MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 72, 18 December 1920, Page 12

MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL

/j'ho fortnightly meeting of-the Miramar ; Borough Council was held in the Council Chambers Inst ' night/.'.'The Mayor-_( Mr. S.' M Stone) presided, and Councillors M'Viear, E. J. Barnett, =B.' Collie; and W< Telford were'present". •'-■*. £■'' - A- representative of the" Housing 'Do partmeni; interviewed "'the ■•eouricil with respect to the laying out of the block of land recently acquired by the Department in. central Miramar as. a site for. homes. Ho stated - that the Department., desired to follow town-planning, lines and to reduce the width of the internal street* .to 50ft: After discussion the engineer was askod to confer witli the Department and report'to the council at'its next meeting. ■ . . .. i . , (Several.. applications for the.-use of Seatoun Park were granted. The engineer's report on works* was considered and -approved. Accoiiiit-s, niiiouutinp to :.£964 were passed for payment. . >

endeavoured to get strong' corroborative evidence. So the detectives were in Singer's Avenue: but the detectives were human, aijd could liot see. through brink -walls. The failure of the detectives to find the marked pound note'in. the possession of Driscoll or. in.Hie room which Detectives Holmes and Nuttall searched almost immediately after the bet ;tvas made was significant. The absence nf that marked note was_ ilie'missiue linkin the story. The police annarcntlv relied.on the evidence of M'Cullpugh but counsel thought that his eyidenec.should bo accepted with suspicion, not. only because he was sent to: trap these pien.but also becaus° of his want of candour in Tespect to the number of drinks lie had when in company with Coker. Ihe Court must seriously consider the evidence, and "where, there jvas a niissi.m.' link, such as the absence, of .the marked -pound note,, must consider whether there was sufficient to convict those men. He questioned whether there, was sufficient evidence before the Court to warrant it in declaring the printerv a common gaming houso. The length of time the two constables' were on the premises-was IGS minutes, 1 or an average of 27 minutes per day. The only persons . they sair while, they were there were: the two accused, Coker (who introduced M'Cul- . lough) and two others, one o/. whom came to secure possession, of day cards. ■ If-these men had been.carrying out such .betting as to constitute-tho premises a common gamins house, tho' constables would have spen a great deal more. Assuming M'Cnllough's evidence to lie true," this' much was in favour of Driscoll: that when he made'the bet with M'Cuilough ho had not the slightest idea there -would bo any trouble with the police, and yet within a minute or two the two dotectives were in the premises' ■and found nothing.. If there had been, betting, it was spasmodic and occasional, and not sufficient'-to constitute the premises a common,gaming house. The existence of tho day cards ,indicated , no--, .thing. These men printed'day curds and sold them at a nrofit, and sold them to anyone who wished, to. buy. them. Their names were on the cards as. required by the Printers' Act.

Mr. Tread well aim oddressd .the Coiirt and contended that the evidence. went no further than suspicion at the licit. The knocking' over of the" type by M'Ewen- Wa»s an ilccideint. '■ ( Th(>re was no evidence of systematic belting, and so far as M'Ewon ivas concerned M'Cullough alleged that he made two bets with him, while Constable Murphy did not know him at all.

The Magistrate said he would consider the matter, and give . his decision on Monday.

Charges against Matthew T.ivingslnne and .Tames Pattei'sou will be lieai'd on Monday afternoon..

;!! 'ThW-naTQfl* "sardine" is ofjiciatly revutricted to'.tho pilchard ia its immature condition.