Sunday Harvesting?

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2895, 10 February 1893, Page 2

Sunday Harvesting?

THE TAIERI CASE. At the Police Court, Mosgiel, on Tuesday, before Messrs H. 11. Inglis (Mayor of Moagiel), and W. Carncrogg 'M.H.R.), a farmer mmcd Dennis O'Brien, who was undefended, pleaded guilty to a charge of 1 having, on Sunday, January 22, worked at his calling at Wingatui, in view of h public road—to wit, the Wirgatui road. The accused, while pleading, added that he thought he was committing no offence in doing the work. The information was laid under section 16 of "1 he Police Offences Act 1884," which provides that "any person who on Sunday, in or in view of any public place, trades, works at his trade or calling, deal?, transacts business, or exposes goods for sale, or keeps open to public view any house, store, shop, bar, or other placs for the purpose of trading, dealing, transacting business, or exposing goods for sale therein, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £1. But nothing herein contained shall apply to works of necessity or charity, or the driving of live stock, or the sale of medicines, or the sale or delivery of milk, or to hairdressers or barbers before 9 o'clock in the forenoon, or to persons driving any public or private carriage or cab, or to persons employed in the working of railway trains or tramcars or cable lines, or on steamers, vessels, or boats, or to any livery stable keeper, or to any persons letting boats for hire, or to any person employed in or in connection with any telegraph or post office, or to any person employed in preparing, printing, and publishing a dt»ily paper. Conatab'e Millar said the circumstances were these : The accused had a paddock of hay in coils on the week preceding the Sunday in question, and-it was ready for stacking, but wet weather coming on he was unable to stack it. On the Saturday, which was a good drying day, the coils wero turned over to catch the wind, and accused thought that if, after that, he left it untouched until the Monday it would be very injurious to it should rain fall. It was not then in a position for throwing therein off. On the Sunday he got a few men to help him to stack it, btcause he feared that rain might come on, and he s»id that he did the work , simply to protect the hay from any wet weather. No doubt rain would have serious'y injured the hay, but, as it turned out, it did not rain on the Sunday nor on the following Moriday. Mr Carncroas : If it had raine 1 en the Sunday, w,;at would have been the position of the'hay 1 Constable Millar.: It would have been a serious thing for the nun. Mr Carncross remarked that the act did not Apply to works of necessity, and the constable h< 1 yn\\\ them that the work accused did was « >york of necessity. Constable Millar replied that the woi k might be called one of necessity if rain had ccme on ; but, as the day turned out, it did pot rain. Mr Inglis, after consulting with his colleague, said \ Defendant having ad* mitted tho charge, will bo fined Is without costs. Personally, I have grave doubts as to whether this is an infoimation thac ever ought to have been laid. I do not think that any offence agiinst the aci, is disclosed, but defendant having admitted the offence, the bench have no option hue to inflict ;i snvtll fine.— "Ot;i<?o Daily Times."