VIA ROTTERDAM

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 7, 9 January 1915, Page 3

VIA ROTTERDAM

GOODS ALLEGED TO BE SENT TO GERMANY CHARGES AGAINST A GERMAN SOME INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE. The hearing of five charges against Henrich Wilhelm Magnus Duerkop. a German (who \\as released from Somes Island to stand his trial), of having traded with an alien enemy, was continued yesterday afternoon before Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court. Four o( the informations were laid under section 35 of the Regulation of Trade and Commerce Act, and ( the remaining charge under the Trading with the Enemy Act, 1914. The first charge was worded as follows : — "On or about 17th September, 1914, at Auckland, at a time when His Majesty was at war with a foreign State, to wit, the Empire of Germany, did attempt to supply Gustav J. J. Witt, a person carrying on business in such foreign State, to wit, Hamburg, with certain goods, to wit, seventeen casks of casings." The remaining indictments related to other articles of a similar nature, the dates of the alleged offences being given a« 6th October, 28th October (two), and 3rd November. Mr. H. H. Ostler (of the Crown Law Office) appeared for the Crown and Mr. Neavo for accused. For the prosecution, it was contended that Gustav J. J. Witt, of Rotterdam (to which port certain goods were alleged to have been consigned by accused), was the same firm as Gustav J. J. Witt, of Hamburg. The accused carried on business in Auckland in partnership with one M'Kay, under the title of Duerkop and M'K*y. The nature of the offences was disclosed in voluminous correspondence which passed between Duerkop and Witt, and which was read by Mr. Ostler. Incidentally letters from Duerkop to other firms wero also read, the allegation being that they disclosed Duerkop's knowledge that he was trading with the enemy The preliminary letters dealt with the negotiations between the two parties, as the result of which, Duerkop, before the war, made shipments of goods consigned to Witt. On Bth September, after war had broken out, Duerkop wrote to Witt and Co. asking them whether they could take a consignment of canned mussels, and on 10th September communicated witb the Steam Packet Navigation Company at Sydney stating they intended to make certain shipments of other goods to Rotterdam and asking for freight quotations. They also wrote to their agents at Colombo giving instructions to them to ship to Rotterdam seventeen casks of casings landed from the German steamer Furth, which had been captured. On 6th October a letter was sent to Witt and Co. asking if there was any chance of doing business in Rotterdam in rabbit skins, which, it was stated, were accumulating at this end. On 26th October another letter was sent to a merchant in Hamburg, which, Mr. Ostler contended, showed that Duerkop knew the goods were eventually to get to a German, destination. The letter stated that the writer (Duerkop) understood that Holland received large quantities of casings, but ac his firm did not wish to involve itself in illegal methods it had refrained from sending casings on behalf of the firm specified to Rotterdam. "To another German firm which had a branch in Rotterdam, however," continued Mr. Ostler, "he endeavoured in four cases to send goods and actually did in the fifth case." "CONTINENTAL REQUIREMENTS." Continuing, Mr. Ostler read a further letter dated 6th October, written to Hamilton, Hawley, and Co., o ( London, in which Duerkop expressed the opinion that good business should be possible from London to Holland, which country he (Duerkop) understood largely supplied Continental requirements. "This," said Mr. Ostler, "was an indication that he knew by sending goods to Holland that they were getting through'to Germany." The letter then went on to state that Duerkop believed Rotterdam was a suitable market for ox and sheep casings, and he would be" pleased if Hamilton and Hawley would make enquiries. A later letter, written on 14th October, showed that Duerkop had already sent a shipment via Batavia direct to Rotterdam. This shipment consisted of six cases of casings (in place of some aboard the German steamer Seidlitz, which took shelter at Valparaiso) and 28 new cases which were transhipped at Sydney into the Tasman and then again transhipped at Batavia in time to arrive at Rotterdam on 19th December. Mr. Ostler next read a cablegram sent by Duerkop on 24th October asking Witt and Co. (Rotterdam) whether they were prepared to accept the shipment. To this a reply "Yes" was received on 27th October. Other communications were then read relating to the various charges against the accused. MR. M'KAY PROTESTS. Mr. Ostler then went on to state that Duerkop had forwarded letters to America to be sent on to Germany through a neutral State. They were strictly business letters, however, and contained nothing traitorous or false. He (Mr. Ostler) wished to make it perfectly clear that the whole of the correspondence from 24th August up to the end of October was conducted between accused and Witt, as Mr. M'Kay, Duerkop's partner, was away in Nelson, He read further correspondence which had passed between the two partners. In one letter Duerkop informed M'Kay that thirty casks of casings had been shipped from Batavia to Rotterdam. Duerkop all the time (Mr. Ostler stated) knew that Witt and Co. had a German directorate, and that the firm was run with German capital. Mr. M'Kay was at the time ignorant of this fact, however, and when he found out he wrote, in reply to letters by Duerkop, strongly protesting against shipments being made to Rotterdam, saying, inter alia: "The idea that we may still be shipping to Germany is unbearable." Duerkop replied that the goods might be for Belgium, France, or England. " But if tor England," commented Mr. Ostler, " why not ship them straight to London and save all the expense of transhipment? " Late in November M'Kay wrote to Duerkop, saying : "If you are shipping further you are doing so against my wishes." To this Duerkop replied that the Dutch were undertaking to feed Belgian refugees, and it was probable that most of the goods were going to Belgium. Mr. Neave : There are two million Belgians in Holland. Mr. Ostler asked his Worship to note that one letter dated 27th August was written by Gustav J. J. Witt from Hamburg, and was posted in Rotterdam on 31st August, with the name of Gustav J. J. Witt, Rotterdam, on the envelope. Mr. Neave said his client was desirous of going into the witness box to explain the whole of the circumstances connected with the charges. The case was adjourned until Monday next, at 2.15 p.m.