CARGO PILLAGING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 305, 17 May 1913, Page 6

CARGO PILLAGING.

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS BY A WORKER. Auckland, May 14. A seaman charged with theft made a rather startling statement in the Police Court this morning respecting the practices adopted by some of the watersiders in Auckland. Joseph Brooks, aged 30, admitted a charge that on April 23 he stole from the steamer Navua twelve slip-bodices, valued at £3, the property of some person unknown. Chief Detective McMahon said that Broods was a seaman on the Navua, and on the occasion in question was in charge of one of the holds when the ship was being loaded. As one of the cases was being lowered into the hold it was damaged, and several of the waterside workers engaged in the hold, seeing the case damaged, made use of their dog-hooks, and came across a cardboard box containing slip-bodiees. The box was taken, and some of the slip-bodices were given to Brooks,, who accepted them without saying anything of the matter. He concealed the bodices below, but when the ship reached Suva, where natives were engaged in the hold discharging cargo, he found that the concealed slip-bodices had been taken. The police were unable to sheet the matter home to any other person. Brooks should have reported the matter, but if <an officer had come into the hold and made enquiries it would have bec'ome' known! who had' reparted the matter, and "the man's life would not have been worth much. It was for that reason that the police experienced great, difficulty in sheeting home such cases. There was nothing more known against Brooks, who had a good record as a seaman. Asked if he had' anything to say, Brooks said it was high time the company sent officers to take charge of the holds instead of seamen. ■ If a. man went to tell an officer about the matter of pillaging the men in the hold would just fix up the case' again, and deny everything. He had told the water-siders not to do anything wrong, because he Would be responsible, and they had just turned round and laughed at him," There were 1500 men on the wharf in Auckland, and if he got any of them fined or into trou : ble by reporting them he would have to, flear out of Auckland, and keep out. ;,-Mr. E. C. Cutten,.S.M., said that if th'e facts put before him were correct accused took part in a very serious crime for want of courage. It was obvious that it would l 'have been, better had he 'taken all the''risksinvolved and done bi a ; duty under the circumstances. He bad been afraid .to get'into' trouble with his co-offenders, but now that he was in the' position, and had told the whole story, he would be in just as much trouble with them as if he had done his duty frankly and honestly at first. His Worship added that he could not take into consideration the' "prisoner's moral and physical weakness as a reason for imposing the usual punishment for the crime, and Brooks would probably be better protected by being punished in the ordinary way than if he were let go. He would be eoilvicted and sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor.