ENROLMENT CLAIMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1922, Page 4

ENROLMENT CLAIMS.

ALLEGED BREACH OF ACT. SEVERAL AUCKLAND CASES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Several cases arising from breaches of the Legislature Act in connection with claims for enrolment were held in the Police Court. Five seamen were charged with having knowingly and wilfully made false statements, and there were five charges against James Thomas Kyle, assistant secretary of the Auckland Seamen’s Union, who was the authorised agent of different registrars, of having wilfully misled the registrar. Three trimmers on trawlers were charged with having falsely declared they had resided in New Zealand for 12 months. The defendants gave evidence that forms were handed to them by Kyle, who asked them to sign them. Thinking the ships were connected with union matters, they signed without reading the papers. They were not asked questions on the forms. The informations were dismissed. The magistrate also dismissed charges against two seamen. One registered and then went to sea, and registered' in another district. The other was a Belgian, who misunderstood the term naturalisation. As regards the charges against Kyle, the magistrate gave him the benefit of the doubt in respect of the Belgian, and two charges were remanded. In respect to the case of the seaman who changed his residence, the magistrate said he did not believe the defendant believed the man was entitled to count as residence the time spent at sea. In regard to the case of one of the trawler’s crew, the defendant said he mistook the man fos; another whom he had known for years and about whom he could have answered all the questions. The magistrate said he could not accept the explanation, and defendant was fined £lO on each of two charges on which convictions were entered.