BUSINESS FIRMS’ LOSSES

Southland Times, Issue 24826, 19 August 1942, Page 4

BUSINESS FIRMS’ LOSSES

Pillaging Of Goods (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 18. More severe penalties for pillaging offences and stricter supervision of goods throughout New Zealand were suggested by members of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at a special .meeting held to discuss the increase in the pillaging of cargo in recent months. Instances of pillaging both of New Zealand and overseas goods were given by representatives of various Christchurch firms. The meeting decided to ask the Associated Chambers to approach the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, Minister in charge of the police, and point out that the position was desperately urgent and ask for severe penalties and stricter supervision.

The president of the chamber, Mr C. S. Hammond, said pillaging had assumed alarming proportions and concerned the whole of New Zealand. It seemed to have developed into the nature of an organized effort. The representative of a wholesale warehouse firm said they had 26 cases of pillaging in eight months. Mr D. E. Dott, of Millers Ltd., said his firm had five cases of pillaging in the last 10 days of goods manufactured in New Zealand. Mr G. H. McLean, district traffic manager of the Railways Department, said a lot went on in Wellington for which Christchurch and Lyttelton were blamed. The present overseas shipping system put a lot of goods for the South Island at Wellington, where they lay for weeks in the Harbour Board’s stores. Inter-island goods also lay for a long time in the sheds there. The representative of another firm said that in three months they had lost £257 worth of goods. All the consignments except one were from overseas ships. The majority were silk hosiery. His shipping clerk considered that transhipment from Wellington was largely to blame. A representative of Beath and Company said that in the last six months his firm had claims for pillaging totalling £627. The largest was £l7B for hosiery. All were consignments from overseas boats. Ten , cases of hosiery were landed in one instance and three cases of silk stockings were pillaged and seven cases of woollen hose were left.