BENZINE WITHOUT LICENSE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1930, Page 8

BENZINE WITHOUT LICENSE

STORAGE IN HAWERA BOROUGH.

DEFENDANT PLEADS IGNORANCE

For keeping 31 cases of benzine on his premises without being the holder of a license, Stewart Barker, electrician, Hawcra, was convicted. and fined £3, and costs 10s., by Mr. J. 11. Salmon, S.M., in the Hawcra Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He had found the benzine stored m defendant’s workshop, said Mr. L. Hunt, Hawera borough inspector, who laid the charge. .When licenses for the storage of benzine or other explosive goods were issued a record was kept by the fire brigade in case of an outbreak. In this case defendant had not obtained a license and it might have happened that had an outbreak of fire occurred the firefighters’ lives would have been imperilled. Defendant, who had only recently started in business as an electrician, pleaded ignorance of the bylaws, but he submitted that it was defendant’s business to make himself acquainted with the' provisions. A plea of guiltf was entered on defendant’s behalf by Mr. St. Leger H. Reeves, who explained that defendant ran three motor-lorries in connection with his business. He had found it inconvenient, owing to thfi extensive nature of his work, to call upon bowsers, and ■upon the advice of a garage had stored the benzine at his premises. That amount of spirit ■would have been used in a very short time, and defendant did not realise he was committing a breach. Confusion existed on these cases, counsel submitted, owing to the fact that the town of Hawera was partly in the borough and partly in the Hawera county. There would have been nothing to prevent defendant storing that amount of benzine had his premises been situated in the county. "Under certain conditions,” said Mr. Hunt.

Mr. Reeves: The proprietor of the garage was acting tinder the assumption that the same conditions existed in the county as in the borough. Defendant had committed an. unintentional offence.

The magistrate remarked that there was no doubt defendant had committed a breach of the regulations. He felt, however, that the breach was not so dangerous as that in the case where a man had struck a match when his car was being filled.

JUDGMENTS FOR DEBT. HAWERA MAGISTRATE’S COURT. Judgment for plaintiff by default, on the following undefended civil claims was given by Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Hawera Magistrate’s Court yesterday: —Leo I. Marter v. N. Ansley, £1 13s. (costs 8s.); H. J. Eaves v. Rangi Hawe, £2 18s. lid. (£1 17s. 6d.); J. C. Smith v. George Reading, 18s. 9d. (8s.); A. H. Shaw v| Hauparoa Whareaitu, £4 Ils. (£1 13s. 6d.); W. B. Shaw and Son. v. Charlie Tong, jun., £1 2s. (135.); W. V. Patterson v. Tura Tutauha, £4 Is. 2d. ( £1 10s. 6d.). Under judgment summons W. Jones was ordered to pay Noble and Cannon, Ltd., the sum of £lO Is. 3d. forthwith, in default nine days’ imprisonment. C. Trott was ordered to pay E. Penfold the sum of £27 19s. lid. forthwith, in default 25 days’ imprisonment. Henry Dickson was ordered to pay H. C. Moss the sum of £3 os. lOd. forthwith, in default three days’ imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as debtor pays ss. a month. T. Sanson was ordered to pay J. M. Townshend the sum of £2 12s. forthwith, in default three days’ imprisonment.

W- Thomason was ordered to pay A. E, Crowley the sum of £2 ss. forthwith, in default two days’ imprisonment. L. Valentine was ordered to pay L. A. Taylor the sum of £2 10s. Od. forthwith, in default two days’ imprisonment. William H. Hughes was ordered to pay the Hawera Hospital Board the sum of £3 14s. forthwith, in default four days’ imprisonment.

INTER-CLUB GOLF. MANAIA DEFEATS HAWERA. In a golf match at Manaia yesterday the home team beat Hawera, winning four matches to one, while two were halved. ’Details are, Manaia players being mentioned first: —Armitage and C. Davies halved with Blair and Cox; Young and Regan lost to Vinnicombe and Champion; Miller and Jordan beat Simpson and Page; Dr. Davies and Watts beat Sagar and Batchelor; Waller and Meuli beat Robb and South; Henwood and Spooner beat Westaway and Ainsworth; Cole halved with Zinsli. OPERA HOUSE TALKIES. “THE LAUGHING LADY.” Clive Brook, who was Ruth Chatterton’s leading man in ‘‘Charming Sinhere,” -is to be seen in support of the Paramount star for the second time in “The Laughing Lady,” which finally screens at the Opera House to-night. In this comedy-drama of society life, which deals with .. jalthy New Yorkers, Miss Chatterton is the wife of a wealthy i banker, wh thinks more of Wa.l Street than ho does of his home. She becomes the innocent victim of a scandal at Southampton, fashionable seaside resort, and when her husband learns of it through the press, he divorces her without further ceremony. Clive Brook is the friend of the husband, and the lawyer who effects the victory for him against his wife in the divorce trial. The subsequent proc ings are alternately hui • , dramatic a«.d romantic, The supporting short subjects are excellent. William Haines will be seen at the Opera House for two nights in "The Girl Said No,” co mmencing tomorrow, Friday evening.