MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16714, 21 April 1922, Page 8

MAGISTRATE 'S COURT.

CHRISTCHURCH. TO-DAY’S CASES. To-day s sitting of the Magistrate's Court was presided over by Mr Wyvcrn Wilson, S.M. DR (;:\ i\ EX NESS. A clfen !i » for drunkenness was .nod ir default twenty-four hours’ iicpmonnici.t. WITHOUT A LICENSE. John Reynolds appeared to answer a charge that> on February 7 ho earned on business as ;; pawnbroker without having a license as provided by the Act. A plea of guilty was made. Chief-Detective A. Cameron said the 'asc arose out of a recent Court case ’*l, " bich a man Chisnall was eoncerntu. Defendant, purely out of ignorance, Imd lent Chisnall £2 on a bicycle. Defendant said the man had tome to him and pleaded that he was in poor circumstances. He wished to go out harvesting, he had said, and wanted some moiie . . So defendant took compassion on him and lent him the A line of 10s and costs was imposed. CRUELTY TO DOG. Elizabeth Devan Simpson, lor whom Mr S. E. M’Oarthy appeared, was charged with cruelty to a dog, by beating it on the head with an axe handle. Mr M’Carthy said that defendant and her husband were old age pensioners. They were the owners of the '• r ?s and were called on to pay the tax ; but, said counsel, a very small si tri of money was a big consideration with old-age pensioners in these days. Instead of poisoning the dog the woman bethought herself of the idea of using the axe handle. Sub-Inspector J. K- Simpson, said be understood that defendant had previously killed a dog with an axe handle. The dog in this case was a collie. Its howling had attracted the attention of neighbours. The Magistrate said that the woman bad shown cruelty towards the animal and had tried to get out of paying the tax of ss. He would fine her 2t>s md costs 11s. TRAVELLING ON PLATFORM. The Tramway Hoard, for whom Mr J. fl. Upham appeared, brought a charge igainst G. 11. Read that he rode on the platform of a tramcar. Mr AY. R. Lascelles appeared for defendant.

Atter hearing the evidence the Magistrate said that it was an offence for anyone to travel on the platform of a traracar. The trams were overcrowded very frequently and personally the Magistrate had counted as many as six persons travelling on the platform of a car. The tramway officials countenanced passengers so tm veiling. The conductors sold tickets to such persons, one could not expect a very fine discrimination by passengers as to when they should stand inside or outside un-

der these circumstances. The Magistrate did not think that the Tramway Board officials should permit anyone to stand on the platform or sell tickets to anyone standing on platforms. Defendant in this case had paid his fare on the platform and had been allowed to ride there for some time. Then the conductor reasonably requested two of the passengers to go inside, and the defendant, who was one of these, did not do so. However, the case was not for a heavy penalty. Defendant was ordered to pay expenses which amounted to £2 12s. BY-LAW CASES. Edmund Freeman and Percy Eden were fined os for allowing cattle to wander. George Goodge was fined 7s and costs for riding a motor-bicycle without a rear light. Matthew Grant was fined 10s for committing a breach of the motor regula-

tions in not having an identification mark on a vehicle. John H- Martin was fined £3 and costs for driving a motorlcar between a tranicar and the kerbing while the tramcar was stopped to pick up passengers. Forbes A. Black more, for leaving a motorcar in Cashel Street unattended for longer than live minutes was fined 5s and costs. j John Braithwaite and Boyce Meers TV i Ison wore fined 5s for having no lights on their motorcars. George Dodd, for riding a motorcycle with side-chair attached without having alight attached to it, was fined 55.. On a similar charge William Lyes was also fined ss. Percy Nicholls was fined 10s for driving a motor-car without a light. James Nixon (Mr F. W. .Johnston) for driving a car without a tail-light, was fined 10s. and for leaving a vehicle unattended he was further fined os. George Mumford was fined 20s and costs for speeding in the Sumner Borough. Oliphant Denham Fraser was ordered to pay costs for driving a motor-car after sunset without lights. On a sim-

ilar charge William Parsons Thompson was fined 10s and costs. Douglas Smith was fined 20s for driving a horse and cart without a light attached to the vehicle. Stewart Rutherford was fined 40s .and costs (for speeding. Gerald Stoddart, charged with driving a motor-car without lights, was fined 10s and costs. On a second charge, that he did not possess a certificate of ability to drive, Stoddart was fined 20s and costs. Eugene Thiel man proceeded against S. E. Moreland for allowing a horse to wander. The charge was dismissed without prejudice. For cycling at night without lights, Charles Brown was fined 10s. Joseph M. Johnston, Svdnoy M’Carthy, Herbert Hellish, William Poulson, Donald Richardson and Godfrey Whitaker, who were faced with similar charges, were fined 10s and costs each. Arthur Perkins was ordered to pay costs 7s. Arthur James Evans, Arthur Evans. Edward Arthur Ha when. Thomas A. Hussey, David Irvine, Edward Marque t, Ernest R. Miles, Charles North and George Black were each fined 5s

for cycling on the footpath. TRUANCY CASES. For not sending their children regularly to school William Mehlopht, John O'Callaghan, James Stewart and Josephine Filson (two charges) were each fined 10s and. costs. A CHARGE DISMISSED. John Carsons (Mi R. A. Cuthbert) was changed with being in possession cf a quantity of rope, the property of the Now Zealand Government Railways. Defendant claimed that the ropo had been left in his possession by a workman. The Magistrate held the explana - tion to be perfectly reasonable, and truthful, and dismissed th*- informa;ion.