BOMBARDING THE MAGISTRATE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 4

BOMBARDING THE MAGISTRATE.

'<• ''"• TWO;AT A ; ;.TIME^:' ;; :; % ."A torrent of words .'was' poured fortj: ? on. the magistrate during the.. hearing / 1 of one of many truancy : cases' beforei'v: the, Court yesterday. ;morning.;',:'.The "'■' truant- inspector . was .in .'.the ~ box, and the woman concerned in: the'";.. case was, standing:, close byy-and \bctb.'"s were, expressing their; side, of .'the case'., simultaneously,, each;.being apparently '■'■■' determined, to speak.a little louder thaa : the : other...■,.-■■ ' : '\V Y.. : :''' V>; : ..-.■■;

.The purport, of;, the- truant inspec- , tor's evidence .was: ..Yes, he ; did '.•press"', for a : Me,,it n;as.a>very:bad case.v Tha" child., had ■■■'■ been;away-V from. school '■■■ a great deal, arid when it- did attend it was generally/'late,-'-; and explained that itjhad had to work. Vv-'-:;'/';';

The same story was told by the teachers of two separate schools that, thfl child had attended. '.

The purport of the 'woman's version was that it was a sad cade. The child's father had pJacod the girl in her careit was only out of kindness and charity she took care of it. It was one of tha saddest cases that had ever come under her notice. The father had never been able-to give her a penny towards tha -) support of the child. She had had" other children under her, care, and one of them, was now an engineer. "Look at herj your Worship (Uiu child was in court), she doesn't look as if she was starved. Ah, you've got a black smudge on your faco, dear. It's one of the saddest cases, your "Worship"— The woman was still talking and so was" the truant inspector when the ' magistrate stopped them both. "Now listen lo me," remarked his Worship, . "and neither of \ you interrupt me, please. You deserve every credit for what you have done for this child, Mrs, , but you have'failed in one duty. You must send the girl to school. The present case will bo dismissed, but you' will have to take warning."