TAIHAPE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 204, 29 August 1936, Page 5

TAIHAPE

MAGISTRATE'S COURT The monthly sitting of the Taihape Magistrate's Court was held before Messrs E. Loader and H. Johnston, J's.P., on Thursday. Miki Whenuaroa was charged with unlawfully converting to his own use on July 18, a car valued at £l2O, the property of Norman Ballance Batchelor. Defendant was also charged with driving a car without a licence. A charge of driving a motor-lorry without a licence was preferred • against Rawhiti Salmon. Outlining the circumstances connected with the above cases, Con- • stable Batchelor stated in evidence that his car was parked in the Tai- • hape Auto Company’s garage on July 18 last. The following day he re■’ceived information that his car was • missing from the garage and he found it later in Haka Road. He was also told that a motor-lorry parked outside the Railway Hall was missing. The lorry belonged to Miki Whenua- ) roa's father and was driven to a dance , in the Railway Hall by Miki Whenuaroa. After the dance trie lorry was ? missing and was subsequently found : on Beban’s Hill. Salmon admitted having driven the i lorry to the place where it was found. ■ He had converted the vehicle to his i own use, but the owner wished no , action to be taken when he discovered . that it was Salmon who had taken t the lorry. “Miki Whenuaroa, when told that his father’s lorry had been found abandoned on Beban’s Hill, took the first car he could find, which happened to be mine, and proceeded to that locality,” concluded Constable Batchelor. Salmon was fined 20s and costs 10s for driving a motor-lorry without a licence. Whenuaroa was fined £5 and costs ' 10s for unlawful conversion of a motor-car; and 40s and costs 10s for driving without a licence. Sheep Stealing Richard George Sloane was charged . with the theft of one sheep valued at 355, at Rangiwaea on June 20, the property of some person or persons unknown. Sloane also uiced a charge of unlawfully removing, cutting off, or destroying, the ears of a sheep on the same date. Detective C. L. Packman, of Wanganui, conducted the prosecution. Accused did not appear. The first.witness was Neil Carmichael, farm labourer at Hihitahi, who said that he was baching with Sloane at Rangiwaea on the date in question. Alter tea Sloan left the camp , with a sheath knife in his possession and returned later with a sheep. The sheep was skinned and cleaned, and ' was quite warm, and had obviously just been killed. Accused also had a bag containing something. Sloane put two sheep ears in the lire, after telling witness to put a blanket over the window of Ihe bach so that nobody could look in from outside. Later Sloane took the bag away and upon his return stated that he*had buried what was inside it and asked witness to cover up the hole. Constable Corston said that he found the skin and offal of a sheep in the hole in question. He had made exhaustive inquiries from the farmers within a radius of three miles of Sloane’s bach and could find no person who had supplied defendant with meat for his consumption. There were two instances where farmers had supplied him with dog meat, but in each case less than a quarter of a sheep had been given. Detective Packman said that Sloane had been convicted of sheep stealing last Court day and was fined £3 and ordered to make restitution to the extent of £4. On the sheep-stealing charge, Sloane was fined £2 and costs £3 0s lid in default two months’ imprisonment. On the other charge a fine of £5 and costs 10s was imposed. The Bench pointed out that It was a very serious offence to remove the ears of a sheep and the law provided for a maximum penalty of £5O. Dangerous Driving Alleged , Richard Payne, farmer, was charged that on June 15, at Mangaweka, he drove a car at a speed which under the circumstances was, or might have been, dangerous. Defendant was represented by Mr C. L. Parsons, of Eketahuna, while Mr H. J. Fowler, traffic inspector to the Rangitikei County Council, conducted the prosecution. After lengthy evidence had been given the charge was dismissed. (A report of this case will be published later). GENERAL NEWS Last Thursday was known as “Charity Day” and two basketball games and a Rugby match were played on the Recreation ground .in the cause of sweet charity, while a fancy dress dance was held in the f Town Hall at night as a fitting finale 1 to the day's activities which were * marred to some extent by wet wea- c ther. The Rugby match was between * past and present-day footballers and resulted in a win for the veterans by £ 9 points to 3. A report on the Charity c [Day celebrations has been held over till Monday. c Mr. W. Mako has presented a cup for competition between Taihape Maori and pakeha hockey representative teams. The match will probably be played next ’Thursday. An important meeting of Rugby c L’nkm delegates will be held this wen- \ ing (Saturday) to consider the matter of limiting the number of teams eT.g- c iblc to take part in the senior and t junior competitions next vear. The t management committee suggests that x the number be limited to four in each s grade. Particulars are advertised of a dance to be held ir. the Town Hall next Thursday (September 3) under the auspices of the Taihane branch of the W.D.F.U. in order tn raise funds Q for the proposed new rest room. Donations of £1 and £1 Is respectively have been received recently from Miss Gordon and Mr. J. Williams towards the rest room. r The following third grade Rugby 1 players have been selected to represent Taihape against Ohakune at Tai- c hape to-day: Transome, Nairne, J. Walker, King, Taylor, Austin, Hall. Williams, Winchcombe, Thompson. Hamlin, Doyle, Bennett, Hay, E. Walker, Lloyd, Little, Gregory T - ~ S