SHOWMEN FINED £50

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 975, 19 May 1930, Page 16

SHOWMEN FINED £SO

GAME OF CHANCE AT SHOW CHEQUE THAT WENT ASTRAY Special to THE SUN WHANGAREI, Saturday. In tlie Whangarei Magistrate’s Court today, before Mr. G. N. Morris, S.M., John Brooks and Christopher Nicholson were charged with vagrancy and betting in a public place, the Whangarei Winter Show, on a pretended game of chance. Both accused pleaded not guilty. After evidence had been given, Brooks was lined £3O and Nicholson £2O. Evidence was given to the effect that the accused were' using a tub-and-ball game and had the permission of the police to play for chocolates, but commenced playing for money. A witness said lie had lost a considerable sum of money in playing the game. He then drew a cheque in favour of Brooks for £ls to pay for his losses and went home. Senior-Sergeant O’Grady said that Brooks had lost the cheque, but a woman picked it up in the street and took it to the bank. Brooks later called at the bank and asked for the cheque. The bank officials refused to cash the cheque until Brooks got someone to identify him. The hank closed before Brooks could arrange this. In the meantime the informant telephoned the bank, stopping payment, and informed the police. When arrested the men had £l6O in their possession. Brooks was a recent arrival from Australia, and the police knew nothing about him.