WINE CARGO BROACHED

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 95, 15 January 1921, Page 8

WINE CARGO BROACHED

A MONTH’S IMPRISONMENT FOR A WATERSIDE WORKER A waterside worker named John Asher, for whom Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared, was charged at the Magistrate s Court yesterday with stealing a bottle of wino valued at 55.. the property of the Union S.S. Company. The evidence for the prosecution was that on December 10 the s.s. Waipon was discharging cargo, and tho accused, with others, was working in bo. 2 hold. Irederick C. Burgess, claims clerk in the employ of the Union S.S. Co., was standing bv the hatch, and on looking down the hold on the port side he saw accused hiding something behind a sacs ot manure, which was on the port side, lhe wine cargo was on the starboard side. Burgess reported the matter to Detective 0 Tricklebank, and on. an inspection of the hold being made a bottle of wine was found at the spot where Asher was seen biding something. , In his evidence, Asher admitted working the wine cargo, but denied hiding the bottle of wine, or of drinking wine in the hold. . ~ Two other watersiders working in -no hold gave evidence, and denied that the wine cargo had been broached. Ihere were eight mon working in the hold, and there was a sailor on watch, the wine hud been broached, bjit it was contended that the broaching had been done at some other port. When the hold was searched several bottles were found; some wore full and others empty. James Doyle, city inspector, gave Asher a' very good character. Ho stated that Asher went to the war and had served over four years, and had been wounded. The Magistrate (Mr. F. K. Hunt) said he was sorry for Asher, because there was the direct evidence of a man who was there to look out for such offences. If it had not been that Asher had borne a good character he would have sent him to prison for three months, but, in the circumstances, he would be sentenced to a mouth’s imprisonment.