ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 March 1917, Page 7

ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE

A RATA PITS CHKW IN COURT. ALLKtIKD LXSLFFICILNCY Oh . PPOVIHULNS, When the adjourned charges of absence without leave and assault, concerning members of the crew of the brigantinti Aratapu, were called at thtf Magistrate's'Court, _ Greymouth, this morning, it was explained that the Collector of Customs required Hie

signatures of live of the crew before proceeding to enquire on the allegation of Xiisoa anent insufficiency "f food <>ii the voyage. The signatures to the complaint were not forthcoming until 1 p.m. yesterday,, and. the Collector of Customs was making; his enquiry to-day- Mr- Hutchisons, S.M., said there was no question of I'M Xiison and Uoberi Kirwin being liable under the section, and that they had absented themselves from their ship without leave. T\ilson, however, Had made a complaint thai he was insufficiently fed on the voyage, although this did not excuse Ids absence from the ship. Kirwin, also charged with being absent without leave, had made the extraordinary excuse mat he would not go aboard again because he aixw the captain a:.Niuii .Xiison. and was afraid <>f his own body. There had been no asault, however, when Xilso-n went to the captain at an untimely hour on .Sunday morning (three days after reaching port) and demanded to be paid nii'. whereas, he could only claim hi.-, discharge after giving 21 hour-' notice at Lytteitoii. He was of the opinion that Captain Ronnie went further than he ought to have gone and the whole thin u - turned <>n the ipiestion of whether the defendants Nilson and Kirwin liad a legitimate li'iievance, Mr. Twee, who appeared on hchali ef Captain Re'imie, submitted there had been plenty of -fresh food and provisions aboard :.\">n!bs of meat and about bOlbs of gi-nper had been ship pal at LytteKou. He submitted the defendants should be. charged with the greater offence of desertion. Mr. Sargent, on behalf of Nib n. pointed out thai the ship had been becalmed, had taken eighteen days ( ' reach (ireymouth from Lytteltou, and that this might have had a contributing cil'eet in the matter of shortage of provisions. His Worship, in adjourning the charge:, till 2.150 p.m. for the Collector 01 Custom;; report, advised the men to go back to their ship and make i'riemd.s with the captain. On resuming this afternoon Mr. Sargent stated that the Collector of Customs had made an enquiry into the complaint and found that the vessel was sufficiently provisioned, fresh moat having been obtained here and there was ;;]so tinned meat on board. For being absent without leave Curwen was ordered to forfeit, two days' pay. and pav fees 9s, and solicitor's fee 10s 6d. Nelson was ordered to forfeit two days' pay and pay fees 9s. and solicitor's fee 10s 6d. For assaulting Wilson, Captain Rennie w;is lined 20s and costs, and solicitor's fee £1 Is. .Application for sureties of peace was dismissed. The information by Huma against Wilson for assault was disniised.