THE COURTS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18404, 10 June 1925, Page 4

THE COURTS.

MAGISTERIAL. TUESDAY. (Before Mr "Wyvern "Wilson, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS 1 . Thomas Bel],, aged 49 years, was remanded for a week on charges of having l been found helplessly drunk and of hairing ' broken his prohibition order. • Sub-Inspector Cameron aaid that the man needed medical attention. A further''! chargo of having broken ,a probationary license would be preferred agamst the defendant. ' s ■ ■„ ■ A first offender was fined ss, in default 24 hours' imprisonment. A female statutory first offender was simil-rly dealt with. Albert Edward Mackinson,, found in a state of helpless drunkenness, was fined 10s, in default 24 hours'. imprisonment. H© was ordered to' pay 17a 6d medical expenses. , MAINTENANCE. Alfred Victor Smith, for disobedience of a maintenance order in respect of his children, was sentenced to three' mon£nV imprisonment, the warrant to- be suspended W long as he paid £2 6s a week maintenance and 2s per week off the arrears. , George Lionel Miller was sentenced on two charges of haying disobeyed maintenance orders to 14 days' imprisonment, release to follow on payment of £l3 2s 6d. Dulcio Forman was granted separation, guardianship,, and maintenance orders against Reginald George Forman._ Main- ' tenanco was, fixed at £1 15s per week and defendant was ordered to pay £2 2s costs. Edward Boyd, for disobedience of a maintenance order, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment,. release, to follow on payment of £l6. ' John Gordon Byron was charged 'with having failod to, maintain his three children. The -Magistrate ordered defendant .to pay£2 5s a week maintenance, -together with costs £3 2s, and to find £IOO security. Defendant was also required to pay £5 past maintenance. The adjourned case in which Charlotte Mary Evan3 (Mr A. 0. Brasßington) proceeded against her husband, John Patrick Evans <Mv W. F. Tracy), for separation, guardianship, and maintenance orders, on the grounds of desertion, was dismissed. Agnes Baken, a young woman, asked for maintenance, separation, and guardianship orders to be made against her v hußband, Walter Baken, who did not appear, on the grounds of failure to maintain.her and her child. His "Worship made an order (separating the parties, and fixed maintenance for the wife at 30s a week and 10s for the child. •y KAIAPOI. . (Before Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M.) On the Ist irist. R. O. Dixon, as managing trustee in the estate of M. J.' Dixon, deceased, Eyreton, was charged that, having been previously convicted (on August 4th, 1924) for failing to destroy rabbits, ho made default in commencing, and* thereafter continuing, all £uch acta as were necessary, to destroy rabbits. Mr P. "W. Johnston appeared for the defendant. The information wa» laid by J. Munro, chief inspector. Chief. Inspector Munro and Inspectors Manning and Wagstaff gave evidence to tl e effect that the rabbits wer© very numerous, and that the steps taken by, tlio defendant had not been effective. ■ Evidence for the defence was given by R. M. Morten, sheepfarmer, "W. H. Nicholson, secretary of the New Zealand Sheepfarmers' Federation, John Smith, Eyreton, Herbert Lewers, Oxford, H. W. Harris, "Wilson, T. Pengelly, F. Dixoa, J. Brain, F. H. Dixon, and the defendant,. to the effect that drastic steps had been taken to cope with the pest, that most of tho warrens were old and deserted, and that the rabbits wevo few in number, and well under control, and that the property was clearer in respect of rabbits than it had been for tho past four years. It was also contended that the defendant was not responsible for any rabbits in the bed of tha Waimakarivi river, as the bed of tho river was vested in the- Waimakarivi River Trust. The Magistrate, in dismissing the information, said that the defendant had difficult country to deal with, tituatod ae it was between two-riverbeds, for one of which (the Waimakariri) he was not responsible. Further, that the defendant had taken reasonable steps to destroy rabbits, and all that he could have been expected to do in the circumstances.

IN OTHER PLACES. f BLENHEIM SESSIONS. (PBESS ASSOCIATION' TSLEQJUU.) BLENHEIM, June 9. At the Supreme Court to-day, before hie Honour, Hi Justice Alpers, David Henry Henderson, a young nisn, was .found guilty of carnal knowledge of a girl under 1G years of ase. The evidence showed that the girl was of loose moral character, and his Honour, taking all the circumstances into consideration, said the end of justice would be met by putting accused on probation for two years and ordering him to pay the costs of the prosecution. Alfred James Desmond Mitchell,-., charged with carnal knowledge in of the safce girl, was. found not guilty.