CONVERTED CAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 18, 31 May 1939, Page 5

CONVERTED CAR

te teko man changed

COFFENCES WHILE INTOXICATED

(Special to Beacon)

"How a farm labourer converted his '■employer's car at Te Teko } drove it to Tauranga to see a girl friend, re- " turned with the car to Mat at a on the following day, how he there met a Maori with whom he had several ■ drinks, how—when both were under the influence of liquor —his efforts to f' teach the Maori to drive ended in a collision, and the way they attempt - ■ cd to evade apprehension when t'hev failed to stop after the accident, was related in the Te Puke Police 1 Court on Monday morning. Charles Talbot Merriman was charged with being intoxicated in charge •of a car. and with converting a car the property of Mr F. Hancock, of Te Teko. He pleaded not guilty to ILo -the first charge, and guilty to the -second. A Maori, Claude Kawana, wag a l so charged with being drunk in charge, to which he pleaded noi .-guilty ? and with failing to stop after ■an accident, to which he pleaded :guilty. Messrs J. Persev and W. Sin. gleton, Justices of the Pcace, .were on the Bench. At the suggestion of the police all were taken together. EMPLOYER ABSENT Constable Jackson, in outlining the -case, stated that Merriman w 7 as cm. ployed as a farm labourer at To Teko. On when his emploj--or, Mr F. Hancock, was absent at Whakatane, he took the car and •drove to Tauranga to see a girl friqnd The following day he returned to Matata, where he met Kawana. Thcv ~had several drinks at the hotel before going to" the football match. Early In the evening, the two of them set -off for Tauranga with Mrs Kawana ;in the car. MAORI DROVE At Pikowai Kawana expressed a -wish to learn to drive. While the 'Maori was at the wheel, a collision occurred at Otamarakau with a car by Mr M. Cameron. Both -cars were slightly dama,gcd. Constable Jackson stated that when he .arrived, both the accused were under the influence of liquor. Matthew' Cameron stated in evidence that he was returning from •golf at about 6 o'clock Saturday even ing a.nd was proceeding towards k -Otamarakau on his correct side of the -road at about 30 or 35 miles per hour. * Near a . bend in the road he drove right into the watertable in an attempt to avoid a collision with an -approaching car. He d : d not succeed "in averting the collision, and the "back mudguards of the car struck "the front of his. The car did not stop GAVE WRONG NAME Cameron said that they decided to give chase, and kept the car in sight _ "for four or five miles until the lights "disappeared. They discovered that "the car had turned down the Flax, mill Road, where they found it parked with the lights switched off. Both the men in the car were intoxicated, and gave wrong names when questioned. Asked by Mr Singleton what led him to believe that th? accused were under the-influence of liquor at the "time of" the collision, Cameron replied that their general attitude led him to say so. Kawana. had tried to maintain that Cameron had been driv ing on the wrong side of the road. Kawana had suggested that if Cam. oron had been on the correct side, the left hand s'des of the cars, and not the right would have come into eontact. ''Xo one could be sober who .said that," added Cameron. REFUSAL TO SIGN STATEMENT Statements made by the accused were read by Constable Jackson. Kawana had refused to sign his statement, he, said. Merriman had said tiiat he thought Cameron was in the He had driven cars and before, but had never had a L ,-,e, Kawana toid the police. Merriman had told him to drive on after the collision. He added that lie had been sentenced to six months' imprisonment at Whakatane for theft. "I have never had a loan of the r car before."' said Merriman in answer to Mr Singleton. On the charge of failing to stop -after the collision, Kawana was fin. f ded £2 and eosts. The charge of being drunk while in charge of a ear was dismissed. SERIOUS OFFENCES ''These are serious offences, but we do not like sending young chaps to prison,'' said Mr W. Singleton J. P. "in passing sentence. fFor converting the car, Merriman was fined £10 and costs. For be : ng ■ -drunk in charge, he was fined £10, -and his driving liccnsc was cancelled "for three years. + t ,-,.p

In suggesting that Merriman should be allowed time to pay, Constable Jackson remarked that he was a type of young man, who should not have been in court. One month to pay 'vos allowed.