MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1917, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGS. A sitting of the Magistrate's Court was held yesterday morning, before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. MILITARY OASES. C. R. Cutfield, who appeared last week on a charge of having failed to attend territorial parades, and whose case was adjourned in order that he might produce a medical certificate, was convicted, bi't no penalty was imposed. 'His Worship said that'the trouble arose through the defendant's failure to notify the department that ho had obtained a medical certificate. Lieutenant Crutch proceeded against Thomas Hawke for failure to attend parades. Mr. F. E. Wilson said he did not wish to make excuses, but the defendant was one of those' young men who did not realise that it" was necessarv to make application for exemption. His brother had been granted exemption when in the same position. Defendant said he. was 10 years of age and farming his father's property of 170 acres on the Frankley Road.- The farm carried a herd of lib «dws. which he milked morning and night with no other help than that of a brother, 12 years of age, who lent a hand before and after school.

Cross-examined by Lieut. Crutch, Hawke said that he finished the day's work about 7.30 p.m. and was not able to get into town much before S o'clock. He would not be able to attend evening parades during the season, but could attend the monthly camp parades if some one could be got to look after the farm at such limes.

Exemption from evening parades was granted, and a fine of Ss and costs 7s, was imposed for failure to attend drills to date.

Baden Bellringer applied for exemption! on the grounds that the hours of his work made attendance impossible. He was employed at Stratford and left New Plymouth daily by the morning train and returned by tiie evening mail. The defence offered no objection to the application and exemption was granted as long as applicant remained in his present employment. FALSE PRETENCES. Frederick David Paul pleaded guilty to a charge of attemption to obtain £.") by false pretences on August '2O at Waitara, and elected to be dealt with summarily. Sub-Inspector Hutton said that on August 3rd a pupil on her way to the Waitara school noticed a folded paper on the side of the road. She had seen the paper previously, but, had not then noticed it particularly. On Friday morning, however, she got off her horse and found that it v;as a five pound note. She took it to school and showed it to the children, among whom were relatives of the accused, and to the sciiool teacher. The note was handed over to the police. Later an advertisement appeared in the Waitara Mail offering a reward for the recovery of a lost Co note. Accused called at the office and was referred to (he police, but did nut go to them. He was interviewed by a constable and made a statement that the advertisement had been written by a Bert Hammond, a machinery expert, who had told him all he had to do was to call at the office of the Waitara Mail and get the npte. and for his part in the transaction he whs to get ten shillings. Inquiries showed that no Bert Hammond was known to have been in Waitara. Accused, when further questioned, admitted that ho had written the advertisement himself. His action in advertising in another's name amounted to forgery, •but the charge was one of false pretences. The accused's parents were in a good position, but the lad was inclined to be untruthful, and when a sciiool boy had been shifted about from school to school in consequence of misconduct. There were no previous conviction? against accused. His Worship imposed a fine of £5, to be paid within 14 day 3, in default one month's hard labor.