DRUNKEN MOTORISTS

Southland Times, Issue 19461, 28 January 1925, Page 7

DRUNKEN MOTORISTS

GAOL WITHOUT THE OPTION. NO FINES TO BE MAGISTRATE’S DECISION. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 26. An indication of the penalty in future to be inflicted on motorists, who appear before him for being found drunk in charge of motor-cars, was given by Mr C. R. Orr-Walker, in the Magistrate’s Court this morning. “There is only one cure,” declared Mr Orr-Walker, “and that is imprisonment.” The case under review was that of a young manufacturer’s agent named Alfred Stinson Flack, who had been arrested by Constables Morrison and Kearney on the Hutt road at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Summing up, the Magistrate remarked that in other places such offences had been dealt with by a term of imprisonment as the only means. “The present case,” continued the Magistrate, “is to my mind one of those cases which are just on the border line between a severe fine and imprisonment. I intend to impose a fine. There is only one cure, and that is imprisonment. The offence of being drunk while in charge of a motor-car, it has been pointed out by other Magistrates, is most dangerous, and it is only good fortune that no death or severe accident has happened through the driver being drunk. I am quite satisfied that mose of the cases of exceeding the speed limit are the result of the driver taking' too much drink. As far as I’m concerned, and I wish to put it very plainly to drivers, the next case of being drunk in charge of a car brought before me will, unless there are very special circumstances, be met by imprisonment without the option of a fine. I hope that will be taken as a warning.” The accused, who had not appeared previously on a similar charge, was fined £lO with the alternative of one month’s imprisonment.