UNDESIRABLE AS A SOLDIER.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 February 1916, Page 7

UNDESIRABLE AS A SOLDIER.

.VAGRANT WHO WANTED TO , " FIGHT. At the Police Court yesterday Chavle* King, alias George Ross, appearqi before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., charged with vagrancy, and with begging for alms in Devon street. The accused admitted that he had asked a man for a shilling for a meal, hut he pleaded for liberty on the ground that he had been accepted for military service. He said he had enlisted at Hawcra, and had been told to be in readiness to leave for camp next Monday. The Magistrate said he wanted confirmation of this statement, and he adjourned the Court to enable the police to make enquiries. On resuming, Sub-Inspector Fonhy read the following telegram which he had received from the Hawera police:— "Charles King effered himself for enlistment, but was refused, as he could give, no permanent address and looked undesirable." , King admitted that he had been sentenced to three months' imprisonment at Napier for being an idle and disorderly person. He added that 'he enlisted at Hawera last week and was accepted, but he then went and got drunk on the strength of his patriotism and was locked up. The Magistrate; There is no chance of this man beiug accepted, I suppose? Plain-clothes Constable Fitzgibbon: Absolutely none. The Defence Department would not have him on their mind. A sentence of one month's imprisonment was imposed.