POLICE PERQUISITES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 231, 5 April 1928, Page 4

POLICE PERQUISITES.

SERVICE OF SUMMONS. New Regulations Opposed. “It may be quite good for the department, and bring them in a lot of revenue, which formerly went to the police, but it is quite obvious the new regulations will be no good for country districts.” In these words Mr. G. G. Bell (Hampson and Bell) summed up the objections of the bar to the new regulations concerning the service of summonses through the post, which came into operation on April X, when he pointed out certain difficulties in the Putaruru court on Friday. Addressing the Magistrate (Mr. S. L Paterson), Mr. Bell stated the new regulations might be workable within the town, where there was a postal delivery, but in the country districts mail matter was only collected when a resident chose to come in and get it. As the envelope containing the summons was so marked on the back it could be left in a rural delivery box and therefore there would be no satisfactory service. The wording of the Act left the matter open, stating that service of a summons might be done by registered letter. It was therefore open for the police to adopt the old or the new system. However, there was a further proviso in the regulations which stated that no voucher for mileage service over 4s would be passed unless certified by a magistrate as being necessary. In most cases solicitors would request that service be made in the old way to make sure of matters, but they were not certain how they would get on. He suggested therefore that if a solicitor gave a written request for a summons to be served by the police that the magistrate regard this as sufficient.

It was obvious that the department had not contemplated the difficulties arising in the country districts when drawing up the regulations. The speaker then concluded with the opening paragraph ciuoted above. In reply, Mr. Paterson stated that he had already considered the matter, and it was his intention to make representations to the department. There was a real difficulty in country districts, more especially when dealing with natives who often had no fixed abode. For the present, he was prepared to certify for this class of sere-ice, and also for rural deliveries when there was a reasonable explanation.