A COURT INTERLUDE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 189, 30 April 1918, Page 4

A COURT INTERLUDE

POLICE RAID ON RESERVISTS. Tho Magistrate's Court was crowded yesterday morning, standing room being at a premium in the space allotted to tho public. Thero must have been at least four hundred men. mostly waterside workers, crowded into a space which would conveniently hold half that number. The atmosphere of the Court was very unpleasant, while the noise caused by "the whisperings of the people made> it difficult to hear, so much so that the Magistrate was constrained to address life crowd in the following ]™™ S! "This is not a circus or a concert hall, and if yon men are going to carry on a, running' conversation you will bo turned out even-one of you. When you corns to 'a Court of Justice you must behava yourselves.'' "When the charges in respect to one particular caso had been dealt with, tho crowd made for the exit door, but yera held up by a posse of police, who took advantage of the opportunity to ascertain how many of the idlers were possessed of military certificates. Hie noise now became rather pronounced, and the Magistrate ordered tho Court to be cleared, but on ascertaining what was happening he adjourned the sitting for ft quarter of an hotu\ to cnabl© th© pohcQ to complete their work. The constables were very thorough m their examination, and their drag-net landed over fifty men, who were unable lo produce their registration certificates. Practically tho whole of the fifty men held un wero able to give satisfactory explanations.