POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14325, 22 March 1910, Page 7

POLICE COURT NEWS.

TRAM CONDUCTOR ASSAULTED A CARTER FINED. At the Police Court yesterday, before „. 1 '" E - C - Cll( tcn, S.M., a man named William Almond was charged with having assaulted Harry Cave by striking him in the lace with his clenched fist. According to the evidence, Almond had behaved in a very obstreperous manner in Karanghape Road on Saturday night. The man whom accused assaulted, Harry Cave, is the conductor of a tramcar, but owing to the injuries lie received from the accused he will not be able to return to his work lor about a week. On the night in question he had occasion to put the accused off the car, but after the car had started again Almond -jumped on from the roadway, and hit the conductor a severe blow in the eye. The accused is a- Lancashire lad, and a carter by trade. He stated that the conductor pushed him off the car. He was convicted, and lined £6, with 5s costs, half the amount of the line to be handed to the complainant. A STREET FIGHT. Two young men named William Gunson and James Rush had a quarrel on Saturday night about 10 o'clock, which ended in a street fight, and as. a consequence they appeared before the Court yesterday charged with having used threatening behaviour, whereby "a breach of the peace was occasioned. They both pleaded guilty, and were fined £1 each, or in default three days' imprisonment. HUSBAND, AND WIFE. Francis Kroon was charged with having assaulted his wife, with drunkenness, and with having broken the terms of his prohibition order. The police stated that he was continually fighting with his wife, who had been lepeatedly to the Newton police station to complain about him. The woman was afraid of him, and Sergeant Sheehan, who prosecuted, said that he thought something ought to be done to protect the woman. Accused was convicted, and a sentence of 14 days' imprisonment, with hard labour, was imposed. '•NO WORK IN AUSTRALIA." A stowaway from Sydney, named Sidney Smithers, who had embarked on the s.s. Victoria and come to Auckland without having paid his fate, and without permission, admitted the charge. He said that he had previously worked in this country for many years, and had any amount of work to go to. He had been away only about two years. There was no work in Australia," he added. He was fined £7, or in default 14 days' imprisonment. A DANGEROUS DOG. A man named James Doyle is, or rather was, the owner of a dog which attacked and bit a boy, who was delivering parcels at Mount Roskill, the other day. Doyle, for the offence of being the owner of the dog, was fined £2, and costs. He stated that he bad disposed of the dog, and Mr. Cutten, under those circumstances, made no order for its destruction. BREACH OF COMPANIES ACT. The Ngaruawahia Coal Company, Ltd., and the New Zealand Boot Company were each charged with having failed to forward to the registrar of companies the annual list of shareholders and a, summary of its capital for the year 1908-9. Mr. Mays appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Clayton for the New Zealand Boot Company. Mr. Mays explained that under section 101 of the Act it was necessary to hold the annual meeting and make up a return of shareholders, and a statement of capital, and forward them to the registrar. In the case of the Ngaruawahia Company there was a difficulty about getting the annual meeting held, and it was too late to forward the returns within the prescribed time. The company had certainly tried to comply with the Act, and the case was not regarded as a serious one./ The Act provided for a penalty of £5 for every day which the returns were overdue. For the New Zealand Boot Company Mr. Clayton said that they had complied with the spirit of the Act, though not the letter of it. The returns had been sent in, but had been sent in late. Mr. Cutten said that he could not see his way clear to make the penalty less than that fixed for one day's default, and consequently each of the defendant companies was fined £5. TROUBLE ON A TRAMCAR, A man named William F. Carroll pleaded not guilty to'a charge of having used obscene language on a tramcar. He was defended by Mr. Lundon. The prosecution stated'that on February .18 the accused was on a tramcar, and after passing a section was asked for an additional fare. Ho then became abusive, and made use of the langauge with which *he was charged. The accused, in giving evidence, denied making use of bad language. He merely called the conductor a " coot," and told him ho did not understand his business. The magistrate said he was amply satisfied from the evidence given that defendant's conduct was bad. In regard to the alleged language, it seemed curious that no one in the car heard it, and that a witness should happen to come along at the end of the section just in time to hear it. It created a doubt in his mind, and he would give defendant the benefit of it, and dismiss the case. CRUELTY TO A HORSE. Charles Mackay was charged with cruelly ill-treating a horse by working the same while suffering from a sore shoulder. Defendant was convicted, and fined £2 and costs. In connection with the above case, Theodore Casey was charged with hindering H. Alder (inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who is a special constable, according to the Act) in the execution of his duty by preventing him taking possession of the horse. ... The inspector said that wheh he endeavoured to take possession of the horse Casey came to him and asked him if he was looking for trouble, and threatened to "smash witness' jaw" if he touched the horse. • Defendant, who works for his brother, and is foreman in charge of a number of men arid horses, said he did not know that the inspector had power to take the horse. Ho denied making a threat to the inspector.. A conviction was recorded, and defendant was fined £2, and £1 10» costs. MISCELLANEOUS. Frank Everson, for drunkenness, was fined ss, and ordered to pay 17s 6d costs, in default 48 hours' imprisonment. Andrew Ncilson, for drunkenness, was fined £1, or three days' imprisonment. John Thomas Jones, on a charge of drunkenness, was fined 10s. in default 24 hours' imprisonment, and : William Barrett, convicted of a similar offence, was ordered to pay £1, or go to gaol for three days. Frank William Allen, for a breach of his prohibition order, was fined £3, in defaitlt 14 days' imprisonment. A young man named James Kean, for being disorderly while drunk, using obscene language, and breaking his prohibition order, was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment. Six first offenders were each fined 5s for insobriety. George Squibb was charged with harnessin" a dog to a vehicle, and fined 5s and costs. ■"■,'' '""''■'■ John M. Thompson was charged with driving a vehicle round the corner of Queenstreet and Shortland-slreet at other than a walking pace. He was fined 10s and costs. I:'.-. A man named William Eggerton was I charged with having used obscene lanj guage near the Thames Hotel. He was conj victed, and fined £5, in default 14 days' imprisonment .