MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Southland Times, Issue 23674, 24 November 1938, Page 7

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

WEDNESDAY (Before Mr R. C. Abernethy, SM.) John McPherson Bain was fined 15/—, costs 10/-, for cycling without a light. Kenneth William McKenzie, of Brydone, was fined 10/-, with costs 12/-, for casting offensive matter in a .public place. Roland Henry Frost was ordered to pay 10/- costs for affixing unauthorized plates to a car. He was also ordered to pay 10/- costs for permitting an unregistered car to be used. William Edward Linn was fined 10/-, costs 10/-, for failing to carry a warrant of fitness for his motor-vehicle. Herbert Hector Wilson was fined 15/-, costs 10/-, for riding an unlighted bicycle after dark. Martin T. Francis pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to carry a warrant of fitness when driving a motorvehicle. He was convicted and fined 10/-, costs 10/-. , Richard Maurice Fitzgerald was fined 7/6, costs 12/-, for having no wireless licence. On a similar charge Mary Margaret Gibb was ordered to pay lan Jameson Bell was fined £1 10/-, costs £l, for being the driver of a motor-van and failing to keep the vehicle as close as practicable to tne left-hand side of the road. For driving a motor-vehicle without being the holder of a driving licence, Cecil Edward Parsons was fined 10/-, costs 10/-. , „ A charge against Watson Henry Thomas (Mr J. C. Prain) of being the driver of a motor-car in Dee street and failing' to stop when requested by

a constable in uniform, dismissed. On a charge of not having the rear number plate illuminated with a white light he was fined 10/-, costs 10/-. James Douglas and Thomas Catherall were each charged with riding a bicycle on the footpath. Each was fined 5/-, costs 10/-. . . For standing a motor-vehicle in front of a place used as a vehicular entrance, Gladys Clouston was fined 10/-. costs 10/-. For standing a motor-car .on an authorized pedestrian crossing, Isabel Deegan was fined 10/-, coSts 10/—. Arthur Lionel Austin was charged with permitting a drain to be in a state dangerous to’ health and offensive. He was ordered to pay costs 10/-. Francis O’Brien pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to close his shop at 1 p.m. on the statutory closing day. He was fined £l, costs 10/-. On a similar charge, Elsie Ann Margaret Oates (Mr J. C. Prain) was fined 10/-. costs 10/-. NOISE FROM MOTOR HORN James Seddon Dickson was charged with sounding a motor-horn in Dee street in such manner as to disturb wantonly inhabitants of the area. Senior Sergeant W. Kelly stated that at 2.35 a.m. on October 4 a constable on duty in Dee street heard the horn of a motor-car being sounded in the street The noise continued for a considerable time and eventually the constable discovered who was making the noise. The defendant was near a taxi rink and was sounding the horn of a car. When asked what he was doing he replied that he was trying to attract the taxi proprietor. Mr R. T. Meredith, who appeared for the defendant, said that the noise could not have been very great because the taxi proprietor was not awakened. “In London now the motor drivers do not make any noise with motor horns,” said the Magistrate. The defendant was ordered to pay costs 10/-. MOTORIST ON WRONG SIDE John Crowe pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor-car on the North road without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road. “At 6.25 p.m. on October 7 the defendant was driving his motor-car south along the North road,” said Senior Sergeant Kelly. There was another vehicle travelling ahead of him and to pass it the defendant went over to his wrong side. He passed the car. but he made no attempt to swing back on to his correct side. The defendant continued on his wrong side and when another car approached from the opposite direction a collision seemed imminent. When the driver of the approaching car saw that the defendant was continuing on his wrong side he pulled up. The car was actually stopped when the defendant’s car collided with it. The defendant was fined £4. costs £1 2/-. On a charge of failing to carry a warrant of fitness, Crowe was fined 10/-, costs 12/-. Lloyd Simpson Jones pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to give way to traffic approaching on the right Senior Sergeant Kelly said that the defendant was driving a car north along Deveron street about 11 p.m. on August 13. Another vehicle was being driven west along Yarrow street and a collision occurred at the intersection. The defendant failed to give way to traffic on his right. Neither the defendant nor the passenger in his car , was injured, but the passenger in the other car was slightly injured. Jones was fined £1 10/-, costs 16/-. ‘ NOT A WILFUL OFFENCE” Edwin E. A. Hughes was charged with selling milk below standard. Mr G. J. Reed appeared for the defendant. Senior Sergeant Kelly said that the health inspector, Mr R. Bleakley, took a sample of milk and found that it contained 13.6 per cent, of added water. Mr Reed said that the defendant had been getting milk from two suppliers. His explanation was that one of the suppliers, who had four cows, had been ill and the children had been operating the milking machine. It was discovered that the machine had a leaky condenser and was letting out a lot of water. Inspector Bleakley said in evidence that he had been taking tests of the defendant’s milk for 25 vears and had never had any trouble with it before. “Sellers must see that their milk is of the proper quality,” said the Magistrate. “If they do not they must take the consequences However, Ido not think this is a wilful offence. I intend to treat offences of a wilful nature very severely. A heavy fine is provided and properly so.” The defendant was fined £2, costs £1 3/3. Mary Colley was charged with selling milk below standard Mr J. G. Imlay appeared for the defendant. Senior Sergeant Kelly said that a test was taken of the milk and it was found that it contained 2.9 per cent, milk fat instead of a minimum of 3.25 per cent. The health inspector, Mr Bleakley, said that the defendant told him she had given him milk of the previous day instead of milk of that morning. There was no suspicion of water having been added. A request by counsel for the sup-

pression of the name was refused. The defendant was ordered to pay £1 3/3 costs. John Renfrew Brown, of South Dunedin (Mr G. M. Broughton), claimed from G. E. Adams, of Auckland (Mr B. W. Hewat), £lOO, the amount of a promissory note made by the defendant and payable to Clinton Heywood Sabine Pasley, of Invercargill, and also the sum of £67 10/- for interest. The Magistrate gave judgment for defendant for £l4 8/6 costs.

The Social Round is printed this morning on Page 15..