CARGO PILLAGING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1750, 15 May 1913, Page 5

CARGO PILLAGING.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS BY A ■WORKER. i (By Telegraph.—Presa Association.! Auckland, May U. A seaman charged with tlieft made a rather startling statement in the Police Court this morning respecting the practices adopted by some of the waterside workers in Auckland.' Joseph Brooks, aged 30, admitted a charge that on April 23 he stole from Hie steamer Navna twelve slip-bodices, valued at ,£3, the property of some person unknown. Chief' Detective M'Mahon said : that. Brooks was a seaman on the Navua. and on tlie occasion in (|iiestion was ineharge of one of Iho holds when the ship w*as being loaded. As ouo of the cases was being lowered into the hold it was damaged, and several of the waterside workers engaged, in the hold, seeing the case damaged, 16i~o oil' some of the damaged boards with their dog-hooks. and camo across a cardboard box containing slipbodiecs. The box was taken, and some of (lie slip-bodiccs were given to Brooks, who accepted them wit bout saving anything of the matter. He concealed the bodices below, but when the ship reached Suva, where natives were engaged in the hold discharging cargo, l'.e found tint the concealed slip-bodices had been taken. The police were unable to sheet the matter home to any other person. Brooks should have reported the matter, but if an officer had. come to the hold and mads infjuiries it would have become known wl:o had reported the matter, and the man's life would not have been worth much. It was for that reason that, the police experienced great ditficulty in sheeting heme such cases.. There was nothing mo's l:n<vvu against Brooks, who had a need rccord as a seaman. Asked if-be had anything to . say, Brooks raid it was high time the comnanv officers to take clinr : ?<? of Iho holds instead of seamen. Wharf workers in the hold, he said, simply laughc at th" seamen. If n man want up to tell nn cfiif.T about the matter of nillaging, th? men in the Inld would iust fix up the a«?nin. and dnny everything. He had {old the watersiilers lint to do an.vtliin" wren 7. because ho would be responsible' and tliev liail iust turned round ! and 'laugl'ed, at Mr". Th •-re'were 1509 i men on the wharf in Auckland, .and if lie gill anv of them fined rr into trouble by renortiir' them he would have to clear oil. 1 of Auckland, and kesp out. Mr. E. C. Cut ten, R.M.. said that if the fncts wit before him were correct ac-iMi-cd look part in a very serious crime from want of raurare. 1; was obvious tint, it would have been better had lie taken all the risks involved ami done Ills duly lii'.cl T the circumstances, lie had been nfr-sid !o gel into trouble with his r-Kofiemlers. but nor that he was in thai un-iticu. ami bad told the whole slory, lie would be i" iusf ik much' J rouble with tiiem as if he had done his duty franklv and honestly at first. Kis Worship added that he could not takn into cAnsid-rotiou th' l prisoner's moral and physical weakness as a reason for refraining from imnosing the usual punishment for the erime, and Brooks would prob»bh" be better protected by being punis'-'-d in th« ordinary way than if lin wor» b'l go. He would b? convicted and sentenced l« one month's imprisonment vriih hard labour.