OBSTRUCTING THE FOOTPATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9062, 24 May 1888, Page 6

OBSTRUCTING THE FOOTPATH.

A NOMINAL FINE.

Alfred Jones, a respectably. dre ot , , youth, was charged at the Police cT yesterday morning, before Mr. H "n Baddeley, KM., with causing an obstr ti°n upon the footpath in KaranrraW Road, on Tuesday evening. The pr" ** pleaded not guilty. Sergeant P^tt 0 peared on behalf of the police to prosecute" In opening the case he said that this wag 0 of the offences caused by youths collecting knotsonthefootpath inthestreet, andsoca ing annoyance to pedestrians. On Tue^ 8 evening the accused, with a number I others, were on a footpath in KarancJu ° Road. Constable Bernard, on dutvS ape moved him and others on, but acr J objected, and commenced to talk and thereby collected a crowd wh' k obstructed the street. The constable b^ 1 - warned them, but they refused to disr and the constable had to arrest the aceS' who constituted himself the rino-lp h ' in resisting the admonitions of the°n o r Constable Bernard stated that he L l ° e duty in Karangahape Road, on lues/" evening last, about a quarter-past sevo? There was a good deal of traffic on the for* path at the time. Nearly opposite ,k' end of Pitt-street he found a number of youths collected. Witness cleared the off, and they then went and stood on C crossing. They then commenced to tall about doing no harm. Witness said thev were obstructing the footpath. This ar» mentcausedacrowd to collect. Accused acted as spokesman. Witness then went up to the again and asked them to disperse. Th m . did not do so. Witness then asked accused for his name, which he refused to give and witness told him if he did not do so he'must arrest him. Accused still refused to eh his name, and witness arrested him and took him to the station. There had bee great complaints of this annoyance 0 Constable Finnerty deposed that he was on duty in Karangahape Road about a quarter past seven on Tuesday evening last, and saw Constable Bernard with a book in his hand trying to get the names of the accused. Accused refused to give it and Constable Bernard had to arrest him.' Accused resisted, and continued to do so till they got him to the station. Witness had received many complaints of these youths hanging round on the footpath in this street Sergeant Pratt offered to call evidence as t< the annoyance caused by this practice » youths collecting on the footpaths, but th* Resident Magistrate thougt it unnecessary The accused then made a sworn statement' saying that when spoken to he and his friends moved on to the road, and denied that he was on the crossing . He admitted having talked about doing no 1 harm in standing there. Sergeant Pratt stated he did not want a heavy penalty only one that would act as a caution to others to prevent this kind of thing. The R.M., in giving his decision, stated that this practice, on the part of youths, had caused many complaints from pedestrians. The police had received many complaints and so had he. He, himself, had seen the nuisance, and heard expressions of language from these youths that was disgraceful They seemed to have no care for others, and ladies were forced into the gutters, and if they remonstrated with those causing . the obstruction they were subjected to abuse. It seemed to be the practice for these youths to congregate wherever there was a verandah, and this practice had undoubtedly developed into a nuisance. It was a practice that had to be stopped, and the R.M. said he was determined to do his part to stop it. In the present instance he would, as the police had not pressed for it, not inflict a heavy fine, but merely a cautionary one, but this was no indication, of what would be imposed in subsequent cases, which would be much more severe. The R.M. then fined the accused Is and costs.