No head for drinking
On June 19 1950 South Waikato farmer Victor Albert Lofroth travelled to Putaruru for a stock sale. It was a bitterly cold day and he had skipped breakfast.
At the conclusion of his business Lofroth was prevailed upon by friends to join them in a visit to the local hotel.
He was far from a seasoned drinker.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Loforth was later to claim that he could not distinguish between a sherry and low percentage order such as a shandy.
After downing four sherries on a empty stomach, allegedly in the belief that the fortified wine was a ‘‘light’’ imbibing option, Loforth set out for home.
In his own estimation the journey began well.
He managed to exit the town without incident, negotiating passage past a group of children on bicycles, avoiding collision.
It was on the open road that his driving became somewhat irregular.
At his subsequent trial a multitude of excuses were proffered for this.
The alcohol could potentially have played a part but there was also the small matter of sun in his eyes as he drove toward Tirau and his injured toe which caused him to walk with a limp.
When a traffic inspector pulled Loforth over he had been driving erratically for some time, mostly on the wrong side of the road.
He managed to stop the vehicle but when the inspector opened its door the merry driver fell directly upon the ground.
His eyes were glazed and his gait displayed a pronounced stagger, no doubt as a consequence of his toe injury, perhaps one acquired in the late war.
The time of Loforth’s arrest was 4.22pm.
By 5.15pm, when inspected by a doctor at a police station, it was determined that he was ‘‘in a fit condition to be in charge of a motor vehicle’’.
The sitting magistrate was inclined toward leniency. Imposing a fine 10 pound plus costs, together with a 12 month cancellation of licence, Mr. J. H. Luxford remarked that ‘‘it was not a bad case if accused, when examined an hour later, could be given a clean sheet’’.