Farmer Fined For Three Traffic Offences At Turakina

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 November 1949, Page 2

Farmer Fined For Three Traffic Offences At Turakina

Fines totalling 30s (costs 36a) were imposed on Stanley Malcolm Green, farmer, Turakina, when he pleaded guilty to three breaches of the traffic regulations in the Marton Court yesterday morning. Mr A. Coleman, S.M., was on the Bench and Mr K. Evans appeared for defendant. Green faced two charges of having no licence stickers affixed to vehicles and employing a driver without a licence. Outlining the facts of the case, th( traffic inspector, Mr W. C. Shaw, said that he stopped a tractor and trailer being driven by a Maori boy al. Turakina. No stickers were affixed to either the trailer or tractor, although both had number plates. The youth did not possess a diiver’s licence. Defendant was ill at the time and as he had a sick sheep which required attention he sent his casual employee to collect it with the tractor and trailer. Defendant had three trailers and the employee unfortunately took the trailer which had no sticker, the sticker having fallen out of the broken frame. Green had just bought the tractor and had not attended to the registration. Defendant knew that the employee was not a licensed driver but the sheep had to be collected and defendant was too ill to go himself. It was just unfortunate the employee was caught, said counsel. On the charges of having no stickers affixed the magistrate inflicted a line of 5s for each offence, costs totalling 245. For employing a driver without a licence Green was fined 20s (costs 12s). PERSONAL Mr and Mrs K. H. Fowler and son will leave Marton in about three weeks’ time to take up residence in Tauranga. Mr Fowler recently sold his bus service and has purchased a small fruit farm in the Bay of Plenty. A resident of Mai ton for the past 46 years, Mr Fowler is at present a member of the Marton Borough Council, bein< elected about nine years ago. He is a former treasurer of the New Zealand Auto-Cycle Union and is at present patron of the Rangitikei Motor Club. He is also a past president of tne Marton Kotary Club. Miss H. Iris Crooke, directorgeneral of the New Zealand Red Cross Voluntary Aid Division, arrived in Marton yesterday and is the guest of the Misses Beckett, "Wairoma,” Marton. Miss Crooke is to address a public meeting In the Parish Hall wnight. This is Miss Crooke’s first official visit to Marton since her return from Stockholm, where she attended the International Red Cross conference. Miss Crooke also visited a number ol European countries and gained much information on social problems arising from the war. Mr D. Cocks, of Dominion Breweries Ltd., was the guest speaker at the Marton Rotary Club’s weekly meeting. Mr Cocks, wno has recently returned from a visit to England and the Continent, where he studied brewing methods, outlined modern trends in brewing. He was thanked for his address by Mr R. L. Morgan. Mr and Mrs B. L. Grade, who were married recently in Sydney, have arrived in Marton, where they will make their home. iMr and Mrs Grade crossed the Tasman in the Monowai. OCTOBER S RAINFALL LOWER THAN USUAL October was a comparatively dry month in Marton, according to records kept by Mr K. W. Sandford. Whereas the average rainfall is 4.16 inches, last month's was only 2.12 inches. Twelve months ago the October rainfall was 5.28, well over twice as much as that which fell last month. The total rainfall for the ten months of this year in Marton is 38.98 inches, compared with 34.39 inches for the same period last year. Although rain fell on 16 days last month, the falls were all light the measurement being: Ist .01, 2nd .43, 3rd .03, 7th .14, Sth .32, 9th .34, 12th .01, 14th .29, 16th .07, 17th .18, 18th .01, 23rd .06, 24th .18, 28th .15, 29th .22, 30th .07. HUNTERVILLE FARMER FINED £l5 FOR MISUSE OF FUEL LICENCE Pleading guilty to a charge of misusing 15 gallons of petrol during August, a Hunterville farmer, Graham Howie Turner Wilson, was. convicted and fined £l5 (costs 10s) by Mr A. Coleman, S.M., in the Marton Court yesterday morning. The prosecution alleged that petrol drawn from a licence for a tractor was used in other vehicles.

The traffic inspector, Mr W. C. Shaw, prosecuted, and defendant was represented by Mr p. J Thompson, Hunterville. Defendant was the owner of two farms about eignt miles apart, said the inspector As « result of complaints received from other farmers, witness said he visited defendant's farm and found a tractor which was not mobile and obvic-usly had not been used for some considerable time judging by the amount ol weed growth around it. Petrol had been drawn from a reseller in Hunterville for this tractor. He interviewed the defendant, who agreed that the tractor had not been used. On checking up he found that defendant had drawn his petrol in small quantitie s and had taken it away in drums. Over the past two months, said the inspector, defendant han been supplied with and used 224 gallons of petrol. However, it was only in respect of 15 gallons of petrol which had been drawn for the tractor but which had not been used foi that purpose that the defendant was being charged. Defendant had two special petrol licences for 146 gallons, 101 for a car and 45 for a truck. There was one thing in defendant’s favour, and that was he had not applied for a rebate in respect of the tractor petrol, said the inspector. Defendant had since refunded 15 gallons in coupons to the Postmaster to cover petrol supplied from the licence for the month of August. The 'Transport Department viewed the misuse of petrol as a serious offence, said the inspector, and the penalties for such were severe. Defendant had had a great deal of travelling to do between his farms owing to labour difficulties He also ; had domestic troubles, said Mr , Thompson, and as the amount of pet- ' rol was only 15 gallons, he asked the ' magistrate to treat the offence with ' leniency. “I can’t forget the large quantities the defendant obtained," said the , magistrate in imposing a fine of £l5. I