WHOLESALE PILLAGING OF LIQUOR CARGO

Chronicle (Levin), 7 November 1947, Page 7

WHOLESALE PILLAGING OF LIQUOR CARGO

WELLINGTON, Nov. 1. Wliat wai- .]f>crilic«l as ihe wliole>al" pillaging uf part oi" tlie liquor between Australia aiul Xew Zea1; ii • 1 , icil lo lice meiubors of the crew ainl oue oi' tlio odiccrs of the King Janies appearing in the Magist rate V, Cunrt today. Basil Fivderb'k Goudwin, aged 1.' 1, third oliiicr oi 1 he sliip, was eharged with rec.-i \ i ji j_ t\'.o liottle.s of rain \alued at 6s Titi. Wiifred ( 'lui rehill, aged iif> , sliip's (•arpculor, uas eharged tliat on Septom- £ I nn ihe high seas between ^ydney ami Wellington he stole eight casecontnining !"'• botlles of assorted liipmrs \alued at £26 l"s. Douglas dolui Shailer, aged -7. Kd ward laidvM'.i, aged 18, Ali'red James Unison, aged 22, and Ivan Lawrence i'attnian. aged 21, all seanten from tlu' .* ■ ' i p . Hih jointly eharged that on Si'pt enih-r -Ii > at Wellington they stole se\en ea -es coniaining M hnttles of as Mirti'd li'piois vaiued at £.'11 Is. Ail !h-' accuaed pleaded guilty. Detei'tivo-Sergeant McPhee said when tiie sliip diseharged at Wellington it was t'onnd that 26 ea^es oi li«(U(ii- and four eases of.display hottles. wero mis-ing. Thirteen meinbers of tlie crcw weie respnnsible but the offeneos oi M'O'-i iaet.jlii'r.s oi-curred in Sydnev a n ! -o did not eonir under the jurisdlction of tlie Yew Zealand Court. The pillaging was eoamion knowledge ainon, laeaioer- oi' the erew except for tio- liigln-r olticeis. Oue night Churchill went into ihe Indd and worked ali niglii to licing ni> the eight cases in re-pe'-l of uhich he was eharged. When t ! i f » shij) herthod at Wellington in- .uade •irrangenients with two locai einplo;. iM-s for reino\ ing the 96 botlles frotu these -a-e. in ir.ail bags. Tliis o'Ve'K*.. had been deteeted and Chnrchill wa; lined £.")!) an l eaeb of thc etnj'ioyees £l(i. tor sniuggling liquor iuto the cfiri'ry. ' barrhill had said at the iieie 'ha! he bnughl it in Australia. t 'hiin-hill had already served tlirue w-eks in prison in default of his iine. Ile had worked on his own in eonneetion -\it!i th" theft of these eight cases. H» liad ]irevinnsly hcen convicted 0: pillaging on thc lirst night in port. Thc other meinbers of the erew eharged. togethei with the thinl niate, Goodwiu, dccided they would steal sonuv liquor. As they were going to the hold Goodwin elianged his luind and returned .o liis cahin. The rest stole seven ease* frotn the hold. stored six in the lazaret and drank oue in the mess. Goodwin cante into the niess and was given two hottles of rnm by Hndson and it was in respect of these bottle.s that he was eharged. During the night

"Churchill discovered the cases in tlio lazaret and took tliein to the afterpeak from where tlioy had been recovered. Xone of the prisoners had anythim; to say, exfept Churchill who said he had money to pay the balance of hi> iine and wished to return to Australia to det'end a divorce. Ile " inore o: less" took ihe cargo to get money tc light the divorce. M r. A. AI. Clouldiug, 8.M., said the.i as (loodwin was a sliip's offi'-er lnwould iine him niore heavily than the others. Goodwin was iined £15. Churchill was convicted and diseharged, the Alagistrate reniarking that he had already been punished foi .-ubstantially the same offence. Kaeh of the other prisoners was tined £10 Immediate payment was ordered in ab cases in default six weeks' gaol. "I would not hesitate to send these men to prison but we don 't want tc kccp theni in Xew Zealand," tlu .Magistrate remarked.