STOLE A MANDOLIN

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1932, Page 2

STOLE A MANDOLIN

SOLD IT TO OBTAIN MAN FINED AT NEW PLYMOUTH. "If you can’t keep your hands off other persons’ property you will have to go to gaol,” said Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., at New Plymouth yesterday when fining Phillip George Adams £2 for stealing a mandolin belonging to Harold Smith Kingston and valued at £3 10s) Anorder was made for the return of the instrument to the owner and for the repayment of 6s to the second-hand dealer to whom it was sold. A fortnight was allowed in which to pay the fine. Adams’ 'brother borrowed the mandolin from Kingston on July 17 and gave it to Phillip Adams to return, said Detective Kearney. He had said Kingston was away when he several times tried to deliver the instrument, and eventually he sold it to a second-hand dealer for 6s. Adams was unmarried and a piano-tuner by trade. He was convicted of theft at Auckland in 1929. Counsel maintained the mandolin was over-valued at £3 10s. The owner had purchased it for 10s and had offered to sell it for 10s. Adams was 23 or •24 years of age. He had foolishly sold the mandolin for 6s in order to obtain food for himself and the persons in the house he was living in. It was submitted it was not a serious offence. His previous conviction was for an offence for which the majority of people, when young, would have been convicted had they been caught—robbing an orchard. MAINTENANCE MATTERS. Following several adjournments on a charge of failing to pay maintenance to his wife and. children Ernest Rhind, waterside-worker, was again before the court. He was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment, the'warrant to lie suspended so long as he pays £1 a week. The last adjournment was made to permit inquiries regarding what relief work Rhind was entitled to. Yesterday the police submitted a report on his earnings. Counsel for the. Society for the Protection of Women and Children said that in four and a half Weeks Rhind had earned £l5 I'ls 5d and had paid £5 15s for board, leaving a balance of £9 16s sd. Out of this he had paid only £3 towards maintenance. Rhind said he had got behind in the last three months and had arrears of board to meet. Counsel submitted Rhind had no right to make other payments in preference to the maintenance order. The magistrate said Rhind had not paid enough in maintenance. The arrears in 1930 amounted to £l6 10s. The original order was for £1 10s a week. Counsel pointed out that in four and a half weeks Rhind’s earnings averaged £3 7s a week and his board £1 ss, leaving surplus of £2 2s. The court dismissed the application of Stuart Byrne for a variation of the order against him for £1 a week in respect to the maintenance of Norah Mary Byrne. "A straight-out case of forgetfulness, was the way in which counsel described Walter Dalrymple’s offence of possessing an unlicensed radio set on July 21. He had subsequently secured a license. “I don’t think these people realise the trouble they put the authorities to.” said the magistrate when imposing a fine of 17s, plus 13s costs. Ella Bishop was fined £2 and 10s costs for overtaking and passing another motor vehicle at the intersection of Devon and Brougham Streets on. July 21, while for driving across an intersection at a greater speed than lo miles per hour she was convicted and discharged. She wrote saying that : she was not aware that she had passed a vehicle'hut Constable Mitchell gave evidence that she had had to swerve sharply to avoid another car and that her speed was 35 to 40 miles per hour. Constable Butler said that when interviewed the defendant admitted she was taking her brother home to do the milking.