PILFERING ON WHARVES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2113, 22 June 1907, Page 1

PILFERING ON WHARVES.

That pilfering is still carried on in Wellington was amply proved by tlio results of enquiries made by a “Post” representative on Saturday. The representatives of tlil'eo of the largest ■hipping concerns in New Zealand

were questioned and the reply received from each party was the same—that jliieving is still going on. The manager of the first shipping company call'd oil declared emphatically that the hief was doing a big businesss, in /roof of which he produced a volumin>us bundle of correspondence wliicl solely-of claims for moderate aims on account of thefts. The items

Maimed for comprised tobacco, sweets, alley silk, . jewellery, ladies’ wearing ippa nil, goloshes, boots; medicine.

"igars, pipe's, cartridges, Scott’s emnl:ion, sardines,, schnapps, tea, soap, • lid other miscellaneous articles i’hese goods, were extracted from packages in spite of every precaution 'laving been taken by shippers. The ■opresentative of the second company ulnritted that his firm was bearing the loss as cheerfully as it could. He was of opinion that the thieving at his end was of a petty nature. The mg hauls were made in the English ■.ticks. He had seen some smart work lone at Home. For instance a piece of . wood had been chiselled out' of a ease.,and put back so carefully after the goods had been extracted that the tampering could only he noticed on ;thp .closest scrutiny/ At AVellington ;neu did not have .the time to do fine work of .this kind. Claims for small losses were always being received by n*s company. “Wc have clone everyin our power to put a stop to pilfering,” concluded the shipping represeutative, “but it is difficult to catch a. mail in the act, and when t 'Case is brought before the Court the ■fine, is so reasonable that it does not act, as a deterrent to others. If the magistrate would adopt strong measures thieving would be minimised if not stopped altogether. ”

~ . * heard they had got him, and thinking as how a help in hand was worth htteeu. in the busli, I went to Help him out, hut instead they helped me,’in,” was the explanation of a inanj who was fined for intoxication at Northampton, Ho went to the police station to bail out.liis brother-in-law. '