MAGISTERIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16484, 25 February 1914, Page 2

MAGISTERIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday, February 24,

( Before Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M.) Drunkenness. —Seven men first offenders were each fined 5s and costs.— John Menteith, a second offender, was fined 10s and costs.—Florence CoSgrove (Mr Hoban) was fined £1 and costs, in default a month’s imprisonment on each of two charges of breaking a prohibition order.—A. R. Simpson, for a similar offence, was fined 10s and costs. Importuning. —Maggie Williams, an old woman with over two hundred convictions, who had just-ccmo out of a Home on Monday, was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment for importuning, and was convicted for drunkenness. Summary Separation. Kathleen Snook (Mr Cassidy) applied for a summary separation from Alfred Snook (Mr Donnelly), with custody of the two children, on the ground of ill-treatment. Evidence was given that on Saturday night Snook had blacked his wife’s eye and cut her face. The respondent denied this. In granting the separation and ordering Snook to pay £1 a week, the Magistrate said that a brutal assault had been committed.

Maintenance.— Percy Joseph Ayers was charged with disobedience of a maintenance order for the support of his four- children in the Receiving Home, his' arrears being stated at £134 14s Od. He wa/i identified by the police aS a man who had been concealing a girl of 15, and had been found locked in a room with her. He was ordered to pay £1 forthwith and £1 a week off the arrears, in default six months imprisonment.—Peter Vickery’s order for maintenance was suspended on condition that lie should pay at the rate of 3s a week, in default one month’s imprisonment.—J. I. Thomson wa3 ordered to pay, arrears on his father’s maintenance forthwith, in default one month’s imprisonment.

RANGIORA. Tuesday, February 24. (Before Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M.,'and Mr E. R. Good, J.P.) By-Law Cases.— Alexander M’Quillan, charged with driving a tchicle at. night without lights, explained that a delayed train had prevented him from leaving the borough in daylight, and he was convicted and discharged. ■ —Joseph Black was fined 5s and "s costs for cycling on a footpath. 1 The Truck Act. —E. Feather (Mr Van Asch) sued A. Small (Mr Hunt) for £5 10s for keep of a horse for 44 weeks at 2s 6d per week. Plaintiff, a farmer ,at North Loburn, stated that defendant was employed with Feather and Sons’ threshing plant. The plant was run by his sons as a separate concern from the farm and the sons had the sole interest in it. Witness spoke to defendant about being late to work'and Small therefore said lie would leave; which ho did that evening and was paid his wages, less £5 10s deducted for the keep of his horse which included dry feeding. It was afterwards found that under the Truck Act the £5 10s could not be deducted by Feather and‘Sons, and it was paid to Small. Plaintiff, on whose farm the horse was kept-, ljow sued for the £5 10s. The defence was that there was no contract regarding the keep of the horse and that the transaction was absolutely covered by the provisions of the Truck Act, the action taken by the plaintiff being only a subterfuge to evade the Act-. The Magistrate held that the Truck Act applied to the case but as the Act did not cover grazing he deducted one half of the account for the dry food supplied, and gave judgment for plaintiff for £2 15s, with costs £1 14s. Civil Case. —Judgment was given for plaintiff in the case Blackett and Son v. A. Lamb, a claim for 12s 6d.