BUYING FROM SAILORS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 17, 15 October 1942, Page 6

BUYING FROM SAILORS

Evidence Of Practice On Wharves

CASE AGAINST FOREMAN

Evidence that it was a common practice. for waterside workers to buy all 'kinds of goods from tlie crews of overseas vessels without inquiring where and how the goods bad been obtained was given in the Supreme Court, 'Wellington, yesterday when Robert James Smith, foreman stevedore, aged 39. was charged, with t'he theft of two lolts of suiting valued at £l4ll/1/1, or with receiving them knowing lliem to be stolen. The offence was alleged to have occurred from the hold of a shqi of the Federal Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. Air. Justice Blair presided. Mr. W. 11. Cuiiiiiiighaui conducted tlie egr-e for the Crown and Air. R. 1. Al. Sutherland represented accused. After an ull-day hearing the case wits adjourned lid this morning.

Francis Joseph Aliller, woollen merchant. identified samples taken from a loose bolt oi suiting found in tlie hold us the same as malerial he had ordered, 'iiiere would be no oilier material the same as that in New Zealand, us tlie orders were exclusive to him. To bis Honour, lie said that it would not be easy to identify the ease as one containing suiting. The bolt of matcriiil in the bold was intact, but slightly greasy. The dillieulty oi' carrying unytuing up the ladder giving access to the hold concerned wits mentioned by Kenneth Alexunder Martin, shipping clerk. During the four years the accused hud been with liie company lie had been found to be a competent foreman, skid witness. John Aiills, watchman, said it would be iiiipossible for anyone to carry anything up the tilt-foot ladders from the hold without being seen. There was iiiucli damaged cargo-and a considerable number of loose articles was found m tlie hold. , , The offer of a suit-length by Smith was described by Harold Grantham, stevedore, who said lie had keen told later by accused that it came from an overseas vessel. Details of articles of men s and women's clothing made from suiting found when tlie police searched Smith s home were given by Detective AV. .1, Hedley. Smit'li told the police he had bought the suit-length from a man on the wh.ut, Cross-examined by Mr. Sutherland, Detective M’. Harper said no trace had been found of the rest of tlie material missing, about. .120 yards. Accused in evidence stiid lie was offered suiting on June 3 ail’d bought five lengths for £lO. lie understood it had come from one of tlie sailors who had goods tor sale on every' ship that came to port. ' Two foremen stevedores, M illiam Henderson and Charles Aluiui, testified to buying goods such as silk stockings, from members of the crews of overseas vessels.