HIS LOVE OF LIQUOR

NZ Truth, Issue 1271, 10 April 1930, Page 5

HIS LOVE OF LIQUOR

■ *_ Sergeant -Major In Trouble SPIN IN A CAR (From "N.Z. Truth's" Christchurch Rep.) £)RIVING Punch and 'Possum m a plough palled on Douglas Moffltt, a farm laborer of Leeston, Canterbury, so when an opportunity came his way to exchange this slow means of locomotion for a spin m a brand-new motor-car, he jumped at it. . The car was standing m the street at Leeston, nnd the owner was nowhere m sight, Moffitt drove into Christchurch, where he proved he was not at all selfish, for he lent the vehicle to a friend to try out. This proved his undoing, for the police were looking for the car, and found it m possession of the friend. Consequently, Moffltt was later charged m the Christchurch Magistrate's Court with unlawfully convertling a motor-car to his own use. He pleaded guilty to the charge. In outlining the case, SeniorSergeant T. Shanahan said that the owner of the car, Nathaniel Thompson, was a farmer of Southbridge^ and had gone into Leeston on business. He left the car m the street at about 2.20 p.m. and when he returned for it at about 4 p.m. he found , it had disappeared. Thompson had only bought the car a few days previously. When Moffitt arrived m Christchurch, said the senior-sergeant, he called on a friend named Williams, and told him that it was his employer's car and had been lent to him. He lent it to Williams to try out. DRINK Oil TWO Constable Bell noticed the car outside the Grosvenor Hotel, and he saw Williams coming out, and questioned him about his possession of it. Williams explained that it had been lent to him by Moffitt. "Moffitt is an ex-member of the Military, m which he was a sergeantmajor," said the senior-sergeant. "He is a married man with three young children. He said that he had a drink or two and then got into the car." Moffitt admitted that the facts were as stated by the senior-sergeant. , "How many drinks did you have yesterday," the Magistrate, Mr. E. D. Mosley, asked him. Moffitt: 1 don't remember how many I had. Mr. Mosley: Moffitt, I caiv see what the trouble is with you — too much drink. I am going to hold this over your head for a time. You will be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within two years. "A condition is that you take out a prohibition order against yourself, and renew it after twelve months."