PILFERING OF CARGO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 192, 8 May 1908, Page 9

PILFERING OF CARGO.

, IS IT ON THE -INCREASE? INQUIRIES AT UiCKLYJsD (BT. TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL. COMIBSrONDKNT.) , .'Auckland, May 7.' Tho iquestion ; as to- whctjior, pilfering ;o cargo' is 011. tho increaso in Auckland:-lin beon'-irivestigated by a.;:".Herald rnprespii fative. 'A - number ''of 'those 'most airectl; affected by the shortages in. ships' consign jnents from, lime, to time discovered .at Auck land were seen, and the information goe te'.ishdw. that pilfering "is on : the' increase In connection, with oertain vessels -a recap has been; kept'ofthe,'number' of. ..thefts ani the. value.' of tho articles. stolen' for. the pas nine, months, -and. for .tho .nine months" im ( mediately preceding.- •v; 11 -is shown :b y -' thi !. return that 'tho riiim'WF bf; instances of pilfei 31 of this Joar,.was<l77, .as -against 108-fo thq previous,, nine. months,-''.whilst 1 .-'the ,valu of tho -missing: articles; showed "nil; .increase' 0 Rome'£Bo. 't'Jliege' lists, -:jt may,bo'niontidned (lo ;iiot deal; withjtho! shortages- in: cbhnec'tio with oversea vessels'. fronvanothc 't|uiirter. sh'owed that the /.increase in'-' pilfoi ing.has beeii noticeable; for 'sonVo 'titne pasi There -has '.been;a' .good deal of it-iin th last fmy ships!.wo havis had," - was tho •,state inont -made in . this instance. 11 There 'ha been a steady increase' in •pilfering diiriri, tho past eighteen irionthai and. it is '1101 about double; what it was two or thrco year back. Thero- is- no doubt in .;rb»ard''. to th oversea boats that a great' deal of tho pi lagirig is done boforo the vessels leave Home but at, tho samf.time we aro.satisfied thp ft .'considerable -'proportion .of ;it: goes oil' a this end.,, Thp orews. aro oftou blamfed for il but they hdve' not .'tho time, and' they' ar too closely .watched to bo ablo to -do muc ■in thisdireqtion,-"-^.. 1, i v : y-i " There is no doubt about it,, pilfering i liricreasing,'and-. ,at<,this' end,..t00," said- ai other authority.., They arov getting;* ver clover, at it,", he added, 11 and it-is voi-y difl cult ,to detect them:Vf V - . ■ The next person seen, agreed generally wit the .above i.stateineuts/ but said that in' pn portion to the. VQlumo -o'f, that passe over. tho. wharves and through' the 'sheds tli quantity stolen was flot very-great. ' ."1 -may appear to be alot," he'said,-" but .'tli •percentage is .really.very small.". ; Some, information, as to the impdus ope audi adopted ,by the,-local'pilferers was ale gathered.',, 'The'.usual plan is.to ['plant in some',convenient, spot' any- triflo -,fanoioi This'-is doiie whilst tlie, cargo "is'being handle in the',usual course of working,- and! ti articles' aro lifted and. taken, away, at tl first convenient generally und< cover- of darkness. ■ The -plan, of course, oftc fails .through)the : " plants " , being discovcrc by the officials,before,the chanco of remov; bccurs'. , . Ono'of theso instances occurrc recently;' some oilskin coats, which wo: missed from a. case, being found in .varioi positions, one or two being hiddon under tl tops of , the piles- of the 'wharf!. , In anothi instance, two,'cases of whisky were four covered up with'some bags of salt awaitii: a favourable opportunity for removal.' ,Tl possession of capacious pockots is a grci assistance in the surreptitious removal of tl stolen goods.- .A short timo ago an oilsk coat, with specially arranged : largo insif pockets, w»s discovered in the: hold of vessel, whcro_ it -had ovidently been accidon ally, ; loft by - its' ownor. Thero was conside able curiosity as to the ownership, but- 1 one asserted proprietary-rights, and it' .st remains without a olaiumnt. •' ■ : ' • , "They.will take anything; from a need to an anchor," was the reply to a query to tho-class .of. goods that usually go'astra A list' of missing articles given in'tlie month return already, refprred to shows that'wen ing apparel and liquor rpceivpd a large sha of attention. Whisky figures .yery frequent in the list, whilst brandy and kin . aro n neglected. Evidences of more ■ epicure: tastes are supplied by tho .ontry-." Boned: tine," whilst tho disappenranee* of a doz bottles of champagno in one lot affords cr roborativo testimony.. In clothing, tho Ic of £18' worth of silk is the chief item 1 horded, another missing line being a ca of corsets. Tobacco'and pipes, which aro easily appropriated, show froquont shortag( On tho other hand, a wharf labourer i nied-that-pilfering is on tho incroaso, deck ing it to bo; 011 the decrease. He asscr that in-the majority of easos cargo broachii is done before ; vcssols arrivo at this pot As an instance, he quotes that of a ca, supposed to contain' oilcoats shipped fro Wellington to Auckland"by tho AVailtare. C arrival, he-says,---that case only contained 01 coat. The rost had vanished,,' He say further, that "planting" is not possible, e an officoi- is always 011 watch in 'tlie hatcli yet ho relates an - instance of some, whisk being taken after reaching tlio shed, thoug three .or'four men woro'on watch. -. ,