OFFENCE OF JOY-RIDING.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1919, Page 3

OFFENCE OF JOY-RIDING.

CONVICTIONS AT WAITARA. What were believed to be the first cases of the kind heard in the Dominion came before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., at the Waitara Magistrate's Court yesterday, when three young men named Cramer, Frost, and Kaipo (a Native), weiic charged under the provisions of the recent amendment of the Police Offences Act, which came into force on October 20th., with what amounts to, in common terms, the offence of "joy riding." Hitherto it was no offence to take a mall's horse or cart or motor car, and go for a ride, unless an attempt was made to convert the "borrowed" property to one's own use. The amended legislation now makes it an offence to take a car or other vehicle or horse and indulge in what is known as "]oy riding." The three men concerned in the case yesterday were found by Constable La Pouple riding about Waitara on the night of November fith in a car belonging to Mr. Alexander, a farmer of Tikorangi, who had come into town to attend a ball. The Native admitted the offence, but the other men pleaded noi guilty. After hearing the evidence the Magistrate convicted and imposed a fine of .10s (with costs) in each case. Mr, Bailey said (hat us the cases were the first of the kind the fine was a light one, but in future he would deal severely with people who helped themselves i 4 o orner people's cars.