OUR POST OFFICE STATUARY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1519, 15 August 1912, Page 5

OUR POST OFFICE STATUARY.

»- A CUSTOMS CASE- : REVELATIONMN COURT. FULL FINE OF £100(By Tclceranh.-ProEe Aesoclation.) '■< ■ Auckland, August 14. Mr. Selwyn Mnj-g, m-licu outlining at the Police Court this moruiiij; the circumstances surrounding tho charge ngainst William Parkinson, monumental treason, that he had knowingly ■ftttonriited to evado Ciistoms dntics on imported goods,' eaid (hat '• in April last defendant imported, apparently from Great Britain, live cases of statuary, and mado the usual declaration, in which he stated tliat two of tlio live cases contained dressed marble. Dressed lnnrblo was entitled to come into New Zealand at a modified tariff. Tho Customs . aininod tho cases, and found three" of them correct. Tho other two cases enc'lii contained a statno made of some stone other than marble, and carved almost to . tho point of completion. It was ascertained that theso" were statues for , the now Wellington Post Oflice, being the figures "Telegraphy" and "Postal Delivery." Further, it was discovered that Mr. Parkinson's contract specified tho statues to be of BritWh. Portlcmd stone, which was certainly not marbk, and the Btataes for which tlio Government was to bo charged £M each were to bo entirely sculptured in Now Zealand. Tlio Customs Department found that 03 to 00 per cent. ' of tho sculpturing had boon done in Italy.' Mr. Cutlen: If there was a breach of contract it 'has nothing to do with this case.

Mr. Mays: No, but it affects Uio question of penalty. Continuing, jlr. Mays said that, nssuming Uio dcl'emlnut's invoices as to the cases to bo correct, tho total cost of the. two statues, with freight and duty added, and allowing <C3O for the work to be done in New Zealand, was about .£3OO. Ho wns to have boon paid JCIOOO by tho Government. Mr. Cutleii: That has nothing to do with this charge. Mr. Mays replied that his remarks in that connection were intended to moot a suggestion (hat the fine should be reduced from .£101) to .£25.. Tuoro had already been enough mitigation in that tho Minister had sued for JCIOO instead 1 of tho treble valuo of good? plus tho duty. The extra duty defendant whs liable (o if he. had declared, correctly Wα* .£lB 12s. Mr. E. M'Veagh, for defendant, who pleaded "Guilty," stated that defendant's position wa.s an unfortunate one, and his friend had referred to matters . which counsel had little doubt would be dealt with elsewhere, and which should be disregarded by his Worship. . Tho amount of Customs duties involved was email, and the object was not so much to evade Customs. His Worship:' I daresay tho object of it was not to cvado duly, but to hide tho circumstances. AftorMr. M'Vcagh had in requesting mitigation, pointed out that a, plea of "guilty" had been entered,- and tho Department saved tho expense of fighting tho'.case , . • ■ • ■ ■ His Worship said that ha had no doubt of what was tho proper thing for him to do. The Minister had (iho right to proceed for treble tho valuo of tho goods and the duty, or to mo for .£IOO. In this case ho had elected to take the latter course. Tho Court had power lo reduco tho fino of .WOO to not less than Oho quarter. In order to justify any reduction, some circumstances entitling tbo defendant to consideration must ha brought before Uio Court, and none had been brought. There wero no grounds beforp him to justify any reduction, and the full fino of .MOO would bo imposed, with 28s. costs. . ', ~ , ■ '