THREE BUTCHERS FINED

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24883, 24 May 1946, Page 3

THREE BUTCHERS FINED

BREACHES OF RATIONING REGULATIONS

, Breaches of the meat rationing regulations were alleged against two Christchurch butchers and one Amberley butcher in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when evidence was given of deficiencies in the number of coupons returned by two of the defendants to the Rationing Office over various periotis. Fines ranging from £5 to £25 were imposed by the Magistrate (Mr Raymond Ferner). After hearing the three cases before giving his judgments, the Magistrate stated that one in particular had. more serious aspects. It was necessary that more care be taken by butchers in the counting of their coupons. Such precautions were particularly important when every effort was being made to conserve meat for starving populations. John Edward Owens, aged 44, a butcher, of 415 Colombo street, pleaded guilty to charges that from November 13, 1945, to January 22, 1946, he made false statements to the Rationing Controller for purposes relating to the supply or acquisition of rationed goods, and that from June 27, 1945, to January 18, 1946, he made misleading statements or material omissions in returns furnished under the Rationing Emergency Regulations, 1942, by failing to declare 91401 b of rationed meat.

A check had been made of five packages of meat coupons returned by the defendant, said Deteetive-Sergeant F. J. Brady, prosecuting on the first charge. It was found that there was a total of 2658 coupons fewer than the number declared on the envelopes. The deficiency included 1435 invalid coupons. When interviewed, Owens had stated that instead of counting the coupons he weighed them. Referring to the second charge, Detective-Sergeant Brady said that the defendant had obtained 91401 b of rationed meat, and when a check was made of the discharge sheets sent into the Rationing Office by the wholesalers, the meat had hot been accounted for bv way of coupons or permits. The Rationing Office looked upon it as a serious breach. "By the two breaches, Owens obtained 11,3401 b of meat, sufficient to supply about 2000 persons with rationed meat for one week,” Detective-Sergeant Brady added. The difficulty of butchers to make a detailed check of coupons during the rush of business was referred to by Mr W. R. Lascelles, who appeared for Owens. If allowance was made for the fact that 1435 invalid coupons were included in those returned, the deficiency amounted to about 2 per cent, of the total. However, on the second charge, it was realised that returns should have been filled in daily. To ensure that no mistakes would occur in the future, Owens had appointed an accountant to look after this side of his business.

Owens was fined £lO on the first charge and £25 on the second. Three Charges Maurice Ivan Boyce, a butcher, of Amberley, was charged with making material omissions in returns furnished between March 25 and December 29. with acquiring seven carcases of beef and 48 carcases of mutton from a rural slaughterhouse in circumstances in which the bther person was prohibited from supplying such goods, and with failing to rnark on carcases of beef and mutton the weights c-f such carcases. Detective-Ser-geant Brady said that the failure to declare the killings was stated by the defendant to be purely an oversight. The killings had bben recorded in a later return to the Department of Agriculture. The inspector had called at the shop on a Friday, and had found that some carcases had not been marked as required under the regulations. The explanation given by Boyce was that he had been very busy in the shop, and had overlooked the markings., Boyce received no more meat than he was entitled to. said his counsel (Mr E. T. Laybura) in reference to the first

charge. Although he had exceeded the amounts of his authorities, these excesses had been deducted from the following month’s returns. Even on paper, the amount of meat received was no more than 3 per cent, of the total authorised. Boyce was fined £5 on each charge. “Not Serious Offence”

The City Cash Meat Company, Ltd., 668 Colombo street, was charged with making false returns of coupons to the Rationing Office. In the period from May 29, 1945, to January 6, 1946, there was a total deficiency of 2765 coupons in five envelopes returned, said Detective-Ser-geant Brady. The defendant had stated that the coupons had been counted by an office girl. The company banked 12,000 coupons every week and. as about 312,000 were, returned during the period referred to,' the deficiency was less than 1 per cent., said Mr W. F. Tracy, for the defendant company. Holding that this was not a serious discrepancy, he said that the butchers "were struggling with a system that must beat them now and again.” The Magistrate, imposing a fine of £5, stated that he could not find that there had been a serious offence in this case, and that no heavy penalty wu called , for. , _ 1