ALL-NIGHT DRIVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 978, 22 May 1930, Page 15

ALL-NIGHT DRIVE

TAXI DRIVER FINED £3O INTOXICATION PROVED From Our Own Correspondent PUKEKOHE, "Wednesday. “You can consider yourself luckv in not being - sent to gaol,” said Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in fining Reginald Lincoln, an Auckland taxi-driver, £3O today on.a charge of being /ntoxicated in charge of a car at Pokeno last week. Mr. B. Goldwater, for accused, entered a plea of guilty. At 9 o’clock on the evening in question accused picked up two men and three women in his car, stated Inspector E. H. Barrett, of the Main Highways Board. The party left for Mangere, driving then to Papakura and later to Pokeno, which was reached at 2 a.m. Petrol was purchased at a garage. According to the inspector accused was unwilling to take the party home. “They then went to Te Rapa,” he stated. “Accused was so drunk that a girl sitting beside him had to steer. During the return journey the car struck a bridge. “There being no water and little lubricating oil in the motor, the bearings burned out, and Pokeno was reached at 7.30 a.m. More benzine was purchased there, but the car refused to climb the hill. “At Pokeno accused had an altercation with the stationmaster. He was put. out after some trouble. Lincoln was not a regular employee of the taxi company, but was allowed the . use of the car at night on a commission basis. For the defence, Mr. Goldwater said Lincoln was - actually paid 'to drive the party. The statement of the girl that ho was hopelessly drunk before the car broke down was not admitted. He had, however, had two or three drinks between 6 o’clock and midnight. When the car broke down at Pokeno accused, after being up all night, had had two or three bottles o£ stout. “The offence is not quite as black as it has been painted,” continued Mr. Goldwater. As a taximan, Lincoln had simply acted as he was instructed. He had no say whether they should go home or not. In reply to the Bench, counsel said accused knew one girl by sight. Accused: The girl was picked up in the street. I never saw her in my life before. The Magistrate: I think I have got the atmosphere of the escapade. . . . Inspector Barrett: The girl’s mother reported her to the police as missing. She is only 17 years old. Counsel again pointed out that Lincoln was plea’ding guilty. The Magistrate: This appears to have been more or less in the t nature of a joy-ride, and this man participated. This is a bad case on the face of it. In addition to being fined £3O, accused’s driving licence was cancelled and he was prohibited from obtaining another for 12 months. Default was fixed at 14 days’ imprisonment.

MAORI LOSES LICENCE COLLISION AT 50 M.P.H. From Our Own Correspondent PUKEKOHE, Wednesday. A Maori, Tom Pira, appeared in the Pukekohe Court today charged with being intoxicated while in charge of a car/ Sergeant J. T. Cowan said Pira had recently been lined £ 5 for unlawful conversion of a car and was also prohibited for one year. Accused was driving about 50 miles an hour, and crashed into an approaching car. He continued on for about three chains before stopping. He disappeared, but v/as arrested later. Accused was paying off the £5 fine at the rate of £1 a week, and was also paying £1 a month on account of the damage done to the car. Pira was fined £lO. being allowed four weeks to pay. His licence was cancelled, and he was prohibited from holding another for a year.