POLICE COURT

Southland Times, Issue 18851, 17 June 1920, Page 2

POLICE COURT

A sitting of the Police Court was held yesterday morning before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M. A BY-LAW CASE. William A. Brown pleaded guilty to a charge of allowing a chimney to catch fire, and .was convicted and fined 10/- with costs 7/-. SLAUGHTERING AND INSPECTION ACT. Alexander Minnie was charged with slaughtering stock in an unregistered slaughter house, and also with removing the ears from the skin of a heifer without having a satisfactory explanation for so doing. Mr Hall-Jones, for the defendant, stated that the first offence was admitted and that with regard to the other charge Minnie had been ignorant of the requirements. The ears had been taken off at the abattoirs because the fellmongers were in the habit of taking off too much hide. After hearing the evidence the Magistrate dismissed the charge of removing the ears and adjourned the other case until June 30 to enable the stock inspector to find out whether the house used by the defendant for slaughtering could be licensed. WANDERING STOCK. James Harrington was convicted and fined 10/-, with costs 7/- for allowing a cow to wander at large in Selwyn street, South Invercargill. LICE-AFFECTED SHEEP. For exposing lice-affeeted sheep in public saleyards, fines were imposed as follows: Andrew Baird, fined 10/- with costs 7/-; Robert Brown, fined 10/- with costs 7/-; Kilkelly Bros., fined 30/- with costs 7/-; P. A. Price fined 10/- without costs; A. and H. Forbes, Woodlands, fined 10/- with costs 7/-. AN UNINSPECTED LIFT. Thomas A. Cooper, inspector of machinery, proceeded against the Southland Frozen Meat and Export Company, Ltd., for failing to notify the Department of the erection of an electric lift at the defendant Company’s works al Makarewa. Mr Lillicrap appeared for the company and pleaded guilty to the charge. He stated that the failure to notify the Department had been purely an oversight, and there had been no intention to evade the law. The company had always been careful to notify the inspector of the erection of any new machinery at the works. The inspector stated that the matter had probably been an oversight. The Magistrate said that the breach was a serious one. The lift had been erected for a year when a man was killed. The evidence at the inquest, however, did not show that the accident had been caused by any defect in the lift. The company waa fined £lO, with costs 7/-. UNLAWFULLY TAKING GAME. Arthur Stewart, who did not appear, was charged with unlawfully taking or killing a native pigeon at Woodend. Mr Eustace Russell appeared for the Acclimatisation Society and after hearing the evidence of the Society’s ranger, the Magistrate convicted accused and fined him £3, with costs amounting to £1 Bs. UNLICENSED TAXI.

For driving an unlicensed taxi, John Bryan was convicted and discharged. A COSTLY JOY-RIDE. Henry Warden was charged with that on May 20 he did unlawfully and without colour of right, but not so as to be guilty of theft within the meaning of the Crimes Act, X9OS, take one motor car, the property of Alfred Butts, of Waikiwi. Senior-iScrgcant Eccles prosecuted and said that the car was taken on the day of the Prince of Wales’s visit. Butts left bis car in front of Lewis’s early in the afternoon but on returning shortly after 5 p.m. found that it was missing. 'Warden was on duty near the corner and was employed by the corporation to control the traffic. Butts asked him if he knew anything of the car but Warden said that he did not. Later on, however, Butts was at Gladstone when he saw Warden pass by in his car. The matter was reported to a constable and the car was found in a right-of-way in Yarrow street. The windscreen and lamp were damaged to the extent of 35/-. The taking of cars was becoming like a nightmare to the police. After hearing the evidence of the owner of the car, the Magistrate convicted and fined the accused £lO and costs, the amount to he reduced to £6 if he paid £3 15s to Mr Butts. Warden did not appear in answed to the charge. ASSAULT AND THEFT. William Newton was charged with assaulting Colin Lindsay Richards by striking him on the face, and also with the theft of a parcel from a tramcar. The accused did not appear. Senior-Sergeant Eccles prosecuted, and stated that on a certain Saturday afternoon Richards was working in his shop when some children informed him that a man was ill-treating a woman in a place opposite. Richards went to her assistance and idler the woman had been released he returned to his shop. Newton followed and assaulted him. Later on in the day a man named Stewart was returning from town, and on alighting from the tramcar found that a parcel which he had placed under tha front scat was missing. Constable Thomson staled that when interviewed the accused stated that he had “cracked” Richards. Newton had been living in the house with the woman and l»er mother, but had since been given notice to quit. When interviewed with regard to the parcel, Newton admitted taking it and offered to pay its value as some of the contents had hern eaten. The accused was convicted and srntenred (o fourteen days’ imprisonment with hard labour on th* charge of assault and was convicted and sentenced to seven- days’ imprisonment on the charge of theft.