PLEASE EXPLAIN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 76, 22 November 1912, Page 5

PLEASE EXPLAIN.

TERRITORIALS AT COURT.. H. Company, 11th Regiment had a field day at the Magistrate’s Court t l ' • norn’ng. .Mr Kenrich, SM . was on the Bench, and Captain Dampen prosecuted on behalf of the Department. , Roy Blanchett, E. E. Vickers, Alex. Cameron, and L. AV. Terry, for fading to attend drill were each fined 20s and 7fi costs. Several of those youths gave no excuses at all, while ethers were so flimsy that the Magistrate took no notice of’them. A similar fine wap inflicted in the case of R. AV. Vickers, for whim Air Silence appeared. Air Spence stated that he really had no excuse to offer. The boy was the eldest, and he was kept at home; his father was crippled. Thei non-at-tendance was not .entirely the boy’s fault, as there was antagonism on the part of the parent. The Magistrate stated that he failed to see any extenuating circumstances, WORKING OVERTIME.

A. A. Osborn pleaded guilty to a charge of not attending parades, but stated that he was working for the Ngaire Dairy Company, and they were working short-handed. Mr Kenrick: The company can’t stop you from attending. What real inconvenience would your absence cost them ? Would your being away for a night or I so wind up the company ? That’s not good enough. Accused, however, had .been “efficient” last year, and Air Kenr ck merely imposed a fine of 5s and 7s costs. A FALLING-OFF. A. Dickinson was fined 5s and 7s costs. “Last year ho was shaping very well indeed, but there has been a fall-ing-off this year,” said Captain Lampen, who added that ho would not press for a heavy penalty. J. W. Chadwick and James Kilpatrick, who were in a similar position, were treated in the same manner. EXEMPLARY FINES. G. A. Carter and F. H. Masters (Field Ambulance) were fined 40s and 7s costs. The former made the excuse that he was often out of the district, on dates when parades were held. The excuse looked good until Captain Lampen elicited the fact that the accused had only quite recently taken up his present position, and that ho was perfectly able to attend t very drill. In the case of the latter, it was pointed out that the Territorial in question had been transferred to Wanganui and then re-transferred again to Stratford, hut no parades had been put in at Wanganui. SON OF IA VOLUNTEER. H. G. Slight, for whom Mr Anderson appeared, pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to attend camp. Ah' Anderson explained that the youth lived forty miles away and had an exemption from drill. The father was an old volunteer of twenty years standing. The notices had all been received, but with regard to the camp, the father had gone to the Defence Department and had received from one of the Ser-geant-Majors the impress’on that his son need not attend camp. Sergeant-Alajor Collins, giving evidence, said he had not a very clear recollection of the case. He disfnetiv remembered, however, Fiat Air Slight had said that he did not believe “in this compulsory business.” He. had made a memo for Capta n Lampen. whom the father came to see, that “Mr Slight says Ids hoy will not attend camp.” A fine of 20s and 7s costs was inflicted.