NO "DEAD HEADS" ALLOWED.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 24 April 1919, Page 3

NO "DEAD HEADS" ALLOWED.

The practice of stowing away on Australian-bound and other ships is less common since the case O'Connor v, the Union S.S Co, was decided. Michael O'Connor was one of a party of stowaways from •■ Wellington to Sydney. En route, unluckily for the men in hiding, they were discovered, and on arrival at Sydney were sent back to N.Z by the next boat. O'Connor got three months' hard for leaving this country without a permit. He was also convicted as a stowaway and ordered to pay £9, the boat fare to and from Sydney. He refused —and got another month. The Company admitted taking £28 14s Id from him when he was found on the steamer, but counter-claimed for £9, plus 15/ goods supplied, and paid £19/4/9 into Court. Mike pleaded that having " done time " for stowing away he was released from

further liability, and he sued the Company for the money taken from him. Judgment went for plaintiff for £9/4/8 in excess of the amount paid into Court and 36/- costs, and judgment was entered for the Company for £9/4/8 and costs 24/. Thus poor Michael not only had to pay for his little tiip to Sydney and back, but had to serve four weeks in gaol as well. The custom in the past has been to make stowaways work their passages, and let it go at that. In view of what happened to Mike O'Connor there will, I repeat, probably be fewer stowaways than heretofore. Plainly the game isn't worth the candl*.