Magistrate’s Court

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 60, 14 March 1944, Page 6

Magistrate’s Court

Mr. H. P. Lawry, S.M., presided at yes terday’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court in Palmerston North. Leonard Robert Moulin, a labourer, pleaded guilty to stealing whisky, gin, a suit of clothes and overcoat, and eight petrol coupons, valued at £lB ss, from an apartment house in Wellington on 12/1/44, and to uttering a valueless cheque, for £J in payment of a purchase amounting to Is, with 19s change. Accused has a list of previous convictions and he was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard laboui for the theft and to another lliree months in connection with the valueless cheque, the sentences to be cumulative with a sentence of twelve months’ accused is at present serving. He pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing a suit and other articles ana money from the house of Louis Abboti on 17/2/44, at Longburn, and of the theft of articles valued at £5 15s, and a ring and tie pin valued at £2, from the house of V. Fraser at Fitzherbert West. SeniorDetective A. B. Meiklejohn conducted the I prosecution and after the evidence coveri ing the charges had been taken accused I was committed for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court in Palmerston | North. Three Months’ Imprisonment John Rowland Hall, an inmate of Paiaka Defaulters’ Detention Camp, pleaded “morally not guilty” to a charge of refusing to obey a lawful command given by the camp superintendent. The superintendent, in evidence, said that Hall had been in the camp for three weeks. Yesterday morning, after the gangs had been lined up, Ilall said he did not intend to do any more work during the period of his detention, that it was against liis principles to cooperate. Defendant asked one witness if lie considered the work done in detention camps was useful but Mr. Lawry intimated that had nothing to do with the charge which concerned a refusal to obey an order. Hall was sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour. John Dudly Ward, labourer, of Palmers ton North, did not appear to answer a charge of failing to give way to traffic approaching from the right. A witness gave evidence that she had been knocked off her bicycle by defendant, who was riding a motor cycle, at the College Street intersection with Fitzherbert Avenue. Defendant was convicted and fined £- with 13s costs. Robert Allan Stanley Keeys, a soldier, pleaded guilty to a charge of casting offensive matter in a public place. He was convicted and fined £1 with costs 10s. Geo Tai, greengrocer (Mr. Itodgers), charged witth selling goods of which the retail price had been fixed, did fail to keep a copy of the Price Order prominently displayed. He was further charged with selling a Drumhead cabbage weighing 21bs. for eightpence, a price not in conformity with the price order. Mr. Rodgers intimated that defendant would plead guilty to the second charge but not to the first. Mr. Cooper, referring to the sale of the cabbage, said that the price should have been a shade under 4?.d as the cabbage was a shade under the 21bs. Mr. Rodgers said that defendant was absent when the sale was made. He added that the cabbages were purchased at 7s 9d a dozen and that they were much larger when bought. Defendant was convicted and fined £3 for selling above the fixed price .with 10s costs and £3 3s solicitor’s fee. The other charge was adjourned sine die to enable defendant to appear. Twenty-three cyclists were convicted for riding at night without lights, the fines being ten shillings or £l. Two cyclists who rode on footpaths were fined 10s with 10s costs. Bernard Kearney, of Wellington, did not appear to answer a charge of affixing a number not being the appropriate number assigned to a motor vehicle. Ho was convicted and lined £3 with 10s costs. Ray Mclntosh, freezing worker, ot Palmerston North, did not appear to answer a charge of exceeding 30 m.p.h. along the Napier Road near the cemetery, lie was fined £2 with 10s costs. Kenneth Newland Shearer, Palmerston North, did not appear to answer a charge of driving a car along Fitzherbert Avenue at over 30 m.p.h. 1-Ie was fined £2 with 10s costs. Louisa Charlotte Rose, of Palmerston North, pleaded guilty by letter to driving a car across an intersection when the lights were against her. She was fined £1 with 12s costs. Thomas Alexander Smith, farmer, oi Aramolio, did not appear to answer a charge of driving along the WellinglonPalmerston North highway at over 40 m.p.h. A further charge was that lie failed to keep to the left. On the speeding charge lie was fined £2 and on the other he was fined £l, costs amounting to £1 45.,