MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16331, 21 January 1921, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

TO-DAY'S CASES. i CHRISTCHURCH. (Before Mr V. G. Bay, S.M.) SECOND OFFENDER. Edward Stanley Brown was lined 10s, in default forty-height hours’ imprisonment, for a second offence of drunkenness. UNWILLING TO LEAVE. I Frederick Bailey was remanded for seven days on a charge of having been 7 helplessly drunk. The police had some , trouble in getting him out of the dock, i HUSBAND- AND WIFE. Louisa Morgan was convicted and dis- , charged on a charge of having used in--1 suiting language, and a prohibition 1 order was issued against her. Her hus- ) band, John Morgan, had a similar :• charge preferred against him. He was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. A prohibition order was issued against him also. It was stated that the bad language i had been used between the couple. OBSCENE LANGUAGEStanley Charles Smith pleaded not guilty to a charge of having used obscene language. Ho was lined 40s, with costs. , NEW YEAR’S EVE CRACKERSFor letting off fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Leslie Wendelken was fined f ss, with costs. Victoria James Taylor was fined 10s and costs on a similar ehargo. Ic was stated that Taylor threw a cracker which dropped under a girl’s dress. The cracker frightened the girl, though it did her no other harm CHIMNEY ON FIRE. A fine of 3a, with costs, was imposed upon Fred Atkins for having allowed a chimney to catch fire. (Before Mr S. E. M’Carthy, S.M.) ALLEGED CYCLE THEFT. John Spillane* charged with stealing at Teimika. on January 18. a gent's cycle, valued at £lO, the property of some person unknown, was remanded for & week. POSTAL EMPLOYEE CHARGEDAdam Morrison Rattray (Mr Cuthbert) was charged with stealing at Christchurch on September _2B last a postal packet, containing £o, the property of the Postmaster-General. Donald Fraser, rabbit shooter, Culrerden, said that on September 27 he ! gave a letter to Mrs Barton, who made j up the private mail bag for the station. The letter was registered and | addressed to an Oamaru storekeeper, j Ada L. Barton said that the letter | was duly registered and forwarded to I Christchurch. j Arthur Thomas, employed in the Christchurch mail room, said that lie j handed the letter to the accused, I Douglas A. F. Smith said that on f September 28 accused handed him a 1 number of registered letters froin private bags and country offices, for which witness signed. The leitCl*, the subject to the present charge, was not included. Detective-Sergeant Quarterniain said that on December 29 he interviewed the accused at the Detectives’ Office, and after some conversation, accused said that he would make an explanation to a Post Office official. Subsequently he made the two statements produced. Accused pleaded guilty. Ho was committed to the Supreme Court for. sentence: Bail was allowed, self in £oo, and one surety of £SO. A MISSING RUG. Patrick Mayo was charged with the theft of a woollen rug, valued at £5, the property of William Yamm, at Christchurch on Jaiiuary 1-4 last. Accused asked to be dealt with summarily, as he was not in a position to defend himself. Senior-Detective M’llveney said that the accused had a record. Mr M’Carthy said the Court had no power to try him summarily, owing to bis record. Accused: My idea was to save the Crown expense. William Yamm, carpenter, Trocadero Hotel, said that returning -to the hotel on the afternoon of January 14 ho saw the accused on the hotel’s fire-escape, carrying the rug. He placed it by a window of the adjoining Windsor Hotel. Witness went to his room ; his rug was missing. He went in search of the accused, and met him by the hotel door. Ho denied taking the rag, but after a lot of talk, said, that he would show witness where the rug was. } He tried ro run away, but was caught and brought back to the Windsor. He could not find the rug, and bolted again. Witness went after him, and had him arrested. Detective-Sergeant Connelly said that accused, when arrested, denied any knowledge of the rug. Accused appeared to have been drinking. Accused offered no evidence and pleaded guilty. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. BY-LAW CASES. For cycling without lights Siegfried Lund, Robert Bugg and Frank Wilkins were each fined 10s, with costs. Cecil Bonnington was fined 20s and costs fer motor-cycling without lights*. Frank Wilkins was fined ss, with costs, for eyefing on a footpath. Laviira Christensen and Edward Mark Low were each ordered to costa on charges of cycling on a footpath. Ernest Falkingham was fined 20a and j costs for motor-cycling on a footpath. Hugh Hayes was fined £l, with cotl», for pdlion riding; A charge against Harold G. Bradley of speeding over a crossing was dismissed. Charles Bell was ordered to pay costs on a charge of having no mark of identification on his motor-car. On a similar charge James Salt was fined 10s. with costs. For attempting to board a moving ear Ernest Alfred Terry was fined os ; with costs. Charges of having evaded payment of tram fares were made against J. Merer, J. Moore, A. Cameron and J. Cameron » Mr O. £?. Thomas appeared for the defendants, and Mr J. H. Up. ham for the Christchurch Tramway Board. The charges were dismissed. A. Matlock was ordered to pay £2 costs for having smoked on a. part of a tram car wneie smoking was not allowed. For allowing catlfe to wander W. _V. Carpenter, Frederick Trnpcofct, Herbert Washer and Hector Wells were each fined os and costs. Edward Charles Woodham wan fined 10s arid costs. H. Edwards and H. Sexton, who were similarly charged, were ordered to pay costs A mistake in having tui;ned his lights off when he intended to dim them was pleaded by John L. Danks in mitigation of having driven a motor-car without lights on it. He was fined 20s and costs. PRIVILEGE OF THE PROFESSION. “ I was using the privilege of our profession in .going a little faster on Sunday night,” said George Dickinson, ! who was charged with having exceeded the speed limit over an inter-section. ; “ We all go a little faster on Sundays and late at night, when there is practically no traffic on the roads. On the occasion referred to I went a little over 1 four miles per hour.” i “ The constable reports that he was j driving at from twenty to twenty-five t miles an hour,” cgid Inspector Dsw, ] smiling. j “ Ten shillings, with costs/’ said the j Magistrate. ( REGISTRATION OF APIARIES. f Ignorance of the necessity cf regis- f tration war pleaded bv some apiarists who were charged with having failed to c register their Henry Cox. Allan Hopkins and Frederick iveoKt v were each convicted and ordered to pa -c,

costs. Christopher Schaffer was fined ss, with costs.

ANNOYED. A complaint that an apiary inspector bullied his wifo when he called regarding registration, and a statement that he was ignorant of the need of registration, were made by Waiter Sey, when he was charged with having failed to register his- apiary, and with not ing bees in proper hives. Development of the complaint by defendant was cut short by the Magistrate, who pointed cut that the Court was trying the defendant, not the inspector. Defendant was fined 7s, with on each charge.

“ The nest time he comes round he v.iil bo oft the place quick, ” said the defendant, as U« left the Court.