EXCESSIVE ZEAL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10085, 25 September 1918, Page 5

EXCESSIVE ZEAL

PETITION CANVASSER BEFORE THE COURT. Some words of advice to- petition canvassers were uttered yesterday by Mr F. V. Frazer, 8.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, when he had before him a returned soldier named Victor Wilfred Flood. It was stated that Flood noted in a manner calculated to cause interference to passors-by in Manners street. ■■ _x-' The evidence of Sergeant Martin showed that the defendant was acting for a certain side in the prohibition campaign. He carried in his hand_ a petition, and was carrying out his mission moat zealously when the sergeant Interfered.

The Magistrate: Assuming a man is prepared to attract the attention of people in a reasonable way, without causing .more congestion of traffic than &rnecessary/v would you interfere with him? Sergeant Martin: No, I don’t think

60. V The magistrate; Then it was not what the man was doing, hut the way ho was doing it. Defendant appeared rather agitated, and could not understand wHy ,he should be selected out of ■ the many petition canvassers operating. The magistrate: As this is the first case of its kind, I will treat it as an ordinary breach of the by-law. Defendant would be fined ss, and costs. People with these petitions should remember that the streets of the city cannot be blocked in thi 3 way. The footpaths are narrow enough as it is, and people, could not be interfered with’ by, over-zealous petition canvassers. The City Council would not object to grant a permit for canvassing so long as there was no undue ‘obstruction. The objection was when canvassers let their zeal outdo their discretion.