 1883, Page 3

LAW AND POLICE.

POLICE COURT.—WED^ksdat. [Before Captain Daldy and Mr. F.. L. Prime, J.P.'s.] I . DkunkSnitess.—Six persons, weft punished for brdiuary offences. ADn Hogan, for habitual drunkenness, was sentenced to. a month's imprisonment ; and Nicholas Staur.- . ton, for a similar offence, -Was also sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Indecent Exposure. — Jameg Gleeaon, charged with indecent exposure in Queenstreet, pleaded guilty, under extenuating circumstances, and was discharged. Larceny.—Tirn .thy Howard, on warrant, Was charged with stealing a shirt worth 15s, the propei ty of R. C. Jordan. Sergeant : White .asked to have the case remanded to Tauranga, where the offence was committed, and from whence the warrant was issued. The remand granted, Skaman'S Wares. —George Brown Harris was charged with unlawfully refusing to pay the sum of £2S 4a 6d, wages due to Puki Puki on board the barque India. Mr. Cooper appeared for the defendant. He said they admitted a portion of the claim,, which had been offered to the plaintiff, and 1 refused. They disputed the rate of Wag 8, £5 a. month, and alliged that the rate Was £3 10s a month. Mr. Dufaur appeared for the. plaintiff, and after opening his case, called the plaintiff, Puki Puki. an aboriginal native, for whom Mr. DeThierry interpreted. He deposed that he was a sailor, lately serving on the India, under Captain Harris, for the list six months. He pointed out his signature on the ship's articles. When he signed the articles the s captain told him his rate Of wages Was to be £5 a month. He told the captain he was not. a good sailor, and said in English he ! had never been in a ship before. The captain was angry, and called to the owner of the vessel that the man was not a sailor, and the owner said "Oh, never mind, put him down at £5." He signed the articles on board the vessel. If he had not been told he wa3 to receive £5 a month he would not have entered, and he was not told by the captain that he would only give him £3 10s Until they were out to sea. The captain wanted him t ; » sign at £3 lQs a mouth, but he refused. He had worked eight months oil board the vessel, and claimed £40 Wages, at £5 a month. He gave credit for £11 15s 6d, and claimed the balance, £2S 4s 6d. In cross-examination the witness admitted that he knew nothing of a sailor's duty until after he had been sometime at sea. He had previously been six months on hoard a whaler. After being ten days at sea in the India, the captain disrated him from an A.B. to an Ordinary seaman, and asked him to sign the boob, but : witness relused. His companion, another native, was disrated at the same time, aud he signed when asked, but witness refused to accept £3 10s a month, because he had shipped in Auckland at £5 a month. Charles Rone, shipping clerk, before whom the articles were signed, depo-ed that the complainant told the captain he could not steer. Witness asked the captain how he came to ship a man who had never been to sea before as an A.8.; but the captain said they, meaning the natives,. had been sent from the Bay of Islands, and they had to give them £5 per month. Plaintiff said he had been to sea before, but he could not steer. He was shipped at £5 a-month. David, an aboriginal, an A.B. of the barque India, who was engaged with plaintiff and another, deposed that their wages were to be £5 a-month, Witness was the only one of the three whfl' was known to be an able seaman. Witness detailed the conversation which took place when the articles were signed. He was paid at the rate of £5 amonth. For the defence Captain Harris deposed that when he shipped the complainant he believed him to be an able seaman, although he said he could not steer, but in a very short time he discovered that he knew nothing of the d uties—not the name of a rope scarcely—so witness reduced him to the rank of ordinary seaman,-and madman official entry to that effect in the log, which plaintiff refused to sign. He had offered to pay his wages at the rate of £3 10s a month. He admitted owing £16 4s 6d, It appeared the vessel had since been twice in port, and plaintiff had not been discharged, nor any change made in the articles. The Bench commentc-d on this fact, and ordered the payment of the amount claimed, } each party to pay his own costs. Dog Registration Act.—William Davidson and S. Gladding were each fined Is and costs for having neglected to register their dogs. Roger LUpton, who was similarly charged, produced a registration ticket for his dog, showing that it had been registered in the Newton Highway district; but he was fined Is and costs for allowing his dog to be without his dollar in the city. Assault:.—William A, Smith was charged With assaulting J. A. Campbell by striking him on the face./ij 'l his.case was<adjcurued until next day. < - Seaman's Wages.—W. Smith" was charged with refusing to*>pay John Veal the sum of £24, wages due to him as mate of the steamer Kawatiri. ?■ This case was set'led out of Court, £6 and costs being accepted..