CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22326, 28 July 1934, Page 5

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday, July 27. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) DEFECTIVE CHIMNEYS. For allowing the chimney of hiS house to catch fire Percival Barker was fined 10s and costs. —Similarly charged, Ruth Meiser was convicted and discharged, and John Miller was lined 10s and costs. UNLICENSED WIRELESS SETS. For using unlicensed wireless sets Alexander Thomas Blyth, Alfred Sidney Clarkson, John Couser Little, and Walter Ernest Scott were each fined 5s and costs. UNLAWFULLY ON PREMISES. George Strode, Frederick Kitto and Albert Southey were charged with being found unlawfully after hours on licensed premises and were each fined 10s and costs (10s). MOTOR BY-LAW BREACHES. John Watson Maxwell, for whom Mr P. S. Anderson appeared, pleaded not guilty to having overloaded a motor lorry. —The defendant pleaded that it was his employee who had committed the offence, and that he himself had no knowledge of it. —The magistrate said that the case, which concerned a goods service license, was the first of its kind to be brought in Dunedin, and in view of the facts he would dismiss the charge. Arthur Cyril Edward Wills, who was charged with driving a motor car across the railway line when the way was not clear, was fined £2 10s and costs. Malcolm Campbell, who was charged with driving an overloaded motor lorry, and with overloading on the steering axle, was fined 20s on the first charge and convicted on the other.

Charged with driving unlighted motor cycles, Allan Wood Davie and Eric Wilbur Hanson were each fined 5a and costs.

For riding a motor cycle without a license Harold Clifton Clay was fined 5s and costs (10s).—Similarly charged, Percy D. Andrew Ralston was fined a like amount and costs (10s). Arthur Ernest Fowler, was fined 10s and costs (10s) for operating an unregistered tractor.

Harry Douglas May was fined 5s and costs (3s) for leaving a motor car at night without lights.—For driving unlighted motor lorries Walter Wai Watt, George Alfred Brooks, were each fined 5s and costs (10s), and Alan James Soutcr 20s and costs (10s). James Allan Crawford, who was stated by Senior Sergeant Mac Lean to have driven a motor car along Princes street at between 30 and 35 miles an hour, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving, and was fined 80s and costs (3s). Charles Gerald Green, for whom Mr T. O’Shea appeared, pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to stop his car at the signal of a constable.—The defendant in evidence stated that he did not observe the constable give the signal to stop, and was under the impression that the signal to # proceed had been given.—The magistrate, remarking that it was a case of the defendant carelessly not observing the signal, and not of his wilfully failing to obey it, imposed a fine, of 20s and costs (10s). A CHARGE DISMISSED. A charge of failing to give way to traffic approaching from his right, which was preferred against Albert Sayer, was dismissed. . MAINTENANCE. Robert Kinnalrd was charged with failing to comply with the terms of a maintenance order made in Ohakune, the arrears to July 17 amounting to £267 10s.—Senior Sergeant Mac Lean said the defendant had been before the court at. Ohakune in 1920 for breaches of the order, and had then disappeared completely until he was arrested recently at Roxburgh for drunkenness. It was then found that he was the man who was wanted in Ohakune for default of maintenance. He strenuously denied the fact, but there were peculiar markings about his body that enabled the police to identify him.—The defendant stated in evidence that he had been working in the Waikato, on the West Coast, and in Central Otago, and had altered the spelling of his name to “ Cunard.”— I The magistrate said the defendant appeared to have made no attempt to support his family. He would be .remanded in custody for a week to enable further inquiries to be made. A SERIOUS CHARGE. Christopher Robert Robinson appeared on a charge of incest, and on the application of Chief Detective Young was remanded for a week.-—An application for bail was refused. THEFT OF POSTAL NOTES. A woman, publication of whoso name was prohibited, pleaded guilty to the theft of a letter and postal notes valued at £2 2s.—Chief Detective Young stated that, on Juno 27, the Postal Department received a complaint from a man in Knikorai that a letter posted by him, and containing postal notes to the value of £2 2s, had not reached its destination. Inquiries revealed that on account of the similarity of the name of the accused to that of the addressee, the letter had been delivered in mistake to the accused, who converted the notes to her own use.—The accused pleaded that she had no intention of stealing the notes, and that at first she had believed that the letter was meant for her. —The accused was admitted to probation for 12 months, restitution to be made as directed by the female probation officer. SECOND-HAND DEALER FINED. Samuel Patrick pleaded guilty to carrying on the business of a secondhand dealer without being the holder of a license.—Chief Detective Young said that among other things the defendant bought and sold second-hand bicycles, and one of the machines which had passed through his hands had subsequently been found to have been stolon before it came into his possession. When questioned regarding the machine, the defendant’s son had stated that it had been assembled from spare parts.—The defendant said that his son had no authority from him to make such a statement.—The magistrate said that it was highly necessary that the conditions governing second-hand dealers’ licenses should be strictly observed. The defendant would be fined £2 10s and costs (10s).