A TEST CASE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1802, 15 July 1913, Page 4

A TEST CASE.

SECONDHAND DEALERS AND BOYS. (By Telegraph—Prces Association.) Auckland, July 14. "That secondhand dealers may not purchase or receive goods from boys apparently under sixteen years of age was the interpretation placed by Mr. E. C. Cuttcn, S.M., this morning on one of the restrictive sections of the Secondhand Dealers Act. J. Regan, a secondhand dealer in Victoria Street-, was charged that lie had purchased or received goods from a small toy of twelve or thirteen years of age. The boy called with a dozon sacks forsale, having been sent, ho Baid, by his mother, and tho dealer wrote out a noto •for the mother to sign before ho would tako tho sacks. Tho boy brought the noto back signed, and the dealer mado the purchase, Mr. Denniston, for tho defendant, said he represented the association as well as tho defendant, nnd he would like a ruling on tho matter. It had been tho practice of members of the association for thirty or forty years to receive goods from boys under sixteen when they brought a note indicating for whom they were acting as agent. This was done, of Course, only in cases where tho dealer knew the boys, and knew also the parents, or tho person for Miom they were acting. ; His Worship said' that the whole policy of the Act was to save < secondhand dealers from assis-ting thieves, and the object of the particular restriction in question was to get persons wanting to sell goods to go personally to the dealer as tho responsible person whose namo could be taken and recorded, and who could be observed by the dealer. The section must be strictly construed, and it was an offenco to purchase or receivo from a person under sixteen years of ago, under any circumstances, note or no noto. The case was a test one, involving on important principle, and tho penalty would bo made light in this instance. Defendant would bo convicted and fined 10s., and costs.