CAUGHT PILLAGING DECK CARGO

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 309, 24 September 1940, Page 3

CAUGHT PILLAGING DECK CARGO

Two Seamen Jailed For Theft Of Fish

INCIDENT IN STEAMER

AT LYTTELTON

“1 think you two made your ease worse by trying to bluff your way out and telling lies,” commented Mr. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, when two seamen, Ralph Copley, aged 32, and Robert Adams, aged 37, were being sentenced on a theft charge. They pleaded not guilty to the theft at .Lyttelton on September 13 of four or five crayfish and two fresh fish, of a total value of 5/-, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, Limited. Each man was sentenced to a month’s jail with hard labour. Senior-Detective P. J. Doyle prosecuted, and Mr. F. W. Ongley appeared for Copley. . Adams conducted his own defence. ~ , Sydney Charles Angus told the Courthat on September 13 he Was chief officer on the express steamer Maori. At 6.13 p.m. when the vessel was at Lyttelton he was standing in the fore-part of the lower bridge deck and had a full view of the deck cargo consisting of hsh, oysters and poultry. He saw Copley and Adams on the deck interfering with a case of fish. Witness immediately went down to this deck and saw a bucket containing more crayfish. A hammer was on the deck also. Copley admitted that it had been a fair catch and offered to put the fish back. Adams was standing alongside him at the time. Witness asked the two accused why they were pillaging this class of cargo when they could go up the street and buy the same quantity of lish for 4/- or 5/-. Adams subsequently asked if it would be all right if they put the fish back, and if the chief officer would say nothing about it. Witness then told them that the matter would have to be reported. He added that there had been a lot of trouble through the pillaging of this class of cargo between Wellington and Lyttelton. Detective-Sergeant W. Tricklebank told the Court that the two accused refused to make any statement when he read the chief officer’s report to them. There had been numerous complaints about lish and poultrj- missing from deck cargo. Copley was employed in the Maori as a donkeyman and on the evening in question had come on deck for a few minutes after having a cup of tea, said Mr. Ongley. There was no bucket or hammer on the deck, counsel submitted, and no fish had been removed from the cases as far as Copley was concerned. Copley in evidence said he noticed Adams leaning over the ship’s rail with a cup of tea in his hand when he (witness) came on deck. Witness added that he had only walked a few feet when the mate came and said something about: “What’s going on here?” The mate subsequently went in to a tirade and said there had been no end of complaints about cargo being pillaged, and that somebody had to pay for it. Accused added that he did not touch any of the fish and as far as he was aware there was never any fish out. of the cases to be put back. The mate knocked a couple of cases over and witness and Adams put them up again. Adams told the Court that he was an oil burner in the Maori, and that he went on deck for a bit of fresh air. Th? mate came along and said he had received letters from the Union Company about the amount of stuff taken from deck cargo, and that be would report Copley to the Seamen’s Union. Adams added that ho told the mate this would be a serious thing to do. The mate scratched his chin and went away. On a previous trip, said Adams, a lot of oysters were missing and the stewards complained of the lavatories in the ship being blocked with shells.