CHARGE OF THEFT

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 31, 5 August 1936, Page 4

CHARGE OF THEFT

BARMAN BEFORE COURT

Charged with stealing • a case of chemist's supplies, valued at £46 11s 3d, and with receiving 108 boxes, valued at £8 7s 7£d, Herbert William Harrhy, a barman, aged 46, appeared before Mr. E. D; Mosley, S.M., in. the Magistrate's Court today. , He elected trial by jury. Mr. R. H. Boys appeared for the accused, and DetectiveSergeant L. B. Reveir conducted the prosecution.

Louis Salek, proprietor of Salek Bros, said that his firm was the sole importer of the particular brand of chemists' supplies concerned, and that it supplied only to wholesalers, whom he named. A case disappeared between the afternoon of December 13, 1934, and the following morning, from the landing outside his place of business. . Three, or four cases had been left for a carrier to pick up, but the carrier did not arrive. A chemist some time later showed some packages to witness, who took them down to the Detective Office, stating that he was the only one in New Zealand who knew the code marks Witness examined packages produced in Court for such marks, and identified them as being part of the contents of the missing case. Witness said he had met the accused once, but had had no business dealings with him. by Mr. Boys, witness said his firm had no competition in that particular line.

Edward Thomas Saunders, a chemist, said he had known the accused for some years.. In .December,'l934, the accused came to his place of business to see if witness would buy some chemists' supplies. A "ridiculously low figure"'' was mentioned as the price, and the accused said witness could have as many as he wanted. Witness said at first that he did not want them, as he realised they could only come from three wholesale druggists. He suspected * there was something the matter because' of the price. He told the accused he would purchase some, and about February 16, 1935, the accused came m again. In December he received a parcel from the accused. In February, when the accused came in again, he made further arrangements to purchase more at a lower price, and did so. Both, lots were handed over to Mr. Salek."

Cross-examined by Mr. Boys, witness said that the ' accused had indicated to him that he had bought the supplies at such a price that they seemed too cheap to be genuine. The object of the purchase of the second lot was to get more of the aUegedly stolen goods which witness believed came from, one of the wholesale houses. Witness asked the accused to get the second lot, and the accused said he would if he could find the men who supplied him the first time.

(Proceeding)