PARK BLOTS

NZ Truth, Issue 1050, 7 January 1926, Page 8

PARK BLOTS

DRINKING HOODLUMS Arrested After a Struggle (From "Truth's" Special Auckland Rep.) Something is wrong somewhere when strong, healthy young man can find nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon than soak beerj and then turn Myers Park into a drinking place. Saturday last was a fine day m Auckland — many people noticed the fact — but the best recreation that three young men could devize was to take bottled beer into Myers Park and indulge m a more or less mild carousal. These, three wild lads of the -village were Allan Eric Williams, Edward John South, and Walter Henry Clauson. But when they walked into the dock at the Magistrate's Court. Auckland, they showed none of the dash or devil-may-careness which they thought they were displaying when they committed the acts which landed them there. THEIR WITTY WAY Constable ■ Butler found this gallant trio, as he told the. Court, all under the influence of liquor sitting m the park about 7 p.m; They were drinking beer out of bottles, and tthemn — m the witty way of their kind-^throwing the bottles about. . The man m blue intimated that, so far as they were concerned with the park, the blue peter was at the mast head. South and Clauson became abusive and resisted arrest. The caretaker was at hand to asr'st the constable, and he' handled one while Butler, who is not backward m dealing with such characters, brought two of them down. In doing so Butler got landed one or two. while the caretaker got scratched a bit. . , -,;...' ■,: . The arrested men were landed m the jug, however., anil their little jamboree; terminated without their even enjoying "a hair of the dbg" m the morning. JASPER PLEADS The Rev. -Jasper Calder was on the .spot to say the best he could for the accused, which was, not a great deal. He had^Jtp^sci^tyi vtbai ;tFiey. ; ,were ' ? a. "bit rough**. and' -■ weire' the '"nucleus of a gang," but ha be- ,.^ lieyed he could do,.something with , :-?ihem;:;; ', ■-■■'m^^^^m^'^ For ten minutes or so he took quite an active hand m things. * Clauson, it was pointed out by Senior Sergeant Edwards, had been up twice before since 1921 for, disorderly conduct. South had not tf-en up since 1918, but this sort of thing was on the increase m Myers Park. Magistrate Poynton gave the young hooligans a little encouragement to find some better use lor their time. Williams was fined £2 with 6/8 Court costs, and was ordered to come up for sentence m three months. ■ South \vas fined £3 with" costs, and Clauson £ 4 with costs, both to come up for sentence m twelve months.