CARGO BROACHING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 316, 1 October 1908, Page 4

CARGO BROACHING.

CHAROES AC A INST WHARF LABOURERS. , FOUR MEN .COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The adjourned cases against Win. Albert Parkor, Jas. Swanson M'Millan, Albert Anderson, Patrick Josopb Hugh Neilson, and Hans Siverson, charged with having, on or about September 17, stolon from a vessel in port a. quantity of zephyr, mercerised silk, and leather, of a total valuo of £5, the property of tho Fedcral-Houldor-Shire Shipping Company, were resumed before Mr. AV. G. Riddell, S.M., yesterday. Chief-Detective M'Grath conducted the case for; the prosecution, and' Mr. Toogood appeared for defendants. ' ' Alfred G. Scott/ shipping clerk in tho Federal-Houlder-Shire Line", deposed that ho was on the whart 011 September 24, when tho two cases produced•wero landed from, tho Rippingham , One case, containing mercerised lawns, was consigned to Siggins and Co'., Wellington, and had apparently been tampered with. , One board of the other case consigned to Auckland was broken', and the case seemed to have,been tampered with by cargo-hooks. Witness saw six pieces, of mercerised lawn (produced) in the chief officer's cabin. The pieces'were similar to'tho goods in the Wellington caso. To Mr. Toogood: Tho. Auckland case appeared to have been opened by a, cargo-hook, but witness could notsay whether tho marks had been made at Liverpool or in Wellington. Tho Wellington case was somo pieces of, lawn short, there being 27 pieces inside. James Sig&ins, merchant, deposed that lie received a shipment of goods ex Rippingham Grange on September 17. Tho Wellington caso produced was consigned to witness, and contained 27 pieces instead of 35 pieces as per. invoice. The six pieces ,produced v.eie Bimilar goods to those in the case. The approximate value of tho pieces missing would be about £8. ; , • Hugh_Gordbn Thompson, manager of tho shipping department for. .Archibald Clark and Co., Auckland, Said the small 'case produced was consigned ,to. witness's firm.'. The case contained 20.pieces of zephyr instead of 30 as stated in! fclie firm's invoice. ; The piece's of zephyr produced wore similar to thq goods in tho case. The made-up blouse and dress produced were'of exactly similar material to the'goods; in the case. The value of tho goods missing was about £3. ; Wm. Harry Nash, leather merchant, deposed that .'two- 1 bales ■of ■ leathor, consigned to him per Rippingham Grange, had been tampered with. ' 'The -piece' of .leather produced had been cut off one of the hides.-An-other small : pieeo -of—leather -produced • was .part of -the shipment... Witnes? identified some' of tho other pieces of leather as having come off the leather in the bales per the Rippingham Grange. To Mr. Toogood: Tho leather was roped lip and covered with canvas for protection. The canvas was cut sufficiently to draw tho leather out, and to cut a piece off. Witness could. identify tho, leather by'its grain, tho fleshing on the. back, arid the flesh marks. Re-examined by Chief Detective M'Grath : Witness sold some of the leather the day it arrived at his store.

Detective Bailey stated that he arrested M'Millan at 10.35 a.m. on September. 24 on - the steamer Rippingham Grange. Witness explained the nature ■of the charge to accused, who said he knew nothing about it. A search of accused's rooms revealed none of the missing property. Witness also'searched accused Anderson's room, but found nothing. Detective Androws stated that on September 24 at 10.30 a.m. he accompanied Detectives Cassells and Bailey to tho Rippingham Grange then at the Taranaki Street Wharf. The five accused were arrested on board tho vessel. Witness arrested Parker and Neilson, and told them they.were charged'with<cargobroaching on the Rippingham Grange. Parker said he did not take anything. He had a wife and family to consider. Neilson said ho saw some i stuff down; in the hold, but took nothing away. Next day witness, under a search-warrant,' searched Parker's house and found a child's dress (produced). Parker his wife had got it from her people. Witness remarked that it was similar to the material;taken from; the Rippingham Grange. Accused said "that never camo from, the boa't," as ,he had bought it from a shop in Cuba Street about two weeks before. Accused Neilson gave a wrong address in Ghuzneo Street; the place ho indicated was not occupied as a dwelling-house, and witness could not search' liis house. Later, when being bailed out; he gave his address as. Liprnan Street. Detective Cassells stated that lie arrested accused Andorson and Siverson on the Rippingham Grango on the morning of September 4. Anderson denied any knowledge of the charge, and Siverson made no reply. Witness sparched Siverson's house, that day, and found tholadies', { blouse (produced) in a copper in the shed. Witness also found four pieces ,of leather (produced) in .a bag in an outhouse. Witness showed him the leather, ; and' accused said he bought it in Cuba Street about six months before. Accused said' he did not know the name of the shop. Ho Said his wife the blouse. Witness said to the atcu^ed: "Ypur wife said you only brought the leather home "oil Saturday."! Accused afterwards said this was so. Accused Neilson gave tho name Neilsen on the steatrfer, but in the passage of'the Court that morning he had called witness and said he had given a wrong name. He said his name was Nelson and not Neilson." ■ To Mr. Toogood: Siverson's wife showed witness some boots recently mended, also a hoot last. She said her husband'was. in the habit' of mending the boots. ■ This concluded tho case for ■ the prosecution. The formal alteration' in the* name IVeilson to that df .Nolsoiv was made. Tho 'fivo accused_ pleaded not guilty, and elected to give evidence. Mr. Toogood'submitted that the : informations should be'dismissed,'as the only evidence against the accused wajs that of thr apprentice Doyle, who had already pleaded guilty before the Coiirt to a charge of theft from the Rippingham Grange, and had practically turnedi King's evidence.'. .Counsel urged that the evidence for the -prosecution was decidedly flimsy. ■ vr. s James Swanson M'J'iUnn, wharr-labourer, deposed that lie was working in No. 4 hold t! >° RiPPi'igbam Grango from September. 18 to September 24. Witness* whs Working looso iron and bundles of iron,, tlib whole time in the squa.re of-the. hatch-in view of anyone on deck, and never touched any general cargo. No pillaging could liavfe been dono without Mr. Scotland, stevedore, or lijs foreman knowing .it,. .-It was easily possible for anyone to Ret from tho cattle deck (to tho 'tween deck arid ; then oij- to lowci''deck. Witness had done''itjiimsolf. Tho 'evidence of witness Doyle, that.'witiiess had put a roll of silk up his jersey was''hot correct. Witness did; not havo. a jersey on, and had never worn one on this steamer. Accused Anderson said 'lie and his mates had been too busy at work in the hold, to do any pillaging. -The only' cases he had seen contained machinery.. He did not wear a jersey until the day lie was arrested. He was a single man, and the stuff he was accused of stealing was of" absolutely no uso to him. | Accused Siverson said he had'bought tho leather found at his place at Nash's, Cuba Street. Some had been bought six months before, and some the (Saturday before ho was arrested.' The blouse produced his wife-had bought some weeks before in a shop in Cuba Street.

Patrick Joseph Hugh Nelson stated that he gave his name to the police as Neilson. He thought tho affair was only a flimsy one, and did not want his peoplo to hear about it. This was also the reason lie'did not give the'right address. Witness was working on the- ftippingham Grange from September 17 to 24, when ho wrs arrested. Witness denied any knowledge of the alleged cargo-brnaching. Ho was of the opinion that it would be a. simple matter to get into the 'tween decks from the cattle deck, and described how this could bo done. Witness did not know where the broached cargo was stowed. He had never worn a-jersey on this steamer, and would swear ho had taken none of tho stuff produced. . Wm. Albert Parker stated that lie was working iron, but no gcnera.l cargo, on the Rippingham Grange. He did not know that any of tho cargo had been broached until ho saw one, of the officors coming out with a

piece of dross material. Witness recognised the dress (produced). Ho purchased it at a shop in Cuba Street about a month ago. To Mr. M'Grath: Witness admitted that ho had been convicted of theft from tlio wharf in May of last year. This was tho only conviction against him. Harry Dowthwaite, foreman stovedoro, saw tho fivo afceused working 011 tho Rippingham Grange on September 22, where the.y were kept busy working iron. Witness did not see any of them amongst the general cargo. Tho men wcro good workers and honest so far as witness Knew. Amy Hebbend, dressmaker, knew Parker, and rccogniosd the materia.l in the dress (produced), which was tak.en to witness's bouse by Mrs. Parker about threo weeks ago< Tho material was called gingham, and was .not tho samo as tho material from the steamer's hold (produced). Matilda Siverson, wife of defendant Siverson, deposed that she purchased tho blouse produced about a month ago at Messrs. ■ George and George's, Cuba Street. Witness had never seen the leather (produced)_ before. Siverson wag in tho habit of mending tho children's boots, and had bought somo leather last Saturday week. Lilian Hansen,' .sister of Mrs. Siverson, recognised the blouse' (produced), and had last seen it on Mrs. Siverson eight days ago. Witness had also seen it a couplo of times before. : This concluded the evidence. 'His Worship remarked that the evidence against the different accused varied a good deal. There' was not a case to send to tho higher Court in regard to M'Millen, and lie would bo discharged. Each of the . others would be-committed to the Supremo Court for trial. ' Bail was a.llowed_in the sum of £50 and two sureties of £25 each.