CARGO PILLAGING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 August 1942, Page 6

CARGO PILLAGING

AN ORGANISED EFFORT MORE SEVERE PENALTIES ASKED FOR. STRICTER SUPERVISION NECESSARY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. August 18. More severe penalties for pillaging offences and stricter supervision throughout New Zealand were suggested by members of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at a special meeting held to discuss the increase in 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 of Commerce to approach the Minister in Charge of Police, Mr Fraser, and point out the position. It was stated to be desperately urgent to ask for more severe penalties and stricter supervision. The president, Mr C. S. Hammond, said pillaging had assumed alarming proportions and concerned the whole of New Zealand. It seemed to have developed into an organised effort. A representative of a wholesale firm said this had 26 cases of pillaging in eight months. Mr D. S. Dott, of Millers, Ltd., said his firm had five cases of pillaging in the last ten days of goods manufactured in New Zealand. Mr G. H. McLean, district traffic manager, 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. In-ter-island goods also lay for a long time in the sheds there. A representative of another firm said that in three months it lost £257 worth of goods. All consignments, except one, were from overseas ships. The majority were from silk hosiers. His shipping clerk considered that transhipment from Wellington was largely to blame. A representative of Death 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 with three cases of silk stockings pillaged and seven cases of woollen hose left.