TERRITORIALS IN TROUBLE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 265, 7 April 1914, Page 5

TERRITORIALS IN TROUBLE

SOME MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES ■ '

by Telegraph—Press Association. , Dunodin, Last Nignt. ; A large h.ileh of defence cases (170) ,•' was heard bt-fore Mr. ,J. R. Bartholomew, ' >. S.M., in uie City Police Court to-day. William U. (iillctt asked for exemption i from persona I service. Counsel explained Wxi\ UllM.t and his father were car- t " * rying on a <l;iiry farm. The father hod '■*. become ill, mid Gillett had to milk the cows, deliver the milk, and work on the V I farm all day. He rose often before 5.30 ',■ i<\ a.m., and did not finish at night till 7.80. 7 Captain Mickey said that to exempt Gil-' % lett would form an undesirably prece- ; '' > dent. The Magistrate said that apart ''& from the father's illness there was no- '*'■■£ tiling in the case to discriminate it ■'•'?' from others. The father's illness, how- , '*' over, made a difference. It 1 would be a. ' ',' hardship if the applicant had to attend -'h camp, and exemption was granted till >< v the end of the present Territorial yc»r " il (May 31). ' J f ;l Alfred Ucorgc Lowry, 18 years of age, ■''-') also applied for ain exemption. Counsel '-"V, said the applicant was making a manly " -•J effort to assist his home, JUs, mother % was a widow, and a delicate daughter ify was earning 7s (id a week. TJSft applicanl, giving evidence, said lie earned 10s ' i a week, being indentured to the book * trade, and £1 a week by working *t ■"'! night at a picture theatre. The Magig- * trate said he thought this wns a caw in which the Act intended exemption »' should be granted. The lad was work- ':\^ i»g at night through sheer necessity; " : Exemption was granted for twelve '••* months. . •■*

Other applicants were refused, includ- \" ing one from a son driving a cab for hi» father, and one. from a. student. Jn one ease where a man was charged with failing to render personal scrvicp, *, it was shown that tho defendant, who had a very good record, had trouble in ' ' obtaining labor for his farm, and intended to resume attending paradfcs as soon as he could get labor. Tho Magistrate '■ i' treated the. case as aa applietlon for ' temporary exemption, and granted exemption until the end of the Territorial year, in one case, Captain Sandle said the defendant had attended parades but ha* refused to obey orders. He wag- one of ; a balch. The Magistrate, said that if they did not obey orders it was not a parade. In the case of nine men similar!? charged, Captain handle said (hat de- ''' fendtints had been drilling and were marched down to the dark end of the i yard, where there was'a fence. They ; • were ordered to "about turn," but did " not obey, and started kicking the fence, Titi-i.- drill throughout was bad, and at ' : , "in titi;e they started to sing, "Here we ' go withering nuts in May." All Ibo ' men were good nttcndeu, though one or two had n reputation for bad conduct un parade. Each of the defendants wu lined 20s, with cost-. U. Albert 11. lianwcll, who failed <to ap-" pear, was charged with absolute didobedience while on parade on March 25. ISanwell was said to have a way of demoralising pvery parade, and "he had given a considerable amount of trouble. '■'->■ b"loiureil to w group who stvled them- ;" -'■!'.e-i as "the silent six." They were not silent and were a nuisance'to tho whole company. The Magistrate said the case was the worst that had come beloiv the Court, and defendant was flu--d .'.'lt and costs 7h.