MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Shannon News, 30 April 1929, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

1 LEVIN SITTING.

The monthly sittingn of the Magistrate’s Court at Levin was held on Friday, before Mr J. L. Stout, S.M. ON LICENSED PREMISES.

Three men—W. Bailey, W. Tindale and H. McLean—were charged that, on Saturday, March 23rd, they were found on the licensed premises of the Levin Hotel at a time when such premises were required to be closed. The two first-named did not appear, but sent in pleas of guilty. Mr W. Si Park appeared for the other defendant. Constable Grainger ‘ stated in evidence that he went to the hotel about 10 p.m. and found the three defendants conversing in the back sittingroom. In answer to his question as to what they were doing there, Tiudale and Bailey said they had come in to see if they could get a “spot.” Mr Park explained that it was customary for Mr McLean to leave the key of a public garage at the hotel on Saturday nights, as a matter of convenience. On the night in question he went to the hotel to get the key, but unfortunately he stayed talking to Tindale, and in that interval the constable came irf. Defendant had not gone to the hotel for the purpose of getting a drink. Having transacted his business, he should have gone away as quickly as possible, then he -would have bpen quite safe, j • The constable stated that the defendants had not previously been before the Court.

Taking the view that liquor might have been available to all three men, the Magistrate fined each of them £l, with costs 16s.

ICE CREAM CONTENT. The Court next heard two cases against vendqrs of ice cream, each being charged with having, on February 26th, sold ice cream ,which did not comply with the regulations under the •Sale of Food and . Drugs Act, in that it contained less than 10 per cent, of milk fat. The defendants were A. Christensen and A. L. Williams, and both guilty. Constable Grainger, in referring to the first case, stated that a sample was bought by Mr Huggins, Health Inspector, and forwarded to the Government Analyst. The ‘analysis disclosed 0.7; per cent, of milk fat. Inspector Huggins said he thought that there had bten a little carelessness' in the mixing. He was informed by the defendants that he had been working elsewhere and had somebody else to make the ice cream for him. X A fine of £2 was imposed, with Court costs 10s and expenses 11s 6d. In the- second case the Constable stated that the' quantity of milk fat shown by the analysis wa3 5.3 per cent. The facts, were similar to those in the preceding case, the ice cream having been manufactured by employees. !

iMv Park, who appeared for the defendant, said that the employees had made the mistake of assuming that milk fat meant cream. The practice had been to use cream in the proportion of one in eight, which gave 12i per cent of cream but not of milk fat. The defendant was going to get a formula from the Inspector; and he would take the necessary precautions to see that the same mistake did not happen again. The Inspector stated that cream only represented 40 parts of fat in 100 of milk. He had arranged to go into the matter of recipes so that the composition of the material would be right in. the future. The same fine and costs were imposed as in the previous case.

NOXIOUS WEEDS. Alexander Cook, Inspector under the .Noxious Weeds Act, proceeded agains" Charles John OJivccrona with a charge that, between February 9th and 16th, ■being the occupier of a section on Iliakara Reserve, he failed to clear from the land a certain noxious weed namely, ragwort. 'The Inspector stated that on February 9th a notice to clear weed was sent to the defendant, who was given until February! 16th to do so. On March 9th the Inspector found that it had not. been done —five acres infested with the weed had not been touched. The Inspector, on a subsequent visit, again found that the matter had not been attended to. There was still a lot of the weed on the property, and it was flowering. The result would be that the seeding Avould affect the low-lying country. He did not ask for a heavy penalty. His Worship: We will fine him £2 as a warning. Costs 12s.

UNDEFENDED CIVIL CASES

Judgment was entered for the plaintiffs, for the amounts named, in the following undefended civil cases: —A. Julian v. F. Ellis, £24 10s, costs £4 3s 6d; the Public Trustee (as administrator of the estate of H. W. Eyes) v. Alfred Cook and Martha Cock, for costs only, £1 6s; H. B, Wise v. Bert Herkt, £8 8s 6d, costs £1 12s 6d; K. Shaw v. W. R. Lennie, £7 15s, costs 16s; W. G. Benning v. Norman Barnett, £6 12s 9d, costs 15s; J. N. Sellers (administrator of the estate of C. M. Sellors) v. H. Pearson, £ll 2s, costs £2 16s; R. Buekman. v. R. Polglase, £6 14s 4d, costs £1 14s 6d; W. D. Duff V. F. O’Reilly, £3 15s 6d, costs £1 3s 6d; Harry Murdoch v. Beatrice Catherine Carter, £l3 3s 9d (against the separate estate of the defendant), costs £2 14s.

JUDGMENT SUMMONSES. Hanita Tatana was ordered to pay F. Lowe and Sons £3 12s forthwith, in default four days. In the cases of two judgment summonses against Harold Hudson, coachbuilder, one by Adam Burges for £6 11s 9d and the other by A. M. Verry for £9 3s Bd, the Magistrate said he would adjourn them until May 23rd so that/ the debtor might consider his position and come to a decision as to whether or not he should file. If the debtor did not take that course, His Worship would assume that be had as-

sets, and would make an order against him. JUVENILE CASES. At a sitting of the Children’s Court, a boy aged 15 was. convicted and discharged for having ridden a bicycle without a light on the night of March 16th. For the theft at Palmerston North, about January 31st, of a bicycle valued at £7, belongirg to Robert Hill, a lad was convicted and ordered to be sent back to the Boys’ Training Farm. An order was made for the return of the bicycle to its owner.