MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 115, 8 February 1919, Page 10

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

ABUSE OF RAILWAY PRIVILEGE TICKET An unusual prosecution was heard by Mr. I'. V. rrawr, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when charges' under Section 5 of the Government Railways Amendment Act, 1013, wero preferred against Gladys mid Olive Blancho Martin, daughters of a railway servant, for breaches of the railway servants' privilejjo pass. , • ill'. P. J. O'Eegan, who appeared for the defendants, entered a pica of guilty, and explained that the defendant Gladys Martin, who was entitled to a privilege pass, did „ not uso it, but gave it to 'her sister Olive, who was not entitled to such a pass. The defendant Olive used the pass on a journey between Palmerston North and Wellington on December 30 last, and also on a journey between Wellington and Danneyirke. The defendant Gladys had committed . la breach of the Act by permiting her sister to use the pass, and defendant Olive Martin had committed two breaches of the Act by travelling on the railway without paying her fare. Counsel agreed that defendant Olive Martin had aggravated the offence by making an untruo statement, but stated that defendant Gladys Martin had erred in ignorance of committing any offence. He requested His Worship to take a lenient view of tho offence. Mr. J. I'rendeville 'if the Crown Law Office, who prosecuted, stated that from a railway point of view these passes were a very generous privilege. Breaches of this nature might result in the Department withdrawing the privileges for . all. _ - His Worship said that for breaches of faith with the Government, the penalty should be sufficiently sevcrd'to prevent further attempts. liowever, tl.o present case was purely a family matter, and lie was prepared to take a lenient view of it, although a fine would have to be imposed. In tho case of Gladys Martin, site would bo convicted and ordered to pay costs 28i. Olive Martin would be fined 30s. on eaoh charge, and ordered to pay costs amounting to ,£1 103. OTHER POLICE CASES. Donald Ernest Purris pleaded guilty to a charge of having deserted lis ship, tho Arawa, at Auckland, on December 10. Ho signed on the vessel at Sj-Jney as a baker, and on arrival at the northern port he left the vessel, L'x-! .penses. incurred in obtaining a substitute amounted to .£lO. and as defendant had that amount duo to him in wages when he left thfc ship, Ilis Worship entered a conviction,' and directed accused to give tho shipping company an order on the~'Board of Trade, l.ciidcn, to collect this amount. Defendant was also ordered' -to pay Court cusls 7s. A remand till February 12 w.is granted in the case in which William Henry Aspinall was charged with carnally knowing a girl under tho age of c.ixtewi years. ' 1 Henry Taylor was remanded for a week for medical observation on a charge of being a rogue and a vagabond in that he begged alms in Willis KLreet. A fine of ss. and costs was imposed on W. A. Simpson for riding a motor cyclo which did not bear *. nylsterul number. On a charge of using , obscene language W. Fisher was fined ,61, and ordered to pay costs amounting *o lli For a breach of his prohibition order .John Pryso was fined <C 3, m default fourteen days' imprisonment, and for drunkenness he was convicted and discharged. Myra Donaldson was. iii:e<l il for a breach of her prohibition order. Florence Ward was fined XI for a breach of her prohibition order. Mary M'Manus was fined .61 for drunkenness, and also made the subject of a prohibition order. One first offender was fined A'l for drunkenness, and another was fined ss.