FIRST CASES HEARD

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21035, 10 February 1940, Page 18 (Supplement)

FIRST CASES HEARD

LIQUOR NEAR DANCE HALL TWO MEN FINED £5 The first Te Awamutu cases for breaches of the amendment to the Police Offences Act which provides for penalties for having liquor in one’s possession or control in the vicinity of a hall while a dance is being held, were heard before Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., today. David Hinton and John Fitzgerald, both of Te Awamutu, were separately charged with having liquor in the vicinity of the Te Awamutu Town Hall on December 23 while a dance was in progress. The defendants did not appear but Sergeants S. G. Clist said that they had asked to be excused and authorised him to say that they pleaded guilty. The facts were that at about 10.40 defendants drove up in a truck and parked the vehicle in a right-of-way near the Town Hall. They left the truck and went into the hall where a dance was in progress. The sergeant said that he kept a watch on the truck and after a short period the defendants returned, the dance having concluded. Refused to Sign Statement They were accosted and a threegallon keg of beer was found in the truck. He asked them to proceed with him to the police office where they made statements which were typed out but signatures were refused. They stated that they knew that a dance was on and had gone there to see some girls, but as they entered the hall the National Anthem was played and after a look round they left. Hinton admitted paying for admittance. Both admitted that they intended to consume some of the liquor. Each had been spoken to about liquor by the police. The magistrate said that he intended to follow the course taken by Mr S. L. Paterson, S.M., and deal with these cases severely from the outset. A three-gallon keg could lead to a Tot of trouble and he saw no reason to make any distinction from other cases. A fine of £5 was imposed in each case and the defendants were ordered to pay costs. On the application of the police, the liquor was ordered to be confiscated. MOTORISTS’ OFFENCES PENALTY OF TAKING RISKS When charged with not keeping as far as practicable to the left side on Kites Road at the Magistrate’s Court today, Essie Maddern, who was represented by Mr S. S. Preston, entered a plea of guilty. In doing so, Mr Preston said that this was done to save the cost of bringing witnesses and also the time of the Court. He claimed that if there were any question of negligence before the Court, the liability for damage was all on the driver of the car which collided with the defendant’s. The other driver had the advantage of the right-hand rule and had the whole of the width of the intersection to pass over, but yet ran into the defendant’s car. He asked that the charge be dismissed as trivial. “What on earth was the other driver doing right over there?” asked Mr Freeman in referring to a plan and photographs which had been produced. People had the right to assume that others would do the right thing in such cases and yet the other driver went right out of his course wmcli was clear to meet trouble. It was not a case for a penalty. Payment of costs was ordered. Danger of Cutting Corners Henry Chin was charged, on the formation of Inspector Treadgold, with driving in a dangerous manner on the main road near Mystery Creek. The defendant did not appear. The inspector said that he saw the defendant approach three chains away. He took the corner and swerved across the inspector’s car; took two bends sharply and drove on at 50 miles an hour over the centre-line. The defendant was a Chinese.

After remarking that, in his opinion, cutting corners was only second in seriousness to being intoxicated in charge of a car, the magistrate imposed a fine of £3 with costs. Herbert Maxwell was charged, on the information of Inspector F. Cook, with driving in a dangerous manner. The inspector said that at about 8 p.m. on Boxing Day he was travelling on the main road near Mystery Creek when he had to swerve off the bitumen to avoid a head-on collision with defendant’s car. The defendant had overtaken another car on a bend. Defendant had been fined a few weeks before for cutting a corner in the borough. Maxwell, who was not represented, said that he was back on his correct side before the inspector’s car came close. He recognised that he cut it a little fine but the preceding car was travelling very slowly. He did not think he had committed an offence.

The magistrate decided to treat the case as defended, and evidence was given by the persons in the car which preceded defendant’s. After this evidence had been taken, Maxwell admitted that there was an offence and a fine of £2 10s was imposed and payment of costs and witnesses’ expenses was ordered.

How did briar pipes originate? The story goes that a manufacturer of meerschaums who visited Corsica in 1844 chanced to drop—and break—the meerschaum he was smoking. By way of a temporary substitute he carved himself a pipe from Corsican brpyere (briar) root. That was the first briar! And the experiment proved so successful that the manufacture of these pipes soon developed into a flourishing industry. Today briars are produced by the million! The finest briar-root, by the way, still comes from Corsica, and the best briars cost money. But your “dyed-in-the-wool” smoker cares little for the expensive pipes. With him its the tobacco that counts! Some folks can smoke anything; the tobacco-lover wants the best. Tastes differ but the constantly growing demand for the toasted tobacco, so pure, fragrant and free from nicotine, is proof positive that New Zealanders are not slow to appreciate a really good thing. All five brands: Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, Riverhead Gold, Desert Gold, and Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead; are in everyday request all over the Dominion.