A FIELD DAY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 363, 26 October 1932, Page 6

A FIELD DAY

motor breaches INSPECTOR'S NET BRINGS UP A BIG HAUL MANY FINES INFLICTED Yesterday was a field day in the Rotorua Magistrate's Court for, as the result of a midnight foray by County Inspector D. M. Ford, three pages of the court records were occupied with cases brought against various offenders against the Motor Regulations. In the majority of the cases, the offenders metaphorically "tossed in the towel" and pleaded guilty, briefing a solicitor to plead what extenuating circumstances he could find. Mr. E. Roe appeared for the County Council. What Do Posts Weigh? When Alphonsus Frederick Rush was called, Mr. R. A. Potter pleaded guilty on his behalf to charges of having no driver's license, overloading a truck and carrying a heavier load than the elassified weight for the road. Mr. Potter explained that Rush had given his wife the money to pay for his traffic license and had forgotten that he himself had to sign for a driver's license. Consequently as he was away on a carting contract which involved the transport of 10,000 posts from Te Whaiti to Ngakuru he was seldom in Rotorua and did not get his license. Inspector Ford remarlced that he had stopped Rush in June when he had told a "hard up tale," and he had given him a chance. As a matter of fact, when caught on September 26, he had been running for the interval without a license. Dealing with the overloading part of the case, Mr. Potter said that Rush had used every means in his power to see that his loads were of the correct weight. He had come in with experimental loads and got them weighed. The load he was caught with was evidently extra heavy posts. Inspector Ford said that the posts which Rush had had weighed were dry and light and it was significant that he had been caught between fhe hours of midnight and 1 a.m. For failing to have a license Rush was fined £1 and costs 10s, for overloading £2 and 10s, and on a further two similar charges £1 each and costs, the total amounting to £9. Frederick Ormond Rush, a brother of the last defendant was also fined £1 and 10s costs for having no driver's license. Inspector Ford said that when J. Windley passed him on the Whaka Road with his lorry carrying a load of wood, his pace was between 35 to 40 m.p.h. When he stopped Windley he noticed that the load was a big one and found it was llcwt. over the amount he had a license for. Mr. Potter claimed that the road was perfectly elear and that Windley could not have been going fast for he pulled up in 25 feet when the inspector stopped him. He was only taking a load of firewood for himself and had he thought that he was overloaded would have gone round the back streets to avoid the inspector. Defendant was fined £1 for speeding and £2 for overloading, costs £1, total £4. More Overloading Cfises Several more overloading cases were also dealt with. W. Beaumont was fmed £2 and 10s costs for carrying 6cwt. over his load; Clifford R. Day, £2 and 10s costs for carrying a cwt. under five tons on a four and a-half ton road; and George Robinson £1 and costs 10s for carrying 5 tons 4 cwt. on the Taupo Road and a further £1 and 10s costs for not having an identification disc on his lorry. Faced Seven Charges W. Hosldns, who stated through Mr. W. A. Carter that he had come from the King Country to do some carting in the Rotorua district, had seven charges against him involving three dates. Five of these were for overloading or carrying too big a weight for the road classificatiop. and one for not having a license. ' f The other was for failing to have the tare weight displayed on his vehicle. Mr. Roe said that on September 26 Hosldns was carrying 7 tons 12cwt. on a four and a-half ton road, on 1 September 24, 6 tons lcwt. on the same road and on September 30, Mr. F. L. Park, the Public Works District Engineer, found him carrying 5 tons 10 cwt. A bad aspect of the latter case was that the Public Works Department roadman discovered that when defendant approached the main road he stopped and put off part of his load of posts at the turn off. Mr. Carter said that defendant first started work in the county on September 26, when he brought a load of machinery and odds and ends for the Wilson Mills from Otorohanga. He had tried to get a license, but it being Dominion Day the county office was shut and he had been referred to Mr. Ford who had taken his load to be weighed and the prosecution was the result. Defendant had been carrying in the King Country for 15 years and had never before been prosecuted. He took out his license the following day. As for the putting off of posts at the turn-off, this was done on aecount of engine trouble. The Bench remarlced that he could not accept that explanation and inflicted fines amounting to £11 10s, plus costs £3 10s. No Identity Disc Stating that this identity disc had had such poor quality gum on it that it had fallen off and lodged under the seat, Ernest Kitchen through Mr. Potter pleaded guilty to a charge of not displaying a proper disc. For this he was fined £1 and costs 10s. For carrying a load of 5 tons 4 cwt. on the Taupo Road the same defendant was fined £2 and 10s costs.