$500 judgement by yesterday or face spending the next seven months in prison.

And when John Thomas Paynter asked for an extension in time to pay, Magistrate Edward King asked the man if he really had the "gumption'' to ask for an extension when the fine was originally to be paid by September, 1996.

Paynter, 29, of 47 Middle Road, also pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing cannabis and Rizla cigarette papers on October 18, last year.

Paynter, a construction worker, has two outstanding debts of $750 each from September 1996 and 1998. He has also failed to pay a $500 civil order from March of last year.

Mr. King sentenced Paynter to prison terms of three months, four months, and ten days if the fines and order were not paid by 5 p.m. yesterday.

After ordering that prison sentence, Mr. King heard Paynter was about to be arrested on another matter on October 18 when he dropped a plastic object to the ground.

The contents were later found to be .54 grams of cannabis and the papers were found in his clothes in a search at Hamilton Police Station.

Paynter was ordered to spend 28 days in prison for having the cannabis, and 56 days for possessing the rolling papers.

Mr. King noted for Paynter and the court gallery that Parliament saw people having drug equipment as more evil than drugs themselves.

And he also activated a three-month suspended sentence for assault from last October.

All of the sentences are to run concurrently except the one concerning the four month sentence for the $750 debt from last year.

Mr. King told Paynter: "Sounds good? No? It should, that is a good deal. You have had the gumption to ask for more time to pay for something from 28 months ago.'' He added: "You can't pay Smith's and Stuart's with the same cheque. But you can pay the fines forthwith or go to prison all at the same time.''