IMPRISONMENT FOR STEALING BUCKET AND EXPLOSIVES

Evening Star, Issue 26153, 15 July 1947, Page 6

IMPRISONMENT FOR STEALING BUCKET AND EXPLOSIVES

For stealing a metal fire bucket, valued at 10s 3d, and a quantity of explosive, valued at 8s Id, the property of the New Zealand Railways Department, Albert William Harris, a labourer, aged 46, was sentenced by Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M., in the City Police Court this morning to oiie month’s imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent. The Magistrate ordered that the goods be returned. Appearing'for the police, Chief Detective T. Y. Hall said that Harris took the bucket from the Ravensbourne railway station. It had originally been red in colour, and had been marked “ New Zealand Railways.” Mr Hall produced the bucket in court, and showed it to be now painted green. Mr Hall said that the railway marking had been bashed out. Regarding the second charge, Mr Hall said that Harris had been employed as a labourer at Ravensbourne by the Railways Department between September, 1946, and March, 1947. He had been authorised to do shotfiring on'the job. When the had spoken to him about the large quantity of explosive he was using, lie replied that he was loading the snots “ heavy,” as he found that he got better results, that way. When five plugs of gelignite, one and a-half plugs of Samsonite, and 78 No. 7 detonators were found at his house, Harris said that lie had taken the explosive because it was defective, but tests had shown it to be quite sound. To the magistrate, Harris said that he had taken the explosive to use on another job which he had been offered, and the bucket had been used by him as a coal bucket. When he had taken the bucket it had been rusty, and he had painted it, b]it he had not interfered with the: railway marking.