MAGISTERIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2470, 7 April 1909, Page 6

MAGISTERIAL.

; TUESDAYg APRIL 6.

(Before Mr W. A. Barton, S.M.) fc: . HORSE STEALING. Eru Papuni, who pleaded guilty on .Monday to a charge of horse-stealing at Tokomaru, was brought forward for sentence. His Worship said the prisoner’s .past history, up to the time of committing the offence, was good and he would ha admitted to probation for 12 months. The prisoner was also ordered, to pay Jss 6d the costs of the prosecution Vithlih 3-mo*nths. ' T 'j, DRUNKENNESS. Two first offenders, who admitted having taken an over supply of liquor, were sfined 5a with costs 2s in default 24 hours’ imprisonment.

OBSENE LANGUAGE. .'Dennis O’Meara was'charged with drunkenness and with using obsene lan-. outage on Monday, April sth. The accused pleaded guilty to both charges and was fined £1 with 2s costs, in default 4 days’ imprisonment for beincr drunk, and was sentenced to oO days’ imprisonment in the Gisborne gaol for using the obscene language. DRUNK IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE George Sutherland pleaded guilty to 'being drunk in a railway carriage on the Te Kardka railway, and was hned 10s with 24s costs. INFECTED SHEEP. The Agricultural Department, through •W H Ross, Inspector of Stock, proceeded against James L. Perry and H. W.- Barker for exposing infected sheep for sale at the Matawhero sale yards. Mr Nolan appeared for Perry and said the sheep had been dipped before being taken to the yards. Mr Stock appeared for Mr Barker, but offered no defence. Both deiendants were fined £2 with costs is. ORCHARD PESTiS. . The Agricultural Department • proceeded against A. H. Clark, Almon Clements, J. Cooper, W. Johnston, Stephen Tiddell. Albert Ilemmg, J . H. Norcross and W. C. Walsli for failing to take proper means to eradicate pests from their orchards. . . , Mr Nolan appeared for the Agncmtural Department and said that it was desired that the pests should be kept down; and while it was not desired that heavy penalties should be inflicted m these cases, orcliardists. should be shown that pest must be eradicated. He. doubted very much if there was any locMlv crown fruit free from pests, and it was”useless for one orcliardist to combat the evil if his neighbor was mdrf--1 "Messrs "Walsh, Clark, Fleming anil ■Liddell and J. Cooper-were fined £1 each with £1 10s costs, and the ca,£, yfainst J. H. Norcross was withdrawn. Stephen Liddell did not appear in answer to the charge, and oil the ev’dence ■of Orchard-Inspector Easom, a c°niULrtion was recorded and a fine of £1 uitu \ W. Johnston pleaded not guilty to iu and evidence was given by pc ?o? Easom that the orchard avg dlv inflicted. Various notices had Men served on defendant to clear the .pests, and remedies recommended *o tU Tho defendant said he had been usxncr sprays all through the winter and the summer. His trees were very old, •and lie had cut the infected trees down, and on’v left the young trees standing. Codlin moth. would almost anywhere, even in old clothe*. r • - . A conviction was entered arid dexendant was fined £1 with costs £1 lo*. CLAIM FOR MAINTENANCE. £ Mary Godfrey (Mr Blair) sued John Godfrey (Mr Coleman) for arrears of maintenance, the sum of £l2 being m arrears on an order already m foice, Mr Coleman said the cleieiulant ua* .short of-money at.presentj but expected to be in funds m about a foitni-Ab t; m p. He asked that an adjourn mein be granted to allow defenoant to obtain some money to meet the ordei.^ Mr Blair said the defendant had not paid anything since February last. The wmount of the order was only £1 a *reck and if defendant would undertake -to find the money within a week he wouul consent to an adjournment. The case was adjourned for two weeks to al,ou •the defendant to pay £lO in reduction of the amount.

. . FURIOUS DRIVING. John Fester pleaded not guilty to a eharee of iuvious driving at Te Karaka Vh - March Bth. Dr J. C. Collins said that on the date in question he was mo-, tbrino- near Te Karaka and heard the accused calling out to him. He sowed down the car and the accused came up and said be would race witness to le Karaka. 'Witness again put the car in motion and defendant galloped his horse at the side of the car, and -hen tried to block the roadway. He spoke , to the defendant- at Te Karaka. and was informed by accused tht he had a* mucu 'rioht-to the ro-,d as lie (witness) hacl. The defendant was drunk at the time. K-\lrsi Collins gave similar evidence. ' Constable Doyle said that he saw die defendant on the night of the occurrence, and tlie accused was under the influence of /drink. . The'defendant said he was walking his horse along the grass and the motor car came up behind him and frightened the horse, causing it to bolt at full gallop. He galloped alongside the motor car to get the horse used to the ear. When Constable Doy.e spoke to him he said he had not interfered with Dr Collins;in any way. • . , . | William John Barlow said that, he knew defendant’s horse, and the aminal was much afraid of motor cars. Defendant had to take a side street until witness’s-car went past in one cccosHis Worship said he was satisfied that the offence had been wilfully committed •and a fine of £2 with costs 11s would be Inflicted. QUARTERLY RETURNS. The following retudns, prepared by the Deputy-Clerk, Mr J. Dawson, show th"- business transacted at the yi<ig--> trate’s Court' for the quarter ending March 31st. . , , _ , - Number of sittings presided over bj ,n S.M., 56;. by Justices of toe 1 eace, 16 j total/ 72. CIVIL MATTERS. / / ; Number of civil cases-heard by 5.M.,. :Tl2 ; by J;’sß.. 25 ;total. 167.- ■'• Aggregate sued-for £o6po <-.1. ;• Aggregate • amount . recovered --10/. - 'Number of i applications-hoard. m. [Court or Chambers .9; Pfders ,8 , to hunts entered, 2/1; thstress issued"'' 15V iudgment.. summonses; is£, Sum. ordera made summonses, IT; vaxrants of coniffif - Ksuedi;; 2 t summonses , aiul ; oth-i pt MS Trrved, by the bailiff .and assist, Sf within 2 miles,-133; digress warrants . executed by the bailiff aj4 - - kist ant s within .2 miFn, . -o.- J- > A .•• ■ warn,ants .os. committal ,e\e-

Amount of civil fees paid in stamps £229. 9s Bd. " * ” Old Age Pensionsgranted, 34; refused, 1; pending, 3. CRIMINAL MATTERS. Persons taken into _ custody, summoned or apreliended: 259 males, 9 females. ' Discharged for want of prosecution or evidence: 24 males, 1 female. Dismissed on merits: 3 males. Committed . for trial or sentence: 5 males,* 1 female. ‘ . * Numbers :summarily convicted: 22 1 males, 7 females. Fine, 33 males.; imprisoned in lieu or fine-or surety, 140 males, 2 females. Peremptory irn prison rii'e nt, 6 males, x female. Bound over with or without sureties, 2 males, 1 female. V Orders made, 40 males, 1, female. Convicted . and discharged with caution,; 6 males, 2 females, - . ~ . Amount of criminal fees paid in stamps, £33 Os Gd; amount of fines paid in stamps, £193 16s 6d; total, £226 17s. ' " LOCAL BODIES REVENUE. A statement of all fees; fines and" penalties payable to local bodies collected during tike quarter (Gisborne Borough Council): For cycling on footpaths (7 cases), £4; driving without lights (1 case), 10s; driving quickly round corners (1 case), 10s; bathing without costumes (2 cases),’los; faillire to -provide proper receptacles for rubbish (5 cases), £1 2s ; total, £6 12s. A COMPARISON. Compared with the corresponding quarter- of last year the returns show a decrease, in criminal cases, but an increase in civil business. For: the March quarter 1908 the number of criminal cases dealt with was 292 males and 24 female, as against 259 males and 9 females last quarter. The number of civil cases heard last quarter was 167, an increase of 48 on the number for the same period last year. - This year’s return shows a very substantial increase in the aggregate amount sued for. During the 1908 March quarter the amount sued for was £1740 9s lid, and the aggregate amount recovered was £1279 7s sd, whereas the figures for the last quarter were £3635 17s 8d (aggregate amount sued for) and £2107 18s 3d (aggregate amount) recovered. The amount of revenue collected on account of the Borough Council for breaches of bye-laws shows a decrease this year by almost half. During tlm first quarter of 1908 the amount collected was £l3, most of which was made up of fines for cycling on footpaths. Last quarter the amount collected was £6 12s. ■ '