South Taranaki News

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1927, Page 2

South Taranaki News

(From Our Own Reporters.)

Telephone No. 2736, Hawera.

P.O. Box 133, Hawara.

THE PROHIBITION ISSUE

WOMEN’S TEMPERANCE UNIONS. THE ANNUAL CONVENTION. Hawera, June 2-2. The annual convention of the Taranaki and Wanganui districts of the Women’s Christian Temperance Unions commenced this morning. Delegates were present from the Wanganui and Taranaki districts, extending from New Plymouth to as far as Raetihi. Mrs. Duxfield (Wanganui Central), presided. There were also present: Mesdames T. E. Taylor (Dominion president), Perryman, Editress of the White Ribbon (Foxtoii), Duxfield (Wanganui), Mrs. Phillips, northern district president (New Plymouth), Exley, district president (Hawera). X. Jones, northern district secretary, Jamieson, correspondent for northern end, W. H. Hawkins, treasurer for northern district, and Upton, southern district treasurer. The convention commenced with a brief devotional service at 9 a.m. The various delegates then read reports of the affiliated unions in the northern and southern districts. A brief summary of the work in the Taranaki district is as follows:—• The membership showed increases in most of the 'branches, Eltham membership being 24 (increased 3), Inglewood 32 (6), Manaia 54 (14). New Plymouth 206, Ngaere 15, Normanby 20. (1), Stratford 81 (3), Waitara 34. Monthly meetings had been held by all unions. The White 'Ribbon sirhse.’.-ibers were:— Inglewood i:! ' '■snlvm-ibcraj Manaia 18, New Plymouth 61 (4 new), Ngaere 10, Normanby 16, Stratford 25 (2 new). The cradle rolls., for the various unions disclosed memberships as follows: — -Manaia 52 (.8. increase),. New Plymouth 309 (7), Ngaere 38, Norman'by 85 and Stratford 39. ANNUAL REPORTS. Regarding the two-issue ballot paper every branc-h had canvassed for names. Ngaere had sent coloured cards and pictures for scrap books for Maori children. Special mention was made of the great work which had been done by Mrs. Tuffery, the Maori work superintendent at New Plymouth. Mrs. Tuffery could speak tire native language and the Maoris loved her. Books, magazines, etc., had been regularly- forwarded to the baekblocks and public works camps by Stratford and New Plymouth. New Plymouth had a hospital and sick visiting committee while Stratford gave afternoon tea each month to hospital patients and visited the hospital frequently. The Waitara W.CT.U. had formed a committee to wait on the borough couneiljgud Retailers’ Association to interest them in a scheme to provide a women’s rest room at Waitara. A letter had also been sent to the Chamber of Commerce, and favourable replies had been received. The Taranaki sailors’ rest room fund had received very generous support from all branches throughout the district. AH branches reported visits from the district president, who had given some helpful addresses and had reported on the Dominion convention’s work. Following a recommendation of the executive committee, it was decided to hold future conferences at the end of July or the first week in August. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: —Wanganui district, president, Mrs. Duxfield; vice-president, Mrs. Stewart; secretary, Mrs. Gilmour; treasurer, Mrs, Upton. Northern-Taranaki district, president, Mrs, Phillips; vice-president, Mrs. Simpson (Inglewood); corresponding secretary, Mrs. X. Jones (New Plymouth); treasurer, Mrs. W. 11. Hawkins (New Plymouth); recording secretary, Mrs. Hayward (Hawera). In the course of a lengthy address, the Dominion President (Mrs. T. E. Taylor) stated in connection with the canvass throughout the Dominion for signatures to the petition to Parliament for a two-issue ballot paper in the next licensing poll, that representations were being made through members of Parliament. In most electorates there had been well over 2000 petitioners for this two-issue ballot paper, and in each electorate there had been well over 1000 minimum .'rof petit A The W.CT.U. was a world-wide organisation, and all should do their best and utmost towards making a strong, Christian nation of children and citizens. The poll, said the speaker, was merely an incident. It was not that which counted so greatly; it was their attitude. If t'hey persisted whole-heartedly, it would not be long before public opinion would be properly educated on the subject of the deteriorating effect of alcoholic consumption.

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN. DISOBEDIENCE OF ORDERS. Arrears of maintenance amounting to £lB9 5s Id up to May 26, owing by Lawrence Corrigan, was the cause of his appearance, before the court to-day, charged with disobedience of a maintenance order against him. Defendant said the arrears were caused by ill-health. He had been earning 12s a day for the past three months and promised to pay £25 at the end of the month. Sergeant Henry: "Better to have his money than his body, sir.” The magistrate agreed, and fined Corrigan £3 and costs 10s as a penalty in addition to the arrears. Charles Henry . irison was charged with the disobedience of a maintenance order which was in arrears to the extent of £45 10s up to May 26. Hopkinson, who did not appear, was sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment, the order to be suspended on the payment of £6 off the arrears and the cost of arrest, if any. Arrears of maintenance amounting to £25 15s on May 26 were the grounds of a complaint by Charity P. Parkinson against William T. Parkinson, but after hearing the evidence the ease was dismissed and application for variation of main..nance orders, made by William Parkin i. on the grounds of hi! 3 imnecunioU’S position, resulted in the order in respect of the wife being cancelled, while that in rcspeet of the daughter was reduced from £1 to ‘ss.

"A PETTIFOGGING CASE.” OBJECTION OF A WITNESS. A charge of disobeying a maintenance I order in respect of his wife and allow- • ing arrears of £2B 15s to accumulate, I was preferred against William D. Wasi ley by Emily Wasley at the Hawera | Court to-day, but 'after hearing part of 'j the evidence the Magistrate, on the apI plication of plaintiff 's counsel, granted an adjournment to allow of further evi- ! dence being called.

I When tiie case was continued later in the day the Magistrate said it appeared :to him that the arrears had not been ' wilfully allowed to mount up, and be : dismissed the information. | The defendant said he had been out I of employment since April. last, when he : left the County Council. During the I first live weeks lie earned: £5 7s, and during the second four weeks £B. Of ! this E 5 had been paid into the Court, 'and the remaining £3 went towards his ; board. Before leaving the county's em- : ployment defendant had been laid up |io five weeks, during which time lie had I drawn nothing from the county. He ! promised that when he secured reasonable work he would pay up the arrears. ' Defendant denied that lie had annoyed > his wife or had been unkind to the children. i He said he had been employed by the county for two years and he had really lost his position on account of having : t-o attend the court so frequently. j To counsel defendant said a Mr. Nieli- • olas often lent him a motor car to go .shooting, provided witness gave.him the ' hares, lie, .shot. Mr. Nicholas also proi vided him with the benzine and cart- . ridges. I Counsel'asked that Nicholas be called, ! and the ease was adjourned for this purI pose. ' Mrs. Twaddle, charitable aid officer to ' the Hawera Hospital Board, who had : been subpoenaed by Mr. Taylor and had I been in attendance at the Court all the (morning, raised an objection. "I can’t : come this afternoon, Your Worship. I j don’t see what I’m here for at all.” she .said. ; The Magistrate agreed, saying that he 'did not see that Mrs. Twaddle’s evidence was relevant or necessary. Mrs. Twaddle: “I’m employed by the Hospital Board; I'm not at Mr. Taylor's beck and call.” A short discussion followed, during which Mr. Taylor said "he was not offering any apology.” Mrs. Twaddle pointed to the hours she had lost on “this pettifogging case.” • The Magistrate: “Yes, Mrs. Twaddle is entitled to expenses.” Mr. Taylor: “If the Hospital Board I require it, Mrs. Twaddle can be paid.” Mrs. Twaddle: “If you wish to do so, you can always make donations to the hospital.” The Magistrate excused Mrs. Twaddle from appearing further.” ’ Mrs. Twaddle (to Mr. Taylor): “I don’t want it to happen again.” i When the ease was resumed in the afternoon counsel said he had made inquiries with regard to defendant’s statements about the car and had learned that Nicholas had purchased the car I from defendant for £5 and an arrange- , ment was made whereby Wasley could have the use of the car for a hare or a duck or part of his bag after he had been out shooting.

FAILURE TO REPORT ACCIDENT. ELTHAM YOUTH FINED. As the result of an accident which occurred at Normanby on the evening of March 28, when a young man named Stuart Atkinson Tiplady, of Eltham, riding a motor cycle in company with another motor cyclist, collided with a girl, Pearl Gane, who, in company with her mother and other persons, was walking along the road to church. Tiplady appeared before Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., at the Hawera Court to-day, charged with failing to report the accident to the police, and with riding a motor cycle ins a negligent manner. The Magistrate held that there was a failure to report and Tiplady was convicted and discharged, Mr. Barton pointing out that accidents involving injury to persons should be reported forthwith, in order to allow the police to view the scene of the accident and secure any evidence necessary. Dealing with the second charge of negligent driving, the Magistrate said a driver must so limit his speed that it should be guided by the length of road he could see ahead. On the second charge Tiplady .was fined £1 and costs 10s. Constable Pidgeon said that on March 29 he heard of an accident which had occurred on the previous evening. It was not until midday on the following day that witness met defendant on the road and obtained a statement from him. The defendant was in a car and had already collected his cycle, which was in the car, when the constable met him. Witness said lie was satisfied that the defendant had been on his way to the police station when he met him. In entering a formal plea of guilty, counsel for defendant said the boy was going at from 17 to 20 miles an hour, but he thought the speed had been overestimated and it was because he had an acetylene light that he had not picked up the forms of the pedestrians. He submitted that the pedestrians should have been on the right side of the road according to the accepted rule of the road. After the accident the two motor cyclists had been taken to Mr. Gane’s house, and when defendant had mentioned reporting the case to the police, Mr. Gane had pointed out that it was rather late. The two motor eyelists had been taken back to Eltham by car a._d defendant had set out from Eltham at 8.30 next morning to report to the police. ECHO OF MOTOR CYCLE SMASH. FAILING TO REPORT MISHAP. Arising out of the circumstances of a collision between two motor cycles ridden by Aubrey A. Honey of Hawera, and Norman Sydney Taylor, of Okaiawa, on Glover Road on April 23 last, Honey appeared on a charge of being concerned in accident involving injury: to Sydney Norman "’aylor and faili- to report the'accident to the police. Sergeant Henry explained that the accident had happened on . .Saturday and

the police had heard of it only on Monday. The defendant was employed in a garage and should have known his obligations. The defendant said he had never before been implicated in an accident and was not aware that all accidents involving injury to persons should be reported. Defendant was fined £1 and costs 10s.

"CUTTING THE CORNER.” OKAIAM’A FARMER FINED. A collision between two motor cars at the intersection of Ahaipaipai and Division Roads at Okaiawa on March 8 was responsible for one of the drivers, William John Oldfield, appearing before the Hawera Court to-day charged with negligent driving. Counsel for defendant entered a plea of guilty, and stated that the defendant was travelling along the Division Road and, owing to the two branches of the road, the residents on the road had developed the habit of swinging round the corner on their wrong side. Defendant blew his . horn, and as soon as he saw traffic coming down the Ahaipaipai Road he pulled up. Counsel submitted that the other car could have pulled up, but it had pulled off on to its right side and attempted to force a passage. “You can take my assurance, sir, that he won’t take a short cut again,” added counsel. “I’m perfectly satisfied that what pxgvents more accidents is the law of chances,” remarked the Magistrate, in fining defendant £2 and costs 10s, and ordering a record of his conviction to be endorsed on his license. MISCELLANEOUS CASES. -•Charges of riding a bicycle on the Mountain Road, Normanby, on June 7, without a light, and without a rear reflector, were .. .1 against Iver Alexander Parsell, v>.m did not appear. He was fined £d and costs 10s on each charge. Sergeant -enry pointed out that the defendant had been convicted on a similar bliarge at a previous sitting of the court. For failing to produce, his motor driver’s license when requested to do so by the borough inspector on April 21, Olaf Halst, of Wanganui, who forwarded a written plea of guilty, was fined £1 and costa 10s. : For allowing six cows to wander on the Ahaipaipai?Road at Okaiawa on May 19 a widow, Mary Belts, who forwarded a written plea of guilty, was fined 5s (costa IDs). The offence of driving a dray and four horses on the Ohawe Road without lights on June 7, a Normanby resident,' William Redding, who pleaded guilty, was fined £1 and costs 10s. The sergeant explained that when seen at about 7 p.m. Redding appeared to be asleep in the dray at Tokaora, and the horses were at a standstill. Defendant said he had sheltered here and there on the road as it had been raining.

JUDGMENT IN CIVIL CASES.

The fortnightly si,nng of the Hawera Magistrate’s Court was held before Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., to-day, when judgment bv default was entered in favour of plaintiff in the following undefended civil cases;—E. E. Mullins v. K. C. Gardiner, £2 7s (costs. £1 10s 6d) : K. P. Mahoney v. J. W. G. Young, £5 10s ( £1 10s 6d). A Native, Piro William Horl, who did not appear, was ordered to pay to Spratt ahd Matthews £5 13s, in default six days’ imprisonment.