ELTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1922, Page 8

ELTHAM.

MAGISTRATE’S COURT. THEFT ADMITTED. [ (From Our Own Correspondent.) July 17. The fortnightly sitting of the'Magistrate's Court was held at Eltham today, before Mr. A. M. Mowlem, S.M. Herbert Hodgson, of Rawhitiroa, was charged with stealing 12 sheepskins, 5 calfskins, and a bag of horsehair, the property of W. Thorpe. Mr. T. B. Crump appeared for accused, who pleaded guilty, and elected to be dealt with summarily. Constable Townsend said Hodgson came into Eltham on Saturday, July 8, and had apparently had some drink. He slept, he had said, in a bootmaker’s shop. During the night he went to Thorpe's yards .and took the horsehair and skins, which he later sold to Wilson and Canham. He took more the next night and disposed of them similarly. The total amount he received for the goods was £3 6s. Accused had been previously declared an habitual criminal and was regularly reporting to the police, and this matter would have to be referred to the Prisons Board.

Mr. Crump said the accused had proved a hard working man for the past eighteen months. The accused’s license expired in November, and had not the present unfortunate incident happened his good behaviour would probably have resulted in his free discharge from the license. The magistrate said the license included a provision that a prohibition order should be consented to by Hodgson. Had this expired? Mr. Crump said an order had been taken out, but it had not been renewed. The magistrate said this in itself was a breach of the license.

Accused was convicted and ordered to come up for judgment when called upon on the condition that he immediately applied for a prohibition order against himself. BY-LAW CASES. Gregor D. MacGregor, charged with riding a bicycle on the footpath, did not appear, but sent 10s into Court. He was fined 3s, with costs 7s. Joseph Hurley man. of Kaponga, for driving a dray at night without lights, was fined £2, with costs 7s. John Notter and David Zimmerman, of Kaponga, for driving vehicles without lights, were each fined £2, with costs 7s. and Amelia Mathews, for a similar offence, was fined 10s and costs 7s. STRAYING CATTLE. Seven Eltham residents were charged with allowing cattle to wander on the public streets. For allowing cattle to wander L. Donnelly. Herbert Glentworth, John Chamberlain, and Joseph Towers were each fined 5s and costs 7s, ana William G. Dempsey, Walter C. Clement and F. H. Morgan were each fined 10s and costs 7s. In imposing these penalties the magistrate said the excuses advanced by some of the defendants were of no effect. as a man kept stock .at his own peril. It was his duty, and his alone, to see that they were confined within proper limits.