PILFERING FROM WAGONS

Evening Star, Issue 25782, 3 May 1946, Page 6

PILFERING FROM WAGONS

SEVEN YOUNG RAILWAY EMPLOYEES CONVICTED PILLAGING COSTS DEPARTMENT £3.000 IN YEAR (P.A.) AUCKLAND, May 2. “ L will not consider probation in a case such as this. These young men miali be heavily fined, and if they had lieen reasonably over the age of 21 I would not have' hesitated in. imposing a sentence of three months’ imprison-* ment as a minimum, or perhaps even more,” said Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., nt the conclusion of the hearing of a '•ase in which seven youths, employees of the Railway Department, appeared before him on charges of the theft of goods from the railway yards where they were Working. The accused were Pua Howearth, a cleaner, aged 22. who appeared on seven charges involving goods of a total value of £4B 13s 9a; Leonard Alfred Baker, a cleaner, aged 19, on eight charges of the theft of goods valued at £49 15s 9d; Terence Lionel Grice, a lireman, aged 19. on one charge involving £1 12s; Calvin Douglas Simpson, a cleaner, aged 19, on one charge involving £6 8s; Vivian Russell Morris, a cleaner, aged 22, on one charge involving goods valued at £l7 Is sd; and Gordon Leonard Corbett, a cleaner, aged 17, who appeared on one charge involving goods of a total value'of £8 15s. David Jackson Neville appeared on two charges of theft involving £2 and one charge of receiving a bottle of beer valued at 2s, knowing it to have been stolon. Pleas of guilty to all charges were entered. Sub-inspector Forsythe said that in many cases the youths had acted in pairs and threes and carried out the pilfering from trucks and wagons in the railway yards. Pillaging was proving very serious for the department, and over £3.000 had been paid out in the past 12 months. Howearth was fined £2O on one charge and £ls on another, and was ordered to make restitution of £7 12s 7d. Baker was similarly fined and ordered to make restitution of £9 8s 7d; Gricp. Simpson, Morris, Corbett, and Neville were each fined £ls and ordered to make restitution of 16s. £2 3s, £1 9s 9d, 12s Bd. and £2 respectively;