MEAT RATIONING

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1946, Page 8

MEAT RATIONING

OFFENCES OF WELLINGTON BUTCHERS SUBMISSIONS IN COURT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 18. Charges that there were “wheels within wheels” with regard to the rationing of meat, that the Food Controller was “fooling with the position,” and that convictions were wanted for political purposes, were made in the Magistrate’s Court today by Dr. O. C. Mazengarb, when addressing the Court on the question of penalty on butchers for whom he appeared as counsel, who were convicted on charges of selling meat without the surrender of coupons. The hearing of the charges.had been spread over some weeks. Except for one case, in which the Magistrate, Mr W. F. Stilwell, S.M., reserved decision, and one case not heard because of the absence of a witness from Wellington, convictions were entered in all cases.

Mr W. R. Birks, for the prosecution, said the offence of selling meat without coupons had been correctly described as “black marketing,” and it was aggravated in those cases where an overcharge had been proved. The prosecutions were characterised by Dr. Mazengarb as “political hooey,” said Mr Birks, but the evidence had proved that there had been breaches of the law, and the prosecutions could not be suggested to be the result of political action. Mr Birks said if there were any suggestion of political action it was the letter sent to the Minister asking him to stand over the cases. “If ever there were a political stunt that was,” he declared. Dr. Mazengarb said he strongly resented the Crown Prosecutor trying to influence the Magistrate by describing what he (Dr. Mazengarb) had done as a political stunt. He had not described the prosecutions as “political hooey.” What he had said, was that there was a lot of “political hooey” in the “Save for Britain” food campaign. “I’ve got the view that this is a form of black marketing,’’ said the Magistrate. In reply'to a submission by Dr. Mazengarb the Magistrate said he did not intend to inflict two penalties where both master and servant had been charged. He reserved decision on the question of penalty.