MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 871, 24 November 1916, Page 10

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

TO-DAY'S CASES. Messrs ,T. H. Seager and R. Lovell Smith, J.P.'s, presided at a sitting of the Court this morning. DRUNKENNESS. A. Martin McLelland, a third oflender, was fined 20/- and costs, in default, seven days. BY-LAW CASES. Win. Allan Cherry and Conrad Cherry, I for cycling without lights after sunj down, were convicted and ordered to I pay costs 7/-. David Philpott, who did I not. appear, was fined 7/- and costs for I a similar offence. Richard Carey, charged with driving a horse and cart, after dark without i lights, and with refusing to give his name to a constable, did not appear. He was lined 5/- on the first'and 10/- on the second charge, with costs in each case. When the sitting was nearly through, Carey put in an appearance, and asked thafhis case b> reheard. The man who was with him at the time of the alleged offence had appeared before Mr T. A. B. Bailey last week, the charge against, 1 him being dismissed. Under the circumstances, the conviction was cancelled, and the case was adjourned till next .Wednesday. Edwin A. Lock pleaded not guilty to driving a motor car after di.rk without a tail lamp. The constable who laid the information said he was standing on the footpath when the car passed. No tail light was burning. The defendant, in evidence, said his lamps were lighted by electricity, and,' as far as he knew r , all the lamps, including the tail one, were burning brightly. All the lights were in good order, and had not since been attended to. No conviction was recorded. John Robert Gracia was charged with driving a motor van. too fast round a ] corner, and with having no certificate iof ability. He pleaded not guilty, and was represented by Mr F. K. Hunt. An adjournment was granted, on the applij cation of the police, till December ilO, in regard to the first charge. With reI gard to the second charge, Mr Hunt subImitted that the defendant was only j learning to drive the car, which he proj posed purchasing, an expert being in charge of it. The by-law should be interpreted sensibly. How could a man get a certificate if he had net completed his period of tuition? Sub-Inspector Mullaney said that at a later date a certificate of efficiency had been refused. The Bench said that the onus of selecting a street which offered a minimum of danger when learning to drive lay on the defendant. A conviction was recorded, and' a fine of 5/- imposed. Thos. Gerald Whitty pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving a motor car too fast over a crossing at 2.20 a.m. Defendant denied that he was travelling at the rate of 30 miles an hour, as alleged. He stated that he stopped a few yards after passing the constable. The information was dismissed. Leslie Broadhead, who pleaded guilty to riding a motor cycle too fast over a street crossing, was fined 10/- and costs. H. Harrow did not appear to answer a charge of riding a motor cycle along I'apanui Road at a dangerous speed. He %as fined 20/- and costs. Geo. Jones and Cecil Whitta were charged with driving a motor ear along Papauui Road at a dangerous speed. The former did not appear, and the latter pleaded not guilty. Whitta said his speedometer was registering only 15 or 18 miles an hour, as against 28 miles an hour, as alleged by Herbert Mcintosh, the City Motor Inspector. Both, defendants were fined 20/- and costs. Wm. V. Howell, charged with riding

a motor cycle at a dangerous speed on Papanui Road, and with not having obtained a certificate, was fined 10/aud costs on the first charge, and convicted and discharged on the second. G. H. Strachau, charged with driving a motor car in Papanui Road without being in possession of a certificate of ability, was fined 5/- and costs. (Before Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M.) THE PURE FOODS ACT. Agnes McCallum was charged with selling cream not up to standard, in contravention of the regulations under the Pure Poods Act. The defendant stated that the cream was purchased from a dairy company. The case was adjourned for a week. LABOUR BREACHES. Dainties, Ltd., were charged with withholding wages in the case of two girl employees, and with having employed two boys and a girl under the age of 16 without, having obtained the necessary certificate from the Labour Department. The defendants were fined 20/- and costs on each of the two charges. ,). Henderson (Mr Cassidy) admitted failure to keep a proper time-book, and was further charged with working employees overtime without having obtain ed a permit. Pines of 20/- and costs were imposed on each charge. J. W. Smith, who did not appear, was fined 40/- and costs for failing to make the necessary entries in a time and wages book.