BROACHING CARGO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 132, 27 February 1908, Page 9

BROACHING CARGO.

CHARCE ACA INST FOUR YOUNG men; SIX MONTHS' 'IMPRISONMENT. (SV TEI.ECUArn— SPEpUL .'.C'OEUESPOXDEHT,) .; Cliristchurchi February 26. Four young men, who'had pleaded guilty in tho Magistrate's Court to broaching-cargo on tho steamer Papanui, were brought before Mr. -Justice' Denniston this, morning for scntencc. . ... Counsel for the prisoners asked ; that' they • should "bo dealt with its' lcniently'as possible. Tho only thing that could bo -said. of them was that tlicy wero young men, against whom nothing was known except this offenco. They had admitted their-guilt, and tho goods had bodn returned. : ".: : His Honour said ,that the goods had been rescued, not.returned, ind t-ho prisoners had admitted their guilt'when "tho goods were found in their possession.' In' -passing sentence, His Honour saids. " Tho offenco. to which you have pleaded --guilty., is ;..one., of, a very serious character, .and tho: extent:.to which it is carried on in tho'Dominion- is notorious. It may bo doubted whether any large steamer reached'a port : in New Zealand without somo instances'-of.pillaging,-ofteiv.o'n a large scale. The extent-' iind : -nature' of t-ho pillaging done shows .also -to my mind that' it is carried on with comparative impunity, only with the connivance arid assistance, of-a large number of persons; 'Nothing ha"s : struck mo more in my experience "of criminal cases; .than tho easy end tolerant toiie-with which this offenco''is spoken of and-dealt "with"."' His Honour went on to 1 , say that in ".somo circles where 0110 would 'not expect it; the offenco .was alluded to-as a 'comparatively venial Sue; but'ho knew: nothing.;more : -de- : moralising or more injurious^,-t'o ■ t-ho mercial community; - Tho injury extended . far beyond tho, amount st-olen.All these conditions, made it an offence'very difficult to prove, .and when it was discovered•'it should receive- substantial punishment.-- -It had'beenrepresented that the-prisoners wero first offenders. It might bo their first conviction, but. he was by no means satisfied that it waß their first offence. Ho did not' believe their' story that they, found tho _box open. ..Probably others besides tho prisoners were engaged in tho matterj-tand, in -his., opinion, it was a complete and deliberate looting of tho whole of tho contents'-of, the .case. -Pillaging of cargo was any'offonce which ho would, always take strong measures, as far, as ho could, to minimise. He would tako into con-, sideration to soino extent''the--youth "of {tho' prisoners, but ho did not -proposo to treat tlio case as* simply.. ono of • young meii who' had -succumbed ,to .sudden .temptation:.-.. The' thing must, have beeii deliberate, and it,was difficult to beliove that it. was a : first offence. Ho would mark his : sense'of the • nature; of their act by'sending'them to-six months' imprisonment.