“SABOTAGE” CASE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20913, 13 October 1942, Page 2

“SABOTAGE” CASE

PETROL_FRAUDS I, GALLONS A MONTH PERIOD OF TWO YEARS (P.A.) NAPIER, this day. “To my mind it is a case of sabotage.” commented the magistrate, Mr. J. H. Miller, in the Napier court in convicting a native, Whui Carroll, a married man with 12 children, op three charges of obtaining toil fuel otherwise than for the purposes set out in applications made to the oil fuel controller. Carroll was' sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on the first two charges, the sentences to be cumulative and fined £3O on the third charge. The defendant pleaded guilty.' Detective Sergeant K. Mills, for the prosecution, said that between January 5 and June 30 Carroll drew no less than 911 gallons of petrol, allegedly to cut and haul firewoqd. On his own admission the total quantity used for this purpose 'was sufficient to cut only 30 cords of \yood, estimated bv himself to be 15 gallons. On his own estimate he had misused 896 gallons since the beginning of the year. Detective Sergeant Mills said that on October 24, 1941, Carroll was granted a license for 50 gallons of petrol for cutting and hauling firewood at Fernhill. Again in November, 1941, he was granted a license for 132 gallons. It was ascertained from Carroll that he actually used 155 gallons for woodcutting, 27 gallons being used for other purposes. He admitted giving some petrol to three other men. During December, 1941. Carroll became ilL'and did hot cut any further firewood. On January 5 he made an application and was granted a license tor 132 gallons of petrol and on February 17 was granted a further license for 251 gallons of fuel. On April 1 he was granted 176 gallons and on May 11 and June 2 similar amounts were granted. Asked For Increase It would be noticed, said Detective Sergeant Mills, that the defendant was charged with offences relating to April, May, and June, 1941, although the facts disclosed offences over a longer period. However, the time limit for laying informations had expired and the defendant could not be charged with the other offences,, He added that Carroll wrote to the controller asking that his license be increased to 352 gallons a month. At that time he was receiving 176 gallons a month. As a result of the letter. Traffic Inspector C. J. Robinson arranged with Carroll to visit the scene of the wood cutting and check the petrol consumption. Carroll then discovered that he had an urgent appointment in Wairoa and failed - tq keep tffe appointment. Later he was arrested in Clive and maejq a confession that he liad used much qf the petrol for his own running about arid had given away some 250 gallons. Continuing, Detect,ive Sergeant Mills said that Carroll on April 16 was granted a disability pension of £llO a year for total disability. During the period from April to June, Carroll drew 528 gallons of petrol, allegedly to cut and haul firewood, yet he was in receipt of a pension for total disability and was certified to be unfit for any manual work. Carroll had stated that he knew that the petrol was not going to be used for wood cutting and had adopted thqse taetjes as they were a good way of getting petrol. “Worst Case of its Kind”

Detective Sergeant Mills said to the magistrate: “I might say, sir, that it is undoubtedly the worst case of its kind to come .before the court in this district and I doubt if a more serious case has occurred in New Zealand up to the present time.” . . Mr. E. V. Simpson, counsel fpr the defendant said that the case Would have been worse had it been a European involved. Mr. Simpson dwelt on the communal ways of the Maoris and said that Carroll was uneducated and had no real sense of figures." He had no lorry of his own and borrowed vehicles from relatives. The defendant did not see anything' wrong in giving petrol to the men he borrowed the lorries from.

Mr. Simpson said be could not understand the controller granting Petrol to a Maori not in business and with no vehicles of his own. .Garroll had been lulled into a sense of security through the ease with which he obtained the petrol. Mr. Miller said the fact that a native should obtain large quantities of petrol .to be frittered away was a matter for the authorities to look into and,, if necessary, the regulations should be tightened up. Carroll not only received a large quantity of petrol, but had the impudence to ask that it be increased. Other Men Charged

Subsequently, three natives, Kore Tunua, of Fernhill, Broughtbn David Edwards, of Bridge Pah, and Dudley Cyril August, of Waimarahja, were charged with breaches of the oil fu.el regulations. Detective Sergeant Mills said that the defendants loaned trucks to Carroll and obtained petrol on Carrol’s license. Mr. Simpson, for the defendants, said that the defendants obtained petrol from Carroll in payment for the loan of the trucks. Carroll, in evidence, said he pad filled the tanks of the trucks for the defendants when he had been returning them. He had filled tanks holding 10 gallons on five occasions for each defendant. Mr. Simpson said that the offence was Carroll’s, not the defendants. Mr. Miller said that the petrol was obtained under the terms of Carroll’s license. The defendants could not accept petrol instead of money. “If people did that we would have no petrol in the country in no .time,” Said Mr. Miller. Tuna was convicted and fined £lO and August and Edwards were fined £2O each.