MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5665, 12 August 1905, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11. (Before Dr A. McArthur, S.M.)

On charges of druukeniKHo a fust offender and Lizzie O'Flynu were convicled and discharged. William Cunwick r.a.s fined 2Us, in default seven days imprisonment, and John l!urk O’Jincr. .was sentenced to fourteen day.,’ imprison rnent. K. Purvis, on a charge of having converted 1.0 her own use good, of the value of £l, the proiserty of Leiitia Jane I,Jacobs, pleaded not guilty.—thief Doited ivo McGrath explained that tin’ I goods had been entrusted to the ac.cn -'d I for sale by her with the understanding that if not sold they were to he roI fumed within a week. This had not been done, and after the lapse of a. month an information had been laid against her by Mrs Jacobs. Idle goods, v.’.th the exception of nineteen shillings’ ! worth, were still In her possession, and I ir was apparently more a case of caroi less ness than of intent to defraud. .Mrs i Jacobs would bo quite satisfied if the 1 remaining goods were returned and the i nineteen shillings paid.—The case was ■adjourned till -Monday, to permit of tills being done.

.Murv Vaughan, charged with bring in idle and disorderly person, was sonto need to three months’ hard labour. Mary Ann Sonthio, for importuning hi Tory street, received two months’ hard labour.

Florence McCa.skill, a young woman, pleaded guilty to stealing on July 17th, from Christina Crowe, two ostrich feathers of the value of £2.—Chief-De-tective McGrath said that the offence had been committed during a call which accused had made in search of employment. She had been previously in tho service of the informant, and had in the meantime been convicted elsewhere on three charges of theft. The informant did not desire to press tho charge if tho feathers were returned.—llls Worship said the accused had begun a course of life which would load her into serious trouble, but. in order to give her ix chance to rclorrn. he would merely convict her, to come up for sentence when called upon ; the goods to be returned to Mrs Crowe. Edmund Johnson, on remand, was chaiged with tho theft of a bottle cl brandy, the property of Patrick Dwyer, of tho Victoria Hotel, and, on a second information, with stealing from tho A 1 Hotel a portmanteau, the property ot John A’itkin. —Sub-Inspector Q’Donovnn said Unit the police had discovered previous convictions against accused. —Ihc prisoner pleaded guilty to the lii-t charge, and was sentenced to fourteen days’ hard labour. On Iho seen no -information ho was remanded till the 'lßth inst. to permit of tho attendance of the owner of tho property, who is absent from the district. Frederick Marshall was ordered to pay 12s a week towards the maintenance of his two children in the Wellington Receiving Home. Walter vV. Marslen, for t.ho maintenance of his child in tho Auckland Industrial School, was ordered to pay 6s a week. David Ralls, for leaving a horse without control on Lnmbton quay, was or-

dcrod to pay 7s costs. I William Andrews, Peter Ivollum, Hcurv Samson. Samuel Trcwin, David j Todd," and William Williams, coal carters, '.'.'ore charged on the information of James Dovle, Corporation Inspector, with overloading their licensed vehicles. —MrWilfoid, for the defendants, entered a plea of guihy in each case. Counsel said ho desired to point- out to the Court, that tho offence was practically unavoidable. Tho baskets with which . tho carts were loaded at the wharves hold each something over six cwt. Tho carts were licensed to carry two tons each. Six basketfuls would not load a cart, and a seventh basketful sometimes caused tho overloading. It was not reasonable to ask men, when they came to tho weighbridge and found their load a triflo in excess, to return to have a portion removed. There was no question of Cruelty involved, for lorries of the same measurement were licensed to carry much heavier loads than those complained of. Reasonable discretion should be exercised in exacting compliance with tho by-law.—ln-spector Doyle said the charges were not laid for trifling excesses over the licensed load. Tho maximum rightful load was two tons. Ninety-nine per cent, of tho carters habitually overloaded. When it came to an excess of from four to eight cwt there was m ■ excuse for it. It showed defiance of the by-law, and great callousness to tho sufferings of the horses.—His Worship said ho was aware from personal observation of the callousness of many drivers. It was a common thing to see heavy, lazy men mount on their loads, and so impose an excessive burden on their poor beasts.—Mr Peter McArdle said he had absolutely forbidden h i employees to ride on loaded carts.-—His Worship said that as these • cases were intended as a warning, ho would inflict only a nominal fine of 10s in each case. An excess of four cwt was a great deal too much. If the inspector would cause to be brought before him any man caught riding on loads of two tens or more, he would give that man reason to remember tho occasion.—The costs to Andrews and Todd wore 9s each, and to the other defendants 7s each.