SPECTACLES VENDOR BEFORE COURT

Chronicle (Levin), 18 June 1946, Page 8

SPECTACLES VENDOR BEFORE COURT

DUNEDIN, June 17. A salesman ,of s]>ectacles, Percy Gerald Hendra, agod OI), of Wollinglon, was convictod by Mr. IT.. W. Bundlo, S.M. in the Mngisl raio 's Court today, on a eliarge tliat, not boing ti rogislorod inoilical practitionor or opliciiin, he sold speota.cles to Mario Elizaboth McDonald, "in rospoct of wliom lio had omployoil niolhods I'or Ihe esiimation oi errors of rofraction of tlio liuman oye. " Hendra said in ovidonco tliat he had sold ] 500 pairs of spoctaclefl in Otago iind Soutluand dnring the jiast six montlis and tliat he had been following this occiipation througliout New Zealand for 35 years. He was liued £7 10s witli costs £1 8s aiid* witnesses' cxpenses 5s. The police produceil a slatement made by Hendra in which he said he had eontinued his activities aftex- the aiueiulnieiits to the Aet came into operaLion in H)42, luit he did not cttrry a test case of trial frames.- His systeni was .to allow his clients to experiinent with glasses tjroni his "stack uriti!' they fqutnl a pair or pairs to suit felieni. That. was ihe systeni in use ii> department stftres'. He had been prosecuted on si'milar charges twice before, six years ago in Palmerston North and 10 years ago in Ashburton, and both charges had been disniissed. He was not a registered opliciaii und did not claim to be one, but. he maintained that the spectacles which he sold were of the best quality and he claimed that he had as mucii knowledge as anv registered optician in New-Zealund.