NO ENTRIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 43, 20 February 1940, Page 8

NO ENTRIES.

DEALER'S OMISSION. ; I SERIOUS POLICE VIEW. J DRUMS BOUGHT FKOH THl>[. . ' if n "If I were satisfied beyond re*sonrtle l doubt that the defendant deliberate]. omitted, with the fuH knowledge | the goods were stolen property, to enter the sales in bis book. I would have no hesitation in cancelling his license- .... -Air. C. R. Orr Walker, S.M in Police Court to-day, in dealing wjtl second-hand dealer, Eric t MandU ß * Sowden, of Beaumont Street, Freeman'Bay, on two charges. s Sowden, for whom Mr. C. fY." appeared, was charged, that on Decern 9 ber 6. being a second-hand d having bought second-hand goods— drums—from Kenneth Edward J. n *° McQuoid, he did fail, on the date of th* transaction, to enter in the register kept for the purpose, the name, addretl and calling of MeQnoid. " A similar charge relating to Jannan 8 was also brought. Sowden guilty to both counts. «"-a Detective-Sergeant McHugh said tWt on December 6 a man named McQnoid stole two 44-gallon drums and placed them on the footpath near defendant's place of business. Defendant took tfc, to his premises. He purchased- Sea from McQuoid for 6/ each. The polk* found there was no entry in defendant** book concerning this sale. On Jannarr 8 McQuoid stole two more drums left them on the reclamation area ia Freeman's Bay. Defendant picked then up and took them to his premises. \a entry was made in the book about &U sale. "Encourages Theft." "The fact that defendant should Im. self take the drums to his premises via very suspicious indeed, also the f*t that no entries were made in his book*,* added Mr. MoHugh. "The polks ate baring great difficulty in this clan of offence. It encourages theft. The pofice regard it as a serious offence and. not a trivial one." No Intent to Conceal. " It was submitted by Mr. Craig &at Sowdc-n was a large buyer of sndk drums. and he supplied them in cog. srderable quantities at present, principally to the Defence Department. Tka price paid for the drums to was fair value according to the audition of tbe drums at the time. Df. fendant re-sold them at from 9/ to !§/, and he paid the ordinary trade price for them. The value of drums varied according to the condition of the drains, : Counsel added -that Sowden had not il any way attempted to conceal anr information from the police. He quite frankly admitted the two purchase* when the police saw him and when the circumstances were recalled to hira. His failure to make the entries was doe purely as the result of omission. Sir. Craig then produced defendant'* book and pointed out an entry dealing with a previous sale by McQuoid. The Magistrate: But it simply gin* the price paid and the name,. McQuoid. There is no address or occupation, givan. Mr. Craig: There was no intent oh the part of Sowden to conceal entries. It is quite conceivable when desßng wittt many purchases to forget to eater two small sales. I submit that the offence k of a minor nature ant one - that does not call for a severe penalty. "What defendant really says is that it was carelessness on bis part," Mid Mr. Orr Walker, after making . the remark quoted above. "In this case the man who sold the drums was a thief, 'j Defendant took delivery some distanca away from his premwes, which *u > rather suspicious. However, this fa ths first time he has been before the Court. On one charge he will he lined £5, and on the other he will be convicted and ordered to pay costs, 10/. Second-hand dealers can't be too careful, otherwise it leaves them open to suspicion and really means that they are helping thieves."