AIRMEN AND CARS

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 November 1940, Page 6

AIRMEN AND CARS

CONVERSION PREVALENT ' [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 28. Criticism of a section of the men at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Wigram, for the prevalence of unlawful conversions by them of mo-tor-vehicles was made by the Magistrate and the police, when a case was heard by Mr. E. C. LevVey, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. Defendants were Terence Joseph Foote and Manning Lawrence Bennett, who both pleaded guilty to ’the charge of conversion. , • “This type of offence is very prevalent among the men at the aerodrome,” said Detective-Sergeant J. McClung, who explained that the men took a motor-cycle, valued at £ 70, and belonging to Keith Garrack, from Centaurus road, Cashmere. They had an accident and damaged it to the extent of £2. “It is very common for cars to be taken near Wigram and brought into town, or taken in town and found near Wigram,” he added.

“You will not get the slightest consideration from this Court, neither you nor any of the other young men out there who are playing the fool,” said the Magistrate, when one man asked for the suppression of his name. “The Air Force authorities don’t want dishonest men out there, so they don’t mind what is done with them,” Detective-Sergeant McClung said. <i! But the law doesn’t call it dishonest, by some extraordinary quibble,” Mr. Levvey replied. Each man was convicted and fined £lO, in default 21 d ( ays’ imprisonment. They were ordered to make good the damage to the machine,