MOTORIST CHARGED

Southland Times, Issue 20999, 4 February 1930, Page 9

MOTORIST CHARGED

SEQUEL TO COLLISION. FINE IMPOSED AND LICENSE ENDORSED. At a sitting of the Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr E. C. Lewy, S.M., Robert Baird, of Myross Bush, appeared charged with being in a state of intoxication while in charge of a motor car in a public place, to wit, Tay street. Sergeant Abel prosecuted and Mr T. Meredith appeared for accused. Sergeant Abel, in outlining the facts of the case, said that on Saturday evening accused was driving a car in an easterly direction and collided with a car going in the opposite direction. A constable had appeared on the scene and, finding accused not to be in a fit condition to drive a car, had arrested him. Accused was a first offender and had a respectable character otherwise.

Mr. Meredith said that Board was a farmer in a small way, and had been driving a car for 20 years. He very seldom touched drink and, unfortunately, Saturday was one of the rare occasions on which he indulged. Baird had been suffering from influenza. He had interviewed Baird's grocer that morning, and the grocer had said that Baird's condition was not bad enough for it to be dangerous for him to drive a car. Accused was suffering from shock which tended to make people appear in a greater state of intoxication than they really were. Counsel asked the Magistrate to take these facts into consideration. He asked the Magistrate not to cancel the license as accused used his car in order to supplement his living. The Magistrate said he took a serious view of drunkenness while in charge of cars. He could not, from any angle, take a lenient view of even minor accidents. In this case he would not inflict either of the two penalties he usually imposed, cancellation of license or imprisonment. Accused was fined £lO, together with costs, and his license was endorsed.