MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 22 October 1913, Page 5

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

. CHINESE PLAN UPSET. THEIR IDEA OF GOING TO dAOU. HOW IT WAS MET. When tho Magistrate's Court sat- on Monday four Chinese were each fined £20, for keeping common gaminghouses. When Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., announced the fines,' Mr. 11. M. Watson, who appeared for the Chinese, raised an unusual matter. He stated that, whilst the accused, had been on remand, Joe You Wah, a storekeeper, had deposited £400 as bail money for them. Tho Court officers now proposed to distrain on that amount, though tho four accused had elected to go to gaol. He pointed out that the money on which it was proposed to distrain did not belong to the Chinese, who had been convicted, but to Jog You Wall. When Mr. Watson raised this point, the Magistrate remarked that lie would consider' the matter. ' When the accused first came before tho Court, they had been admitted to bail in the sum of £50 each, and £200 out of tho original bail money had been refunded to Joe You Wah. Yesterday morning Mr. Watson applied to the. Magistrate for tho return of the money paid by Joo You Wah (£200) for the foup Chinese for their bail, alleging that ho had only lent "tho money to his countrymen. _ In declining to order a refund of tlie bail money, tho Magistrate stated that the Court was not compelled to enforce tlie alternative of imprisonment, and had power to distrain. Tho position is now that the fines (£80) will he deducted from the bail money (£200), and the balance (£120) will lie refunded to Joe You Wab. THE WONG JOE CASE. As a sequel to a police raid on premises known as 131 a Taranaki Street, on Monday night, Wong Joe appeared in the Magistrate's- Court, before Mr. W. 6. Riddell, S.M. ; yesterday, and was charged with being the keeper of a common gaming-house. The accused was remanded until Monday, bail allowed in tho sum of £50. . FOTJND IN CHINESE HOUSE. Arthur Lamont, Ernest Fish, and Bert. Vinco wero jointly chargcd with being found on Wong Joe's premises, alleged to ho a common gaming-house. Each defendant pleaded guilty, and were fined 40s. each., with the option of spending seven days in gaol. AN ARRAY OF CHARGES. ' George Edward Westlake, who was arrested in Masterton, appeared before tho Court yesterdajj to answor several charges of theft. The first charge was that on October 4, at Wellington, lie stole from the dwellinghouso of Elizabeth Moody a. watch and chain, valued at £4, tho property of William Little; a watch and chain, valuod at £2 <55., tho property of Alfred Jackson; and a chain, valued at £1 10s., tho property of Frederick Moody. On the second count, accused, was charged with, that < on October 15, fit ho stole from the dwellinghouso ot Bridget Malouey a watch valued at £5 10s., the property of Tlios. Shanahan; .and a watch and chain, and a sovereign-case, valued at £12, tho property of John Burke. On the application of the police, tho accused was remanded until October 29. INSOBRIETY. For insobriety, Martin Samuelson, a prohibited person, was fined 40s. Five first offenders, similarly charged, were leniently dealt with. JUVENILE OFFENDERS. The Juvenile Court sat yesterday, when a boy. aged 14 years, was committed to tlie Wereroa Training Farm, on a charge of stealing a bicycle valued at £8.