THEFT FROM GARDENS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27373, 11 June 1954, Page 10

THEFT FROM GARDENS

STATEMENT TO BE MADE

COMMENT BY MAYOR “It is obvious that a statement will have to be made, and it will probably be made in a clause in the reserves committee’s report,” said the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) yesterday, replying to questions on the withdrawal of a complaint of theft of plants from the Botanic Gardens. "Some explanation from the Mayor or the chairman of the reserves committee (Miss M. B. Howard, M.P.) is due,” said Cr. J. E. Tait. Before the council meeting on Monday evening, Cr. Tait questioned Miss Howard, and he told "The Press” reporter the reply, the nature of which, he said, resulted in his not asking a question. The case was discussed by the Labour members of the City Council at a /caucus before the council meeting when the reserves committee’s report was considered. At least five Labour members have been named as having indicated that they were in favour of the prosecution being renewed. "I was approached by Cr. W. P. Glue before the meeting and I explained to him that as the chairman of the reserves committee would be leaving early I would give him the opportunity of asking a question at the end of the report,” said the Mayor. “I also said that if the question was not then raised it could be raised later under general business, when I would make a statement. No questions were asked. You will recall that when it came to the end of the reserves committee’s report I hesitated for a time to give any councillor an opportunity of asking a question.” "No,” was the Mayor’s reply to a question whether he had been a party to the decision to withdraw the complaint. "It happened some time ago and the first I knew of the case was when I met a hysterical woman downstairs.”

It would be untrue if anybody said that the person caught taking the plants was a woman who was mentally defective, said the Mayor. The person was a man. The man, a Government employee, was caught in the Botanic Gardens stealing cactus plants by the Curator (Mr H. G. Gilpin), and a complaint was made to the police. The incident was some time before the second theft on the first week-end in May of valuable plants imported from overseas for the rock garden. This later theft was also reported to .the police. It was reported to the council on May 17 in the reserves committee’s report; but no mention has been made in any reports to the council of the theft by the man, although a written report on the case was made by the Director of Reserves (Mr M. J. Barnett).

"There are exceptional circumstances,” said the Mayor last week when he was first questioned on the case. The "extraordinary circumstances,” further inquiries indicate, were that the man’s wife was in a highly emotional state, her condition became more acute when the man was apprehended and a medical certificate was that her state of mind would be aggravated as a consequence of a prosecution.