MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 141, 10 March 1919, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

CHARGE OF PILLAGING CASE AGAINST WATERSIDER DISMISSED A waterside worker named ■ AYilliam John Taylor was charged before Mr.']?. V. Frazor, S.M., at tho Magistrate's. Court on Saturday with having stolen a bottle of beer on tho Corinna on March i.., The valuo of tho bottle, was sot .down at Is. 6d. ' ; Thomas Alexander Anderson, chief officer of the Corinna, said ho saw accused' in. the 'tween decks with a hottlo of beer in his hand. The cork was drawn.' AVitnoss ordered a sailor to throw tho bottlo overboard, arid then went and summoned tho police. lie afterwards taxed accused with having had a bottlo of beer in his hand, and Taylor admitted it. A case in the hold was damaged, and some bottles were broken. "This thing will have to stop," remarkod witness. "It is doing me no good." Mr. O'Leary (accused's counsel): How do you tnean it is'doing you no good? AVitness: I am responsible for the • cargo. Tho Is. Gd. will, not hurt the Union Company, perhaps, but: it hurts ill 1 ). I want to stop this pillaging. Constable Cloverloy produced, a statement made by accused, who said he-no-ticed tho bottlo of beer in tho wings, of tho hold. Ho picked it up', and was looking .at it.when tho chief officer camo along. . In tho courso of his evidence . lavlor eai:l ho was looking at the bottle to see if it was empty or not.- ; He did not know whether tho cork was drawn or not. as lie did not take that much no-, tice of it. It was just when lie. was intending'to draw the attention of a sailor to tho bottle that the mate.came down tho ladder. "I can't drink beer," said accused, "and thero is not a mail in Wellington who has seen me drink beer in my life." , I': tho course of cross-examination by 'Acting-Sub-Inspector Emerson, accused admitted that he had partaken of' a "shhndv" a fow days ago- , , His 'Worship: What is your explanation of an opened bottlo? "■ Accused: I have no explanation to moke. I did not know whether it' was full or empty. His AVorship said that i)l though there was a strong suspicion in tho case, .Vet accused's story was not unreasonable. "It comes to this," lie said, "if I. were a betting man I'd put my money on the chief officer."

Accused: I think you'd lose, sir. His Worship: "Well, as this is a case where I cannot go in for betting, but have to decide according to the law, I Will giyp you the benefit of the doubt, as I don't think the charge is. proved v.t> to the hilt. But if I wero you I would; bo very careful in future in picking up a bottle of beer which might-'be; lying about the hold. You had better report to tho chief officer first. _ • The information was dismissed. A man named Archibald "\Yest was remanded for a week on a cliargo of stealing two toii3 of slack, valued at £3, tho property of the Westpoit Coal Company. Bail was allowed in tho sum of

,£25. • * Two sailors, Eric Christeiison anil Walter Albert Birkett, pleaded guilty to having heen absent from the Port Hacking without leave, and were eacli fined £2, with 7s. costs, in default seven days' detention. Several first offenders for insobriety were dealt with.