BREACHES OF DEFENCE ACT.
OFFENDERS FINED
At the local sitting of the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, William D. Neville was charged with failing to attend either the annual training camp held at Marton on March nth, or the casual camp at Palmerston North on May 3rd.
On being asked whether lie pleaded guilty or not guilty defendant said that, he didn’t know how to plead. He had certainly not attended the camps, but he had an excuse. He was a contract paddocker, and when the annual camp was held three of the men employed by him had to go, and consequently it was impossible for him to get away. When the casual camp was held he was unable to get men and could not leave the work. He bad written to tiie Defence Department and also to the Minister for Defence explaining the position, and had also spoken to the officer in charge locally. F. J. Balfour, Quartermaster Sergeant of the Seventh Regiment said that from the records he learned that: defendant had been impudent at parades, and had only attended about one drill in four. The only communication Use Department had had from defendant in reference to the camps was a telegram received when the casual camp was ha i over.
The Magistrate said that other men had made sacrifices and at' tended camp, and defendant could not be allowed to shirk his responsibilities. He would be fined £3 in default 21 days military detention.
W. Childs similarly charged, did not appear, but Mr Moore said that he had been asked by defendant’s employers, the Foxton Cordage and Flaxmilliug Company Ltd., to appear on his behalf. He produced correspondence from the employers to the Defence Department, pointing out that defendant was employed at their Mauakau fiaxmiil as engine driver and stripper-keeper, and if he attended the Court it would mean that the mil! would have to be closed, thus rendering 15 men idle for the day,
F. J. Balfour said that defendant did not attend either camps nor did he furnish any explanation. Since he had been served with the summons he was attending drill, but previously his record in connection with the attendance at parades was very bad. Tire Magistrate inflicted a, similar penally as in the previous case, a fine of ,£3 in default 21 days military detention.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19150925.2.15
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1451, 25 September 1915, Page 3
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390BREACHES OF DEFENCE ACT. Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1451, 25 September 1915, Page 3
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