MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 July 1943, Page 2

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

SITTING IN MASTERTON THEFT OF PETROL. ACCUSED FINED £lO. The fortnightly sitting of the Masterton Magistrate's Court was held this morning. Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., was on the Bench. Jack Redding was charged with the theft of seven gallons of petrol. “Stealing is bad at any time. It is doubly bad when the goods stolen are rationed or -so essential as petrol. If you were a year older you would be sent to gaol,” said Mr Lawry, who fined Redding £lO. George C. Byrne was fined £3 and 12s costs for having had liquor in his possession near a dance hall. A. W. Grigson (Mr D. L. Taverner) was fined £2 and 12s costs for opeiating a motor car which had a defective footbrake. Charged with operating motor cars without current drivers’ licences H. H. Pavitt, H. W. Mullis, A. G. Ludlow, J. W. Milner, A. H. Falloon and D. J. Keats were each fined 10s and 10s costs. J. McCreary was fined 15s and 10s costs for having parked a car longer than the 45 minute limit in Queen Street. The Borough Traffic Inspector, Mr J. McGregor, who prosecuted in all the above traffic cases, said McCreary's car was parked outside the Midland Hotel when General Freyberg was visiting Masterton. A breakdown waggon was required to remove the car. B. J. Kelleher (Mr Taverner) pleaded not guilty to a charge of having permitted stock to wander on the main highway at Opaki. The case was dismissed. Transport (Wairarapa) Ltd. were charged with having operated an unlicenced passenger service. Mr J. Macfarlane Laing appeared for the company. Inspector Milne said the company had run a bus to Solway for a patriotic gathering. Mr Laing submitted that a large crowd had to be conveyed to the showgrounds from town. The company had provided a service which was in the interests of the patriotic gathering. “It was a service in the extent to which it helped Transport Wairarapa by the fares collected," said Mr Milne. Mr Laing asked that the charge be dismissed as trivial. He said it was most difficult to get into touch with a responsible officer of the Transport Department in Wellington who could give a decision. The borough traffic inspector had given his permission to run the bus. Mr Lawry said if he dismissed the case it would mean that anyone could run a bus. If the company paid 10s costs it would meet the technical breach.