STOLEN BOOKS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 692, 18 November 1933, Page 6

STOLEN BOOKS

bought by dealer . POLICE STRESS NECESSITY FOR OBSERVING ACT WAPNING BY MAGISTRATE "Second-hand dealers must undersfcand that -the terms of the Act must be strictly complied with. Its provisions have been xnude for very good and- sufueient reasons," said Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Rotorua Magistrate's Court yesterday morning when fining William Eobert Fairweather, a second-hand book dealer £2 on a eharge of a breach of the conditions of his dealer's license by purchasing second-hand goods from a' person under the age of 16 years. "It is a very easy maiter for a second-hand dealer to act as a receivjsr of stolen goods, cont-inued His Wtorship, "and the provisions of the Act are intended to prevent Lhat kind of thinlg. The provisions are strmgent and the penaities are heavy. A breach not only renders a dealer liable to a nionetary penalty but also makes him liable to the cancellation of his license. The seigeant informed ane that ^ome of ...he dealers in the town have been a little lax and I hope that these proceedings will have a salutary effect." The cbarge arose out of a recent series of petty thefts eommitted by a number of small Loys who were su'bsequentiy dealt with in the Child- . reri's Court. jSenior Sergeant Carroll stated that a number of books had been stolen from the premises of Pratt and Co., by the boys whc had later taken them to the defendant's shop where they h'ad been purchased. He understood that the defendant wouid plead ignor- j ance of the provisions of Ihe Act but he wished to draw attention to the fact that there was an obligation U/pon dealers to observe the provisions. Some of them had recently bxen lax in this respect and he thought that these proceedings should draw attention ,to theix obligations. Mr. R. Potter, who appeared for Fairweather, said that his client had to admit that he had been ignorant of the provisions of the Act. Kcwever | he had now procured a copy and j would not offend again. Fairweather i had asked the hoys where they had j igot the books and what they wanted ; the money for and they had informe 1 , him that the books had been gwen them: by their parents to sell in order to raise money. The Magistrate imposed the penalty given above.