MEAT THIEVES CAUGHT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3451, 3 April 1920, Page 2

MEAT THIEVES CAUGHT.

“I V\’.=\S CzX'UGH'l‘——'l‘HA'l"S ALL!’

DISHONES’I‘ EMI:‘LOYEES FINED 4

The theft. of two pieces of 11u1t1iv..r.-1 was the cause of Albert Trembath and Patrick Joseph .é‘«czu11011 xnaking their appeurzulee on 'l‘uesday morning in the Wellington Magistl'ate’s Court before Mr E. Pagt’, S. M. The accused were employed by the New Zealund CO-operative Bacon all(l2\leat Paelting Company at their Ngah:lurauga. works. Trenlbath was found in possession of a piece of meat Valued at 2/, and Seanlon :1 piece valued at 2/6, the property of their employers.

Chief-Detect-ive Ward_. who prosocutcd, stated". that a consideralrlc amount of petty thieving‘ had been going on at the company’s Works at

NgahzLul".ulg:l, and in consequence of it .conxplal]n,W, Detective-Sc-11ge.a,nt ~.-\_al and Deteffivc Terrence went out to Ngahauranga on Mouclay Iu make an investiga-fion. A batch of .~"xtoeu men were .5:-en lc2l'villg .-he works, and the dc1"'e1u1:111ts were found \\";tTl meat in I‘hcil' pu.<s(:s::i{m. Ot'uo'.' "men also had Ineat, hm" they got rid of it before the klol'L‘.(fTiVL‘.S could accost them.

‘The nmgistrate (10 Sc.:ull<.m): 1-lave you anything to say why you took the meat‘?

ficanlonz I was caught taking it, 11131" all.

In ans\vev.' to the Court, Trcmbath stated that he was unable to say anyfhing that would be it; his favour.

Cllie:t'—De‘tective Wlll-Li said tzhut a simil:ll' case was before. the court a short time ago, when the defendant. \\'as fined £lO. The colnpuny had been put to it considerable amount. of anI1()_)'t111C‘.‘ and loss t}.»l'»:-ugf,‘h meat. being umtimially stolen. 1n the aggregate {WO carcuses of Inuttton were stolen daily. "Some Of the men were earning from £l2 to £153 per week, including overtime. and the wanr of money was not the incentive to steal. Scanlon said he earned £7 per week with o\-*el‘t.ime, but the men were not in i’:Jvoul' of working over-time. The season lasted for six months, so" that

the average weekly wage anlolln’tod to £3 103. In the ofl"t~soason the men want scrub-cutting, or found other ornploymmlt. T"'" b Each :wnuse=‘._ who p]c:>.dc~.(l guilty, xms convi(:~rod and fined £lO, in default of payment to serve :1 month id g‘0:11.