MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Hokitika Guardian, 13 June 1933, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

' -f: SITTING AT GREYMOUTH GREYMOUTH, June,l3. At the . Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Mr W. Meldrum dealt with the following cases: — UNEMPLOYMENT LEVY Albert Smart was charged, on nine informations, with failing to pay the unemployment levy. Mr F. G. Davies stated that, acording to the records j of the Labour Department, defendant j had paid nothing. He owed £3 2s 6d in levies, and £2 los 6d in fines. He did not appear to have made any effort to pay'. Smart usually resided in Christchurch. Witness asked for a fine on one information. Defendant was fined £l, with 10s costs, on the first information, and convicted on the remaining eight charges. POLICE OFFENCES ACT That on April 19, at Addington, he attempted to pass over the railway crossing when the line was not clear, was the charge laid against Vincent Llewellyn Davies, miner, of Black ball, who did not appear. Constable Hendrickson, of Blackball, read a statement given by defendant, who pleaded guilty. Davis was riding a motor-cycle en route to the West Coast from Christchurch, and, at 2.25 a.m., the cycle collided at the crossing with an engine, which was drawing a rake of trucks. Defendant said that the engine whistle was not blown, and lie did not see the engine until too late to avert the collision. He was feeling no ill-effects on arrival at Blackball, and did not report the accident to the police. The S.M. in posed a fine of ss, with 12s 6d costs, . On the information that John Henry Clark, Main Highways Traffic Inspector, Angus Scott Mervyn McLean was charged that, on the night of May 26, on the Kumara straight, lie drove a heavy motor vehicle, without lights. Insnec-tor Clark stated that oil April 10, defendant was convicted for driving at an excessive speed, on the same road. The S.M. fined McLean £l, with 10s costs. COWPER STREET MISHAP “Guilty, through no fault of my own,” pleaded Alfred Henry Bearing, who was charged bv Traffic Inspector j

A. E. Sloss, that, when driving a motor car on May 20, he failed to keep to the left on Cowper Street. Md M. B. James, who appeared for the Traffic Inspector, said that, about 7.45 p.m., defendant was proceeding south, on the correct side of the road. Just after passing the corner of Raleigh Street, he swerved on the other side of the road, and his car collided with one driven by a Mr Waugh. Defendant stated that something suddenly went wrong with the steering gear, causing him to lose control of his car. He found later that the king-bolt was broken. He did not j know what caused the break, unless it 1 was the jolt when he drove over a portion of the road that had recently been taken up. Dearing was convicted and ordered to pay 10s costs and 10s 6d solicitor’s fee. WRONG NUMBER-PLATES i Primarily as the result of a n ex " change of cars, in which he traded his Essex for a Chevrolet, and, secondly, the result of a collision with a motor-cyclist, on the Cobden Bridge Peter DaJziel was charged by the police (1) that, on April 8, he used a car with wrong number-plates, aryl (2) that, on or about . March 15, he failed to notify the change of ownership of a car. James Herbert Haines, ,w)io traded the Chevrolet for the Essex, was also charged with using wrong! numberplates.' Both defendants pleaded not guilty. ■ t • The S.M. held that there was no doubt Haines v was responsible for the car going out with wrong numberplates on it. The plates were put on by bis employee, and Haines must accept the responsibility. Haines would be fined ss, with 10s costs. Dalziel would be convicted without penalty on the charge concerning the numberplates. For failing to notify change of ownership, he rvould be fined ss, with 12s costs. rmmmmmmmmmmm—mmi