MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 388, 13 May 1910, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

A FIRST OFFENDER. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, Mr. L. G. Reid, S.M., presiding, a first offending drunk was convicted and fined ss, in default 24 hours' imprisonment. BREACH OF FACTORIES ACT.

On the information of the Inspector of. Factories, three charges were preferred j against Joseph Hooker and Co., printers, j etc., of having Jailed to allow holi- j days to female employees on March 28 (Easter Monday), a statutory holiday. Mr. J. Hooker, who appeared for the defendant firm, pleaded guilty to all three charges. On the Magistrate asking whether the defendant company had been previously convicted of breaches of the Factories Act, the Inspector (Mr. H. Willis) stated that two years ago Hooker and Lo. were convicted of employing girls on ;'. Saturday half-holiday. His Worship remarked that a broach of the Act had been committed. As there were three charges hie would ir..i'<e the penalty comparatively light, although the ' defendant company was liable to a 11116 not exceeding £lO on ■each; charge. On each charge the defendant company would be fined 7s 6tl and costs 7s, a total penalty of £2 3s 6d. FALSE PRETENCES. William McGregor was charged (1) with having obtained a. Kothcram silver watch, valued at £5, from A. L. Cooke, toy means of false pretences; and (2) with having obtained from John Bennett, by means of false pretences, a. gold chain, gold medal, and gold sovereign ca-se, of a total value of £9 10s. Accused .pleaded guilty. Sergeant Haddrell stated that on Wednesday morning Mr. Bennett went to •Hawera.. Accused was evidently aware >of this, for he called at Mr. Bennett's shop and told Mr. Bennett's daughter that he had seen her father that morning and made some arrangement to call at the shop and get some jewellery, on which he was to pay a deposit of £l, the balance to be paid when Mr. Bennett went shooting at Mokau. The child asked his name, and was told it was McLoughlin. On the strength of_ that the child let him have the chain,' medal, etc. To Mr. Cooke accused said his name was Creighton, and he was under-boss at the Mokau mines. Mr. Cooke had done business with men at Mokau before in similar circumstances, and he was inclined to believe accused. He let accused have the watch, £1 being paid on it, the balance to be paid by" the "paymaster at the mines." Accused had. been convicted of theft twice before, in Auckland. Accused was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, with hard labor, on each charae. the sentences to be concurrent. Mr. "Reid was under the impression that lie had said ,; six months," which he intended to be the sentence, but the prisoner had been removed liefore he discovered his mistake, and so the accused got the benefit. An order was made for the .etivrn ol '■the jewellerv on accused's deposits liein" refunded by the jewellers concerned.