NOISY BUS RIDE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 891, 7 February 1930, Page 1

NOISY BUS RIDE

WINDOW BROKEN WHEN MEN FIGHT

“PUSHING MATCH” STAGED

“My mate says you’re no good,” remarked one passenger to another in the Birkenhead bus on January 2. And then, according to witnesses at the Police Court this morning, the fun started. Albert Glimmer, a motor mechanic, and John MacDonald, an engineer, were charged with fighting. Gummer was! also charged with assaulting MacDonald and committing mischief by wilfully damaging four paries of glass valued at £4, belonging to the Blue Star Bus Company. Mr. Wallace appeared for Gummer and Mr. Harrison for MacDonald. Pleas of not guilty were entered on all counts. The charge against MacDonald was dismissed and Gummer was ordered to pay costs, amounting to £5 I.os. Senior-Sergeant O’Grady said the two been on a bus coming from the Birkenhead Wharf when there had been an argument. Gummer struck MacDonald and knocked his head, through the window. The bus pulled up and the combatants had continued the fight in the road. Harold Hannah, driver of the bus, gave the time of the offence as about seven o’clock in the evening. He had stopped the bus when he heard the sound of breaking glass. Seeing the two men grappling he ordered them out on the road. Both men appeared perfectly sober and MacDonald was bleeding. George Cecil Garrett, who called the police, was of the opinion that Gummer had been striking the other man. It was Glimmer’s friend, sitting between MacDonald and Gummer, whose mischievous tongue had caused the trouble, according to Harry Christian Hansen, also a passenger on the bus. Constable Snow said Gummer was the worse for liquor. MacDonald was excited and had probably had liquor earlier in the day. Mr. Wallace altered his plea on the charge of fighting to guilty. The charge against MacDonald was then dismissed and Mr. Wallace proceeded to call evidence to defend Gummer on the other two counts.

Mr. Wallace urged that Gummer was a married man with four children, and Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., ordered him to make good the damage to the windows and pay witnesses’ expenses £1 10s. He was given two weeks in which to find the money.