PILLAGING OF BEER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 April 1942, Page 3

PILLAGING OF BEER

SERIOUS LOSSES. SUFFERED BY CHRISTCHURCH FIRM. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 7. The pillaging of portions of consignments of beer was increasing and the losses amounted to hundreds of pounds, stated one of the principals of Fred Cross and Sons, Ltd., wine and spirits merchants, in a statement. Today 500 cartons of beer out of a consignment of 1400 cartons were delivered to the firm and of this number 117 cartons were found to be defective.

A reporter saw a considerable proportion of these defective cartons, one of which was completely wrecked. Another container had only one full bottle and one empty bottle, and the other 22 bottles were mising. In another carton a dozen bottles of beer had been emptied and the carton was undamaged.

Pillaging was becoming intolerable, said a representative of this firm, and he added that he had decided to ventilate the matter in the hope that steps would be taken to check the practice. Questioned as to breakages, the principal of a firm stated that these were now far more numerous than before and that hooks now appeared to be used with more abandon than formerly. During the Christmas holidays, he said, 170 dozen bottles of beer had gone astray. A feature in the present case of pillaging was the frequency with which tops were placed on empty bottles. Replying to a question, the principal of the firm said he understood the rest of the present consignment was in an even worse ,state, and that he had no other option but to accept it.