NOT CASE OF THEFT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 149, 25 June 1943, Page 6

NOT CASE OF THEFT

RANGIORA SIGNALS

BATTERIES WERE DOWN P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, June 24. An inquest into the death of Mrs. Florence Margaret Stewart, who was killed in an accident when a motorbus in which she was a passenger collided with a train at the High Street crossing, Kaiapoi, on April 13, was concluded today before Mr. Levvey, Coroner. A verdict was returned that Mrs. Stewart died from concussion and a fracture of the base of the skull sustained in the collision. Evidence was given yesterday that the warning signals were not working, and today a long cross-examination took place of Laurence Joseph Moran, electric linesman, whose duty it was to inspect the alarm system. At one stage there was a short adjournment to enable counsel and witness to confer, and later another adjournment for papers to be forwarded from the Railway Department. In reply to subsequent questions the witness admitted there was nothing in them to show he had been at Kaiapoi and that it might be correct that from April 5 until after the accident he had made no inspection. Witness had inspected the installation after the accident and had takep the elements out and thrown them away, in accordance with the usual practice, replacing them with new ones. He had taken the elements out in good faith and had not received word that nothing must be touched. He was very upset and told the inspector that the batteries had been stolen. The witness also admitted that he had made an incorrect entry in his book that the elements had been renewed on April 9. To the Coroner, the witness replied that the elements were replaced on the day of the accident. There was a man on the crossing from the time of the accident to the replacement of the elements. He had been told by one of the firemen at Rangiora that there had been an accident. Richard Watt, detective, said he had been asked to make inquiries regarding the alleged theft of batteries. Ke had accompanied Moran and another of the witnesses to the battery box. When they arrived it was locked and the hasp appeared to have been recently welded. Alongside the batteries was a piece of cardboard on which was written "April 9, 1943." Moran said' that was the date on which he had renewed the batteries. Moran told him I the batteries had not been stolen, but that he had thrown them away after he had examined them and found j they had run down.