POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20372, 28 September 1929, Page 14

POLICE COURT NEWS.

.THEFT CHARGE DISMISSED.

INCIDENT ON WATERFRONT,

Charged with the theft of a handtruck, valued at 60s, the property of Thompson and Hills, Ltd., Carl Wilson appeared before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. Mr. Sellar, who represented accused, entered a plea of not guilty. Alfred Drew, rnotor-lorry driver, said he went to the waterfront last June with a load of jam, the truck being on the lorry. He was away about 20 minutes and when he returned the truck had gone.

Wilson stated he had borrowed the hand-truck and was away with it for obout ten minutes. When he returned the man from whom he had borrowed it had gone. Ho did not kjiow who the inan wa3. He took the truck to the factory, rather than leave it on a wharf, and told the foreman that if anyone came for it to hand it over.

The magistrate dismissed the charge. "They are undoubtedly a lot of larrikins and a menace to the neighbourhood," said Constable Ilushton, when Clarence A. Middleton, Frank Pratt and Kenneth Roberts were charged with throwing rubbish in George Street, Henderson. Middleton', who was represented by Mr. Dickeon, was also charged with giving a false nlarm of fire. Constable Rushton said tho three young men had thrown orange skins about tho footpath one Sunday evening, creating a disgraceful condition. They admitted having, stolen the oranges, but no action was being taken for this in view of the other charge. He had spoken to them repeatedly about their behaviour, but they had taken no notice. Fines of £2 each were imposed on Middleton and Pratt and Roberts was fined £l. •The charge against Middleton of giving 11 false fire alarm, to which he pleaded not guilty, was dismissed. A line of £1 and costs was imposed on Gerald D. Hunter, who was charged with a breach ol_ regulations under the Health Act by bottling milk in the street. A, Health Department inspector .said that when testing milk he had seen defendant flipping empty bottles into a can to fill them, lie had seen defendant return to his milk waggon with empty bottles from houses at which he had called, but he could not be sure whether these were the bottles used.