CHARGE DENIED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 23, 27 July 1939, Page 11

CHARGE DENIED

BREAKING AND ENTERING

ALLEGED

A denial that he had broken and entered the Dixon Street depot of ! Barton Ginger and Co., Ltd., on June ■21 and committed theft was made in the Supreme Court by Thomas Gordon, a taxi-driver, aged 31, whose trial was continued today. He admitted, however, that he had converted a van to his own use. The Crown allegaI tion was that a safe was stolen, taken to Ngahauranga Gorge, and blown open. In.his address to the jury Mr. M. G. Neal, for the prisoner, said that the safe, which could not have been moved, on the evidence, by one man, certainly could not have been lifted by the accused, who had only one hand. The case was heard by Mr. Justice Reed and a jury. Mr. W. H. Cunningham conducted the prosecution. The jury retired at 11.24 today. It~was stated, by officials that the apparatus was to be used only in an emergency, and it was not expected that there would be any need to bring men off the ship by that method, says the "Wanganui Herald." The breeches buoy will, however, provide easy communication with the ! shore should it *be found necessary, and will be available for the transport of articles from the ship to the shore, and for the exchange of messages when other methods are not available. The gear was set up by . about 30 men. A rocket was fired 1 from the Port Bowen with a line, with i which the main line was hauled across to the beach.