SHOOTING WITHOUT A LICENSE.

Shannon News, 27 July 1923, Page 2

SHOOTING WITHOUT A LICENSE.

A FINE <DF -£5. 4 At the Police Court at DargaviUe . G. Appleton was charged with the alleged killing of a: pheasant without a license, on the information of Mr J. P. Stanaway, secretary of the Ac-yt climatisation Society. Mr Webb appeared' for the - society. - : and Mr Hayes for the defendant. In opening the case Mr Hayes, said his client pleaded guilty on a techni-y; cal point. The defendant was a farmer and owners of land were - to shoot game on their own property ,e: without a license. He was sure after hearing the evidence His Worship-. would dismiss the caso. . .. Defendant deposed that he went out shooting on his own farm, and when . * at the boundary he met Moffatt. -his neighbour, who asked him to bring : his dog to a clump of bushes where ' he knew there was a pheasant. His neighbour, Moffatt, did not have, a , ; dog. Witness took his dog into Mof- '' ■ fatt’s place and the latter was in-a i position to shoot first when the. bird ? flew out. The pheasant, however, when flying, doubled back and the witness ~ could not but help shooting it be- " cause it was too tempting. This was the only bird be had shot off his own - farm when without a license.. He had taken out a license up to the year before last. The pheasant fell near 1 two people who were passing at the , time, and he, the witness, handed the -* pheasant to Moffatt. • - To Mr Webb: He had shot Two ~ pheasants on his own property previous to going to Moffatt’s. . '*'*"'• .T. Moffatt corroborated defendant's . evidence and stated that he had comp. ' on his property at witness’s invita-* -. tion. . : 'vMr Webb said the Society, took serious view of these cases, as-it'Was \ not fair that one man should have the ; . snort at the expense of another. 'A*. ; license, only.cost £l, and 'the society wished for a severe penalty. The Society was paying out £2O reward for convictions. ' His Worship : Are .you paying ;£2O reward in this case. Mr Webb: Yes. ' His Worship-: Oh! I see why yOU are after a big penalty. / His Worship said he wanted to be fair to both sides and would not ,con-r sider the -£2O reward.. The. defendant' would be convicted and fined £5,-and costs 7s. That" would mean a. loss of £ls to the Society, and hey ribt , sure that he had not been too kindhearted in his verdict.: .■ y