COURT CASES AT OPUNAKE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1929, Page 14

COURT CASES AT OPUNAKE

CATTLE WANDER ON THE ROADS. In the following undefended civil cases in which there was no appearance of defendant;/, judgment was given for plaintiff by default as follows by Air. R. W. Tate, S.M., at Opunake yesterday: Opunake Harbour Board v. J. M. / Twomey, £lB •Is 2d (costs ' £2 18s); Richards and McKinley v. D. Clement, /• £8 12s 9d (£1 10s Gd). , Under judgment summons proceedings ... W. Hohaia was ordered to pay Hugh- -■ son’s, Ltd., the sum of £2 9s forthwith, in default two days’ imprisonment. A visit by the Egmont county ranger to the. environs of Opunake early on the morning of September 19 resulted in his finding some Opunake town cows on the .road, and as the outcome ..two residents of Opunake, who had pleaded. guilty to a similar offence last court day, where charged with allowing tlifeir cows to be at large on the county road. The magistrate, as he intimated, last time, increased the penalty, making it in each case 30s with costs £1 Os Gd. . Donald Ross, one of the defendants, did not appear,’ but the other, A. H. Moore, appeared and pleaded guilty, adding that he would like to ask the ranger some questions. ; How. many cows did you seize that day; he inquired. . The ranger: ■Four. .'/ ■■/•■Mr. A. A,. Bennett;/for the prosecution; objected on the grounds that there ' was no knowing how fnr 4he questions would go.: He poiijttxl out that the ranger was not a witiiess : to be crossexamined. £ ■ ... Moore asked how was it that the.ranger had seized a cow belonging to another man and had never laid an information. //' ■;. The magistrate said the ranger could explain if he liked; but it was not in-' cuinbent on him to do so. The ranger explained that he had been -unable’to find the ownfer of the cow until that day., - It was a cow he had never seen on the road before. The/magistrate said- that'/did- not af- • feet the Defendant had .pleaded guilty and his cow had no right to I -be on -the road. -• I Defendant: Well it shows— l won’t say persecution, but certainly animus on the part of the ranger in prosecuting in my ease and not in all cases. The magistrate: ■ 'That is a matter you must take up with - the county council. . M. H. Barnitt, who did not appear, was fined 20s with costs 20s Gd, on a - .charged allowing a cow to . wander at large on the county road at •Warea. < A..native named Te Oko, for whom -] • Mr. T. Anderson appeared, pleaded guil- ] ty to .a charge of permitting four calves j to wander. In extenuation it was ex- .4 plained that .natives, yisiting fhe property for a tan'gi had le'ft' the gate open..' Defendant was fined 20s,•'with costs £1 0s Gd. Kiri Raumati, represented by Mr. T. 1 Anderson, "also pleaded guilty to two I charges of permitting two cows . and ! seven cows to wander. He was fined | 20s, with costs £1 0s Gd, oh each i charge. • ; -