A NIGHT RIDE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 64, 12 June 1942, Page 5

A NIGHT RIDE

AND A CAPSIZED TRUCK A COSTLY TRIP' The tale of a quiet ride in a truck out into the country, with a mishap on the way home which robbed the trip of all its glamour, was unfolded in the Magistrate's Court on Thursday of last week when Thomas Guy laced charges of converting a truck to his own use, stealing live quart bottles of ale, and supplying beer to natives, says the To Puke Times. Constable Nixon read a statement made by accused which stated that he was employed by a carrying firm carting goods between Tauranga and Te Puke. On the Thursday before Easter he had arrived in Te Puke late in the evening, too late to discharge his load, whieh lie had of necessity to leave 011 the truck. He had taken the truck into Te Puke on the Saturday to pick up a tyre from a garage, and had stayed in town. About !LUO that night he and a man named James Gilmore had met two girls and took them for a ride in the truck out to llangiuru, where they stayed until about 11.30 p.m. Gilmore drove the truck home and while coming down the Kaliika Hill the truck got out of hand and capsized," spilling the load on to< the side of the road. Some natives who lived at the mill nearby gave them a hand to reload the vehicle and it was through this that two of the charges arose. A ease of beer on board broke when the load fell oil", and to repay the natives for their labours, accused j helped himself to four or five hot- { ties of the beer, which -was drunk I on the spot. j Mr Cooney submitted that the j first charge did not apply, as Guv j was in the employ of the iirni own-! ing the truck. lie pleaded guilty to j the other two charges. j The first case was: struck out, and j on each of the other two he was fined £.'} and costs. i J i