REGISTRY OFFICES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 29, 28 July 1911, Page 5

REGISTRY OFFICES

A CASE OF OVERCHARGING. MAGISTRATE'S SEVERE STRIC- • TURES. By Telegraph—Prees Association. Auckland, Last Night. A case oif utmost importance to licensed keepers of registry offices camw before Mr. Kettle, S.M., sitting in the Magistrate's Court, to-day. On the information of Inspector Hood, Charles William Buttle, who keeps a licensed registry office in Queen street, wai charged with what the Labor Department regarded as a wrongful act. Inspector Ilodd, in stating the case, said that in response to one of the defendant's advertisements a young man named Horace Armstrong, a baker, wiho had recently arrived in the Dominion, applied for employment in the country. Defendant charged him five shillings as registration fee, and when Armstrong came back later on, he was informed he could have a position at Okahune, paying 18s 6d railway fee. He worked there -for a week, when he had a disagreement with his employer. Then he cam* to Inspector Hodd, claiming that he had! been overcharged by the defendant, ani when the matter was taken up by tht ■ Department a refund of 5s fid was immediately made. Mr. Quinn, for the defendant, pointed out tihat the latter had been at co»* sidera.ble trouble aad .expense in tel*> graphing to obtain empfoymentafor Armstrong, and he natwaSy thoU§ttfl;ffi9'wa« entitled to an extra fee. ' ' His Worship said .that in his opinion- ; the offence was tt very, serious, he doubted whether it was not aefrlminaJ act for defendant to extort from a person who was ignorant of the law and "green" to the customs of the country money which defendant, a licensed proprietor of a registry office, knew he had not the power to demand. His Worship added: "Unfortunately, the law does not give me power in the first instance to cancel the license, otherwise I should - have no hesitation in doing so. I have mo hesitation in this case in impoeng the full penalty of £5, costs 17s, and witnesses expenses, and the defendant's license wlil be endorsed. Moreover, I think the facts of this ease should be reported to the police. Young people came from the Old Country, go to a registry office in search of employment, and: they" ■ don't know the law or how much they should pay, and they are 'plucked.'"