MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1579, 24 October 1912, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Dr. A. 11' Arthur, 5..M.) , ■ charge or forgery; At the Magistrate's", Court yesterday George Atnxweil, n mill hand, was charged witii, having idlgt'd the Imme of P. Linglou to a.cheque for 4:8 Os., nnd uttered it to I''rederi6k I'ierard, ut Wellington, un September 9..... . • Chief-Detective Broberg prosecuted, and Sir. Percy Jackson appeared tor the accused Maxwell. ' " .

.(ohh MMiwraith, grocer, of Willis Street, gave evideuce. He staled that on .Saturday, September 7, a man visited his premises, and intimated thnt he was a builder of Island Bay. He had (ho added) kit his cheque book in the pocket of a. coat which he had changed, and, as two of bis men ret.iiirtM their wages in town, he asked if witness 'would ' give him a cheque form. After some hesitation, witness gave the iiimi a blank cheque, for Which accused signed. Witness, however, could not swear whether accused was the persoh who had approached hiin onthiit occasion or hot.. Evidence was : also given, by FrederickPierard, jeweller, ; iif Tiaiiiblou' Quay'."-' He stated that, on or about September I), a limn came to his shop and purchased u wedding-ring for .CI 12s. Gd., in payment for which he' tendered a'Bank ofNew Zealand cheque for .E3 9s. At the time lie did'not inquire who the drawer Was. He had previously known the man as Maxwell, he having, on a previous occasion bought it ring under that name. He had confidence in the man because there was nothing wrong in his other transaction. Later on witness went to the Hank of New Zealand to cash the cheque, but it was returned marked '.'No account." When' the man had gone to witness's shop on the first occasion he said that he worked at C. and A. Odlins. AVhen witness found that lie could noK get the cheque cashed, he wrote to Odllns, addressing his letters to accused. These letters remained unanswered.

. W, I'. Mtillowcs, ledger-keeper at the Bank of New. Zealand, gave formal evidence as to refusing to cash the cheque. Constable Alexander M'Leod, of Tnihape, stated that he arretted the accused at. a bush camp near Taihape on October 10. When arrested the accused stated that he had thought that the cheque was nil right, because he had got it from a man named Lington, who had given it to him as a irieans of requiting him for a good turn which accused had dona him. Formal evidence was also given by De-tective-Sergeant M'flveuey in regard to his unsuccessful scorch for a P. Lington, Of Island Bay. Accused pleaded not guilty, arid was committed to the Supreme Court for ttial.' Bail was fixed at JESO, and two sureties of .£25 each. INSOBRIETY. '. For • insobriety Mary M'Keguey was fined 10s., in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment. PLASTERING A THEATRE/ . Further evidence was heard try Dr. M'Arthtir, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday in thfc ease in which Chas. Thomas Emeny, plasterer, claimed from Henry E. Manning, contractor, the sum of X7B 10s., being X'4l 9s. balance due on a sub-contract for plastering at Shortt's Picture Theatre, and .£37 Is. for certain extras which were not included in the contract. There was no dispute as to the amount of the main contract, but the extras were disputed, and defendants lodged a counter-claim for £30, amount of penalties paid by defendant to his principals, and which defendant claimed were r'eallv incurred through delay on the part of plaintiff in carrying out his portion of the work. < Mr. D. Jackson appeared for plaintill, and Mr. A. W. Blair for defendant. His Worship reserved decision.