Winton MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Southland Times, Issue 22913, 11 June 1936, Page 12

Winton MAGISTRATE’S COURT

YESTERDAY’S SITTING z < (Before Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M.) ( Judgment in favour of plaintiff by ■ default was given in the following civil cases: F. Tilley v. H. Peake (Pern- < broke) for £3 10/-, costs 10/-; C. ‘ Goldthorpe v. C. Bush (South Hillend) I for £l4, costs £2 16/-. ‘ David Cooney, of Centre Bush, 1 claimed £l4 8/6 from James H. < Thompson, and £l9 12/6 from Robina • Thompson, butchers of Centre Bush, ( as wages. ’ . 1 After lengthy evidence the Magis- J trate said that the evidence in the 1 claim against James Thompson was in- ’ sufficient and plaintiff would be non- < suited. In the claim against Robina < Thompson, the only point in dispute 1 was whether plaintiff had been em- ’ ployed by the day or the week. If he ■ had been employed by the day it would have been unnecessary to have noted the days on which he worked. Judgment was given in favour of plaintiff for £l4 16/8 against Robina Thompson. No costs were allowed. Lice-infccted Sheep. E. J. Baker (Springhills) was charged with exposing lice infected sheep at the Winton saleyards. The defendant, who did not appear, was convicted and fined £2, costs 10/-. S. J. Kean, of Lochiel, was charged with exposing lice-infected sheep at the Winton saleyards on March 19. The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by Mr T. Mahoney. A t The inspector, in evidence, stated tnat he had examined a pen of sheep at the Winton yards, found the sheep lice infected, and put a ticket on the pen. The sheep had been removed from this particular pen and put in a paddock adjoining the yards and shorn. He had interviewed the defendant, who first said that he did not know whether he owned the sheep or not, and later admitted owning ’.he sheep. He stated that the sheep had not been put into the yards to be sold, but simply to hold a pen. In the opinion of witness, the sheep had been entered for sale Mr Mahoney; You did not see the sheep sold? Witness: No, but I thought they were in the yards for public sale. The Magistrate: It is the usual custom to put sheep in a sale beforehand. . . , Witness: It is a common thing for farmers to say that sheep were not for sale when found to be lice-infected. Mr Mahoney: Do you think it was a fair thing to bring about this prosecution in the circumstances? —It was quite fair, for the sheep were yarded at a public sale. George Cleland, auctioneer tor Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., Winton, stated that he had previously sold the sheep to Kean for dog-meat. The sheep had got into the yards through being boxed with another mob. They had been taken out of the other mob and put in an adjoining pen. Kean did not know anything about the sheep being in the yards. The Magistrate said that there appeared to be a doubt about the matter, and he would give the defendant the benefit of it. the charge was dismissed. On Licensed Premises. Thomas Riddell. James William Purdue, Sydney Edward Purdue and William McDonald, all of Invercargill, Frederick Gordon Walker, of Mossburn, and James Hogan, of Ocean Beach, were all charged with being on the licensed premises cf the Commercial Hotel after hours on May 9. Constable Wood said that at about 11.45 on the evening in question he had followed a rental car to the Commercial Hotel, and found the defendants in the bar drinking. They said that they were staying at the hotel, but no entries had been made in the visitors book. . The defendants were convicted and each fined £l, the costs being as follows; Walker, 12/-; Hogan, 11/-; McDonald, 10/-; Purdue, 12/-; J. Purdue dnd Riddell, 10/-. Steven George Lodge, Thomas James Gullick, James Hymers Taylor, and Charles Hughes, all of Winton, were similarly charged, being convicted and each fined £l, costs 10/-. Lawrence Percy Denton, Raymond Bruce Gilroy, Bernard Hogan and Mark West, all of Bluff, Alister Duncan Cameron, of Mataura, and Donald Alexander Laurie McKinnon, of Invercargill, were charged with being on licensed premises after hours on April Constable Wood stated that there was I a ball in progress on the evening in question, and witness had been patrolling the streets. At 12.40 he went to the Commercial Hotel and saw two men come out of the bar. These later proved to be employees of the hotel, one of whom was the barman. Cameron came into the hotel and asked the barman for a drink while witness was there, and the barman referred him to ! witness. Witness went to the back yard of the hotel, where a taxi driven by Denton had drawn up. The taxi was ; full of men, and some of them had been drinking. Witness started to take the names of the defendants, but it was obvious that they were giving their wrong names. Eventually, with the as- | sistance of Denton, he secured the correct names. The charge against Denton was dis- . missed. The remaining defendants were con- . victed and each fined £l, costs 11/-. M. J. Forde, a hotelkeeper of Winton, was charged with selling liquor after hours on May 9. Constable Wood stated that when he visited the Commercial Hotel on the evening of May 9 he found several men ! in the' bar who had been charged with ’■ being on licensed premises after hours. It was very late in the evening, and he considered that a stop should be put to serving drink at such hours. j In entering a plea of guilty on behalf j of the defendant Mr O. A. B. Smith : ’ said that the licensee had understood ; from a taxi driver that the men he had admitted to the bar were staying ' the night at the hotel. : The Magistrate: They always say ■ Mr Smith said that the licensee had ’ had a good record, and had not had a conviction against him for six years, the last occasion being in 1930. The Magistrate: He may have been . lucky. , Constable Wood: These cars kept coming from Invercargill and they are a nuisance. With young men getting drink in possession of a motor vehicle it is dangerous. The Magistrate: If the hotels dont serve them they won’t come. Constable Wood: I suppose they ' would go somewhere else then. Defendant was convicted and fined £3, costs 10/-. ' Charge of Mischief. , David Cooney, a labourer of Centre 1 Bush, was charged with committing mischief, by damaging a door, at the . residence of Mr and Mrs J. H. Thomp- i son, butchers, of Centre Bush. 1 Defendant, in pleading not guilty, said that he understood the property 1 did not'belong to Thompson. 1 The Magistrate: Is that why you are : pleading not guilty? < Defendant: Yes. ! James Honeywood Thompson stated i that at nine o’clock one evening Cooney came to his home while he was playing .

cards with some friends. Cooney opened the door, walked into the house, and caused a disturbance. He went away, but came back to the house and used bad language. Witness was able to get Cooney out of the house, but Cooney sprung the Ipck on one of the doors and kicked the panel out of the front door. Defendant: I might have kicked the panel off the door, but I went to the house only twice. The Magistrate: Why did you go back? Defendant: I went back to get my hat. Constable Wood stated that numerous complaints had been received about Cooney walking into people’s houses and making a nuisance of himself. He •had been making an absolute nuisance of himself and he did not know what to do with him. The Magistrate: As you have admitted this charge, there is no defence. You are apparently making a bit of a nuisance of yourself around your own locality. As far as people in your district are concerned, it may be that they are afraid of your size. Have you had many complaints about this man, Constable? Constable Wood: There have been numerous complaints and the position is getting serious. The Magistrate: He will be convicted and fined £3. Defendant: It is no use fining me, for I will take it out in gaol first. The Magistrate: You just be quiet, or you will be in gaol before you leave this Court. You will be charged with contempt of Court if you are not careful. A fine of £3 was imposed, and defendant was ordered to pay the cost of the damage 10/-, Court costs 19/- and witnesses’ expenses 19/-. William A. Watson (Oreti) was charged with riding a motor cycle on April 7 without lights. Defendant pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined 10/-, costs 10/-, William Livingstone Lockerbie (Boggy Burn) pleaded guilty to charges of using an unregistered motor cycle and being without a driver’s licence. The Magistrate said that it was not the cost of registration, but the position would be serious if defendant had an accident and injured or killed someone. He had noticed one or two cars still going around Southland with old number plates. Defendant was convicted and fined £2, and ordered to pav costs 10/—.