COMBATING PILLAGE

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 17, 20 January 1921, Page 7

COMBATING PILLAGE

TWO MEN SENTENCED

A WARNING TO OTHERS.

Two men,, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of thelt—pillago at the wharves —came up for sentence at tho Supremo Court, before his Honour 'Mr. Justice Chapman, this morning. Tho accused were William Harry Taylor (for whom Mr. Evans., appeared) and Roland John Drodge, both at tha tiino of tho offence permanent Harbour Board employees. Mr. Evans said Taylor had an excellent record,'and the bulk of the goods—cigarettes— had been recovered. He asiced that tho benefits of last session's ■Offehdors' Probation Act be extended to the accused.

His Honour- replied that he did not think any Judge or Magistrate would take advantage of that Act in a case, like this—a conspiracy to pillage. "Your cases aro alike," he said to the accused. "You are both mon who have led respectable lives and had good characters; there was absolutely nothing against cither of you until, it came to this. The committing of these offences and tho way .in which you committed them show that when it oamo to a. question of stealing another person's property from the wharf, you parted absolutely with your consciences. It shows a grave defect in character of which I have hoard-too much of lato. It has been apparent ' t-hnt when the opportunity offers of _ stoaling enrgo from the wharf or a ship some men, .whoso personal honour has been unblemished, scorn to set aside their cqpBciences and regard it almost as a meritorious act to steal 'these things. You had good wages ;ind regular crapjoyment, and hnppy fßtnilios. . . . This is a very bad ease, but I do not intend to inflict a very sovoro punishment upon you. I would rather you should, be able to return to your positions in life at an early date, but sentencing you to a -term of imprisonment may have not only a reformative effect on yourselves, but also may bo a warning to other men whose characters are that they have-no soruples about stealing people's goods from tho wharves. I hope it will reach, those men of such peculiar composite character. Each of you will bo sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labour."