MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1930, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

GREYMOUTH, Nov. 4. Magistrate Meldrum dealt with the fallowing .cases at tho Magistrate’s Court yesterday. BREAKING AND ENTERING, Accused of breaking and entering the shop of- John Torment at Greymouth, on October 18, and stealing jewellery valued at £65, Lionel George Hood was hut her remanded until November 17. iCIHAKG E ' DIS.AItIaED. When Charles Arthur Hopkir.P aigfi-in appeared on a charge of being idlo and disorderly, in that ho had insufficient lawful moans of support, Mr J. W Hannan represented him, and stated that Hopkins’ brother had sent him money, and had guaranteed lus hoard and lodging until accused could secure employment. The S.M. dismissed the charge. THEFT CHARGE. Oliver Hill pleaded guilty to the theft, at Oimoto, on or about October 27, of £6, the property of John Hill, his brother. Ensign Taylor, of / tho Salvation that accused’s -sisters were Willing to look after him. Accused was convicted and ordered to come Up for sentence if called upon within 12 months and ordered to pny £1 4s, the unrecoverod balance .. oi the st&len money. REMANDED. James Wright, who was arrested /limit pnevn'ing -on a n),aintenano;i charge, Was remanded to appear at Queenstown on November 11, On behalf of Wright, Mr M. B. James applied for haili 'and this wa-s fixed at self £IOO and two sureties of £SO or one of £IOO.

Oliver ChrjTsell, 25, and Walter Melville Ghrysell, 30, were charged with casting .offensive matter in Bright Street’ Cobden, on September 27. After hearing the evidence of Constable Kearney and Sergeant Smyth, the S.M. adjourned the case for a week, to 'enable the suggestion of the 1-Sergeant, that the defendants be medically examined, to be carried into effect. A FIGHT. George "Newton and Gioyanni Pavin' were each fined 10. s, with 10s costs, for fighting in Guinness Street, outside the Oddfellows’ Hall, after a 1 dance on the night of October 12. MAINTENA NOE ARREARS. The application of Robert McDonald for'the remission of £8 12/s 8d arrears i on a main ton fence order, Was granted. 1 Walter Batchelor was ordered to i pay £8 arrears on a maintenance or- i de.r, and fined £3, ini default 14 days’ i imprisonment, warrant not to issue ] provided payment is made within i seven days. It was stated that de~ J fendant never paid up until' action t was taken against him. He had al- I ready been sued four times. d

THEFT CHARGES. . 'Three charges were jlaid 'against George Saunders alias Waters, alias Anderson: (1) That on October 17, at Greymonth, lie attempted to steal 6s 8d from Ethel Marsh, by. means of a trick; (.2) that on October 17, at Greymonth, he attempted to steal 6s 3d from Bertha Simon, by means of a trick;; (3) that on September 29, at Reefton, he obtained board and lodging to the value of £1 from James Baker Harris, by fraud. Accused pleaded guilty, and stated he had tramped the country from one end to the other, but had been unable to obtain employment. The S.M. pointed out that accused ha)d numerous previous convictions. He would he sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour on the third charge, and one month on each of the others, the sentences to be concurrent.

DANGEROUS DRIVING. On the information of Traffic Inspector; X. J. Sloss (Mr W. J. Joyce), James Dunn was charged with dangerously driving a motor lorry near the Ten-Mile on October 10. Defendant did not appear. Inspector Sloss stated that Dunn was a driver for Spiers. When witness’s car wes ascending in second gear a hill between the Seven-Mile and TenMile, on the Greymouth-Barrytown 1 road, near a bad hairpin bend, defendant came along on fhe wrong side at such a speed that, had witness’s car not been quickly driven into the watertable, a collision would have occurred. As it was, an accident was avoided only bv The car was stuck in the mud, and,had to be pulled out by another me J 'or lorry.. It was a most dangerous road, with the amount ol traffic now iwirg it, and the" prevalent speeding must he stopped. The Inspector's evidence was corroborated bv Edward Jones, a County Council employee. lie a'so stated that only the quickness of the car driver avoided a smash. Mr Joyce pointed out that there was no third-party insurance in the case of motor lorries, and the speeding on the Greymouth-Barrytown roa 1 by lorry drivers was a serious matter. Defendant was fined £3, with 13s Coupt 'costs, 10s witness’s expenses, and £1 Is solicitor’s feo. OVERLOADED LORRY. Malcolm Cameron (Mr \V. R. Ale-

Carthy) pleaded not guilty to driving

an overloaded motor lorry on the i<ad between Runanga and Granite Creek, on October 13. The information va/s laid by Traffic Inspector Slow (Mr Joyce). It was stated that the particular section of road was in tho fourth ••lass, and the maximum weight of lorry and load on such a road was four loos. The weight of the lorry and load driven by defendant was eight and a half tons. Local lorry owners were not allowed by the Grey County Council t<> owed the regulation weight, and when other drivers did so, that was naturally resented.

The S.M. remarked that there was no doubt a breach of the regulations had occurred. He inflicted a fine of £2, with 13s costs and £l Is solicitor’s fee. MINE MANAGER FINED.

As a sequel to a recent fatality at the Blackball bins, the Inspector of Alines (Afr C. J. .Strongman) oroceeded against John G, Quinn, manager of the Blackball mine,, on a charge that on September 23, ho did allow on a railway siding a structure ihelo-v the height of '7ft bin 1-o remain within a. distance of slt Gin from tho centre lino of the nearest rails. "Afr J. AV. Hannan, on behalf of defendant, pleaded guilty, arid said that Quinn was appointed manager only a couple tof weeks before the offence. He lmd not got into the working of the niilie properly, and had not noticed the breach of the regulations at the time of tho offence.

Inspector Strongman said that, in the first place, the temporary supports could have been put in a natch better position, and, secondly, although the girders were procured, they were allowed to stay on the ground for-three or four months, without being erected. It was correct that defendant had onlv recently been appointed manager. The S. AI. said ho would take that -fact into consideration, and inflict a nominal fins of £l', with IDs costs.