POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13939, 22 December 1908, Page 7

POLICE COURT NEWS.

-J;,/.; , HOURS OF WAITRESSES. f : 'At th* Police Court yesterday, before Mr. | J ;->'o. C. Kettle, S.M., the inspector undor th« Shops and Offices Act (Mr. Shanaghan) proceeded against Louis Eppstein, restaur--1 ant-keeper, Queen-street, for employing several female assistants for more than 52 hours in one week, and failing to giant 1•" • |h«n the necessary time for meal hours and :■ half-holidays. ': Mr. Selwyn Mays, for the prosecution, called Christina. Gilmour, a pantry hand, ?• who stated that she had worked from seven |;;-.; .a.m. till 930 p.m. during the week ending December 5, except, on the Saturday, when :, the continued on duty until 11.15 p.m. On. Sunday she was employed from eight a.m. to seven p.m. Tuesday was supposed to I be her half-holiday, but witness did not get away till four p.m., while she never •had more than a-quarter of an hour or 20 minutes for the dinner interval. Replying to Mr. Singer (counsel for defendant), witV., ness stated that when the inspector called defendant became, annoyed with 4 her, and paid her off. with an extra week's wages in, ; "lieu of notice. , Ethel Townsond, a waitress, deposed that during the week in question she worked about 60 hours, At other times she worked as long as 72 hours a week. Under cross-examination, witness admitted that sometimes there would be a slack period for an hour or so. Clara Green, waitress, gave similar evidence, and J. B. Lindsay, assistant, inspecJ tor, gave particulars of the inquiries he 'had made. , Defendant stated that his employees lad I not worked more than 52 hours a week, as •! shown by his entry book (produced). ; Th» evidence was corroborated by de■l fendant's wife. : ;" The magistrate stated that it had not " bwn proved to his satisfaction that the : '.' girls had worked over hours, and the case "would be dismissed. He had sug£^>sted i tiote and again that some better system Should be enforced by the Department • whereby employees could check records of 1 the hours they" worked. No case of the kind could be proved unless this was done. \ FALSE PRETENCES. : George Ennis, a middle-aged, well- ' drwised' man. pleaded guilty to obtaining various sums of money by false pretences. Accused had stated that he had £150 in the National Bank, and on the strength ;:.'•■■ of these representations he borrowed ■ money from Peter Reilly, a cab proprietor. The licensee of the Alexandra Hotel deposed that Ennis went to his house in 1 a cab and asked for a room. He told witness that he was rather short of 'money, and witness lent him some. Ent '■'■ nis stayed at the hotel for over a week, - " during which time he was continually bor- .'§;*■ rowing money. Accused owed him £5 f 12s 6d for board and residence and various sums lent. ;, Detective Miller said that he arrested accused on the 17th inst. He admitted •' getting the sums of money, and said that 7-',ie had no account at the bank. Ennis ' v)Fas committed to the Supreme Court for •Sentence. . . VICTIMISING TRADESMEN. : ;> John Majoribanks Steele, a middle-aged man, pleaded guilty to three charges of ;i-forgery. The evidence showed that ?c- ---? eused had forged and cashed three cheques for various sums. One purport--ing to have been signed by J. R. Reed •:, for £3 4s 6d was cashed by Wilfred Fookes, chemist, of Newmarket. Another to the amount of £3 4s 6d had the forged ij signature of T. Mandeno Jackson, and was changed by Alfred Pascoe. The third, representing the sum of £12, purported to have been signed by J. R. Reed. Steele, who stated that he had become addicted to drugs, and that he was in :< a very low state of health, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. ". - ALLEGED .VAGRANCY. • William Reid elected to be tried by a jury on a charge of being a rogue and a vagabond, and liabituallv consorting with .persons of ill-repute. His Worship decided -to allow bail in one surety of £50, or two * of £25. "■; ;._.-■ " v; : Mary Donovan and Mary Conn each -:..; * pleaded guilty to similar charges, and were remanded for eight days for sentence. .;■■/"."• MISCELLANEOUS. Henrv Kelly pleaded guilty to theft of * * , two pairs of shoes, the property of Thos. 4", Miller, and was remanded for eight days ."for .sentence. , '-.X'j:. Peter Ramsay McGuire pleaded guilty to :;. wilfully damaging a door and lock valued . at 5s at St. Mark's Church, Remuera. De"j fondant was remanded for six days for sentence. •"- Signs' Daniel Fitrpatrick was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment for being drunk —the 1; * third offence within six months— on a O second charge of procuring liquor while a prohibition order was in force, ho ■■•;-.. ; was ordered to come up for sentence when fe called upon. . - Jeff Ogden pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly, and resisting the police. A fine of 10s, or m 8 hours' imprisonment was . inflicted, on the first charge, while on the ,'. second defendant was ordered to pay 8s 6d costs. '-£■ ;■; • Robert John Galbraith pleaded guilty to - being drunk and breaking his prohibition order. He was fined 10s on the first charge, ~ arid for tne second offence was ordered to , come up for sentence when called upon. •*■ A. Rhodes pleaded. guilty to being found •- '-" on licensed premises during the currency of 11 1 a prohibition order and was fined 20s and |pj| costs 9s. ■:" A. Farlev pleaded guilty to boarding a ' gs train while in motion, and was fined 10s, - v and lis costs.