ALLEGED THEFT OF BUTTER.

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 5, 6 July 1921, Page 6

ALLEGED THEFT OF BUTTER.

A police call to settle trouble at a house on a recent evening led to the discovery of a quantity of butter, which figured iti a case heard at the Magistrate's Court to-day before Captain W. Hennah and Mr. H. Seaton, J.P.'s. A wharf labourer named Hendry Mearns was charged with having on or about the 2nd April, 1921. and on divers dates between the 2nd and 34th April stolen a Quantity of butter valued at £5, the property of some person or persons unknown There, was an additional charge of receiving the butter.

Sub-Inspector WilKs prosecuted, and Mr. A. B. Sievwrijfbt appeared oh behalf of the accused.

A young daughter of the accused stated' that her father used to bring home a little butter now and again. Witness also went to the grocer's for butter. When brought home the butter was kept in a barrel (produced). Before the. rise in the price her father had told her that he was getting-in a supply of butter. It wa.s about last Christmas that a commencement was made with salting down the butter. As far as witness knew, the butter was purchased. Sho had been told not to-let anyone know that butter was in the scullery, as other things, including coal, had been missed from there.

Hugh M'Leod, a time-keeper in the employ of the S.S. and A. Co., stated that Mearns had been employed on the Raranga 'from 11th to 19th April and ivlso on the Waimana from the 26tlv to 29th April, The Raranga was loading butter and meat. For three days from 20th April Mearns had worked on the Tainui in No. 1 hatch and in the freezer.

Sergeant Starck stated that on the 25th 3 line he was called to the residence of the accused, where he found Edith M'.Morran, who complained of the accused assaulting her. She further accused Mearns of stealing butter from the wharf. Witness found a barrel of butter in the scullery. A statement was made by the woman that accused brought home pieces of butter wrapped in mutton cloth, and concealed inside his shirt and singlet. Mearns told her that he had brought.it from the boats. This statement was signed, and was not contradicted by,the accused. A statement by Mearns, also signed, was to the effect that while working on boats he had taken different lots of butter. He was engaged in the freezer at the times. The butter i was received from different members of tlie crew, and he had paid them small sums for it. Mearns did not know the members of the crew. Witness stated that the barrel w-hen discovered contained a,bout 501b of butter of different, type to that usually purchased in shops.

Cross-examined, witness stated that the accused had said that he had taken th« butter for the wife and criiTSren, as it was going to be a hard winter.

(Proceeding.)