HAWERA.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1921, Page 6

HAWERA.

MAGISTRATE’S COURT. Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M., presided at a sitting of the Hawera Magistrate’s Court yesterday'. Kino Chadwick, who pleaded guilty to a charge of being found on the premises of the Normanby Hotel after hours, was fined £2 and 12s costs. BY-LAW CASES. G. Mortlock (Mr. Spratt) pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving a motor car having the rear number obscured. Mr. Spratt said that the reason he appeared was because the motor garage proprietors felt they were in a peculiar position and wanted a judgment delivered from the Bench to guide them. A client could take his car to a garage for repairs and the proprietor would not pay much attention to the number. The garage people might take the car out for a trial. In this case defendant was driving the car for a trial after effecting repairs, and the owner of the car was seated beside him at the time. The Magistrate, in delivering judgment, said:—“lt is the driver’s duty to see that the registered number of his car is not obliterated. It would be quite easy for Mr. Mortlock to take away the tire which was obscuring the number. The law throws the onus upon the driver to see that his number is not obscured. Defendant will be convicted and ordered to pay costs.” Arthur Spratt, charged with driving a motor car at night without a rear light, was fined 5s and 7s costs. H. J. Eaves, charged with turning a corner on his wrong side, was fined 10s and 13s costs. MAINTENANCE. The application of James McKenzie for a variation of a maintenance order was granted by the remission of the amount in arrears and the alteration of the amount to be paid from 5s to 3s 6d. J. Peters, who was proceeded against for payment of arrears amounting to £8 Ils fid in a maintenance order, was ordered to pay maintenance at the rate of £1 per week and to pay arrears at the rate of 5s per week, in default one month’s imprisonment. AN AGENT’S MISTAKE. Te Kata Thompson (Mr. Spratt) pleaded not guilty to a charge of having held himself out to be a land agent without having a land agent’s license. Sergeant Henry, who prosecuted, said that the defendant had painted on the window of his premises the sign “land agent.” He had been warned eighteen months ago to remove the sign, and had removed another sign on his premises, which said "estate agent,” but had left the words “land agent.” Mr. Spratt said that when Thompson was spoken to his attention was drawn to a large conspicuous sign downstairs, and he had immediately whitewashed that sign. The sign now complained of was a very small one in a window upstairs, and defendant had not endeavored to carry on business as a land agent. The sign had now been obliterated. Defendant was convicted and fined £2 and 12s costs. CIVIL CASES. Judgment for plaintiff by default was given in the following cases: F. Gillanders v. Geo. Clout, £24 19s; Goldstone and Patterson v. H. W. Johnson, £l3 15s; Barton and Taylor v. H. Currie, £1 Is; Loan and Mercantile Company v. —. Zimmerman, £5 Is 9d; Adamson and Robb v. Amaru, £55 7s 3d; R. Tait v. S; Reid, £1 Is. W. O’Brien applied for an order against J. Dennis on a judgment summons for £5 Is 9d. No order was made.