THE CHINESE AND TOMATOES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 30 January 1912, Page 4

THE CHINESE AND TOMATOES.

"DON'T UNDERSTAND."

Extracting information fTom & Chinese who appears in court without an interpreter is not always the easiest of mattors. , , , At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, Kwong Man Lee was charged with selling tomatoes which wero unfit for human consumption. The clerk read the charge, and then asked: "How do you pleadr' I No answer. The clerk: Plead guilty, or not guilty. The Chinese: I don't understand. The clerk: Do you understand English ? The defendant: No;\I don't understand. Sub-Inspector Shcehnu essayed to penetrate tho barrier. "You sold these tomatoes?" he 1 oommenced. The defendant: I sold—sixpence. The Sub-Inspector: Inspector Shaw says that they were not fit to be used. Pause. ' Tho sub-inspector, slowly and deliberately: 110 says that they were not—fit— for—use P The defendant: I sell em. Tho sub-inspector gave up tho effort, and tho magistrate remarked: "Thev never can understand on these occasions!' An interpreter was procured, and FoodInspector Shaw gave evidence which outlined the caso for the prosecution. Ho stated that he had purchased one pound of tomatoes from the. defendant—price sixpence—and that tho tomatoes were bad. He also stated that a woman had purchased a pound pf tomatoes there, for which she paid eightpence. She walked as far as the door, and then returned, and said: "Oh, John! These tomatoes are rotten. They're not fit to put on the table!" The woman asked for tomatoes out of tho window, but the defendant refused to exchango. He, however, took back tho purchase, and returned the money. Tho tomatoes which the inspector ixmght had been submitted to Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., within half-an-liour of the purchase, and the magistrate had ordered them to be destroyed, as being unfit for human consumption. Harry Coltman, who witnessed tho purchase, gavo ovidence that tho tomatoes wore bad. The defendant was sworn in tho way desired by most of his countrymen. The Court orderly struck a match, and lmndod it to tho interpreter, who in turn handed it to tho defendaut, who straightened himself up, hold the vesta at ami's length, and, with a puff like a small southerly, extinguished the light, then threw tlio ilameless remnant to the floor, The defendant gave an explanation, which concluded with a declaration that the tomatoes were not bad; they wero a little soft. Sub-Inspector Sheohan said that some Chinese were making a practice of selling bad fruit when children wero sent as purchasers. Defendant was fined XI, and ordered to pay tho interpreter's fee (155.), court costs (lis.), and witness's expenses 4s.