MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 896, 16 August 1910, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Mr. W. G. Kiddell, S.JI.) THE' BULLOCK'S ORDEAL. "Alfred Mitchell, sheepfarmer, of Porirua, was charged with, ill-treating abullock, and with failing |to provide proper" shelter for it. ■ ; Mr. Meredith, who appeared for S.P.C.A., called evidence for the piirposc of showing that the bullock had been injured in a cattle truck, while being railed from. Taihapo to Porir'ua, ■.inhere it: arrived. on Saturday night, July 9. When taken out of the truck'-next morning, it was unablo to rise on its forelegs, being apparently injured in the , forequarter. It had been left lying in the' cattle-yard till Monday morning until killed, and had not been provided with food or shelter.during that time.. There had been a sharp frost, on the ( Sundaynight. : . ■ . ' •■•- ' Mr. D.' Jackson, for the defence', contended that it was not n. case of cruelty. who had hail 13 or H years' experience at his business, was of opinion that the bullock was . at first snlfering from . cramp. When . was found that it would not rise to its.foet it was killed at the earliest opportunity. It v/as further contended that .48 hours was not too long to leave a ; healthj r fat animal without fpod, that wild cattle did not require shelter, and , that in any case it would have been impossible to provide shelter in the cattle-yard. The magistrate reserved his decision in or.der to look into some cases quoted by Mr. Moredith. . . ILL-TREATING HOUSES. Samuel limy, carter, of Island Bay, pleaded guilty- v to cruelly ill-treating a horse on August'!), and: was lined £3, costs 135., and solicitor's fee =C 1 -Is., (ho alternative bojng '21. days. Defendant was allowed 48 hours in which to find tho money. ' ; To a chargo of cruelly ill-trcatiny ii bay gelding on the same date, the. same defendant pleaded not guilty. Evidence tendered by Inspector Seed, of the Society for tho Prevention of Crnelty to Animals, and corroborated- by other 'witnesses, "was to the .effect that the horse was one' of a team' pulling a load of gri'.vcl up Wellington Road, Kilbiriuo. It appeared,to be about-to collapse. Both oyes were closed, one totally blind and .the' other': diseased." .Its condition otherwise made it unfit for work. Ho drew defendant's attention to tho matter, and then took the horso to the Police Station for examination. The horse was subsequently condemned and destroyed. ■ • • - . . For the defence it was contended that the horso was in modiiimi condition and lit for work, as it had previously had a .spell of three months, and that blindness did,not necessarily unfit a horse for work. It was furl.hcr- contondoj that tho work'being done by tho team of three, 'horses would not have been too-heavy a tasi for only two horses. ' ' .

The magistrate said that the defendant must be convicted. On the evidence it seemed impossible thai, anyone could have considered the horso fit for work. A .nno of £i was imposed, with costs 135., , "™ ess expenses Jills., solicitor's feo -CI Is., stabling 4s. ■■•.-■ o it ,S, , Kil 'kcaldio appeared i for tlio 04.UA., and jAIi. Uolilsworth was for defendant. SENTENCED FOR THEFT. Henry Fraser- Marshall was brought torwaru for sentence on six charges of theit of overcoats, valued nfjEa each, the properly of Jienry lfnssall, Frank Jas. Uarbottle, Reginald Wykpham,* P. D. Lox, Henry Tibb, and Thomas Lewis. He was further charged with tlio - theft' of a' bicycle on August 4, 'valued at -Cl 5, the property of Mr. E. Newman, M.P. Accused had previously pleaded guilty .to all charges. . *. * . Chief-Detective Broberg stated that accused had a yery bad record. Thero were raeivo previous. convictions against him , for various, offences. The coats had been taken from different hotels in the city and the bicycle had been taken from the Hotel Cecil.. Three of the coats and the $1 llac '. siuco ] ? Kn recovered. . • . J-ho magistrate imposed a. sentence of six mouths imprisonment on each of the .charges, the•sentences to be concurrent, tlio overcoats to bo returned to the owners and , tho bicycle also. » THREATENING BEHAVIOUR. . Henry Loniax, who pleaded guilty 'to threatening behaviour in Lanibton Quay, whereby a breach of the peace was-occa-sioned, was fined 405., in default fourteen days imprisonment. . BT-LAW CASES. ■ Andrew Craig, expressman admitted driving on a.tramline in Eintoul Street in Iront of a tramcar so as to cause delay. He also admitted having failed to stop his vehicle when called upoii to do so by. a constable:- On the' h'rst. charge he was fined 205., court costs 155., and witness's expenses 12s. On .tlio second' charge the hue 'was 205., costs 15s. The alternative was seven days' imprisonment in each case.' ■•• For riding-a bicycle after dark without a light, \V. H. Potts was fined 55., costs Vs., with.an alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment. . ' ,

maintenance; '" For disobedience 'of a maintenance order in respect to his wife and four children, Arthur Harold Sniitfr.was sentenced to three months' imprisonment;.warrant to be suspended if arrears are reduced by 10s. per week. ■ ■'i. . Albeit Jas. Bvrne, for disobedience of a maintenance order for the support of his wife, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment in Auckland Gaol, warrant to .be suspended so long as ss. per week are "paid off arrears. ■ ■ - ■■•■.. George Dixon, for failing to comply with an order for the support of his mother, was sentenced to one month's imprison-ment,-warrnnt to be suspended so , long as ss. per week are paid olf arrears.. INSOBRIETY.' ' James Baxter charged with insobriety was stated by the police to have a number of previous convictions against him, and was convicted and sentenced to one month's imprisonment. : Mary Tanner on a-similar charge was sontenced'to fourteen days' imprisonment, the magistrate reminding her , that she was an habitual drunkard uuder the Act. A prohibition order is to bo issued against 'her. ' ..';. Mary Burnip was sentenced <to fourteen days' imprisonment for drunkenness, a prohibition order to be issued against her. Timothy pouovan' for drunkenness was fined ,205., in. default seven days' imprisonment. '■■'■■ * ■■.■•■'■'-. Julia Schultz, who was charged with a similar offence, did not appear. She was fined 205., in default 48 hours'' imprisonment. . ■ Frederick Joseph Nicholson, for drunkenness, was fined 10s., in default 48 hours. A similar sentence was imposed on Frederick Lyness. Two first offending inebriates were •each, fined 55., with the alternative of 2-1 hours' imprisonment, and. too others who did not appear,.were fined 10s., with the same, alternative. '• . 1 'Another first offender for. drunkenness was fined 10s:, costs 95., witness's expenses Cs.,-in-default ■Jβ' hours' imprisonment.' '.'■■ ' -" ■ " '' ■■*■■-,■