FOOD THEFTS

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1940, Page 12

FOOD THEFTS

By Fort Dorset Men THREE FINED. WELLINGTON, February 13.* Allegations that food was . wasted at Fort Desert were made in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington today, when three soldiers, all of whom served during the Great War, were charged with stealing stores from the fort. After hearing long evidence Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., said that the proposition that the accused were doing the right thing in taking rations away from the fort was too far-fetched to believe. The three accused were convicted and fines were imposed. Albert Edward Harris, a soldier and contractor, aged 43, John Albert Cor* bett, soldier and cook, aged 48, ana Walter Ernest Dean, soldier and clerk, aged 47, were jointly charged with the theft on February 10 of a quantity of food stores valued at £2 2s 4d, the property of the Government. Harris was also charged, with stealing stores valued at £2 7s 2d, and Dean faced two other charges, one of stealing jam valueG at 3s 7d on February 6, and another of stealing jam valued at 7s 2d on January 9. On the charge which was preferred jointly against the three accused. Harris and Corbett were each fined £5 and Dean was fined £2 10s. The accused were convicted and discharged op two other charges. Detective-Sergeant W. McLennan prosecuted. Mr. R. Hardie Boys appeared for Harris and Corbett, and Dean was represented by Mr. H. R. Biss. Lance-Sergeant K. A. J. Thompson, of the 15th. Battery at Fort Dorset, said that a car owned by Harris was kept under observation early on the morning of February 10. He saw Harris and Corbett come from the direction of the cook-house, and place parcels in the car. Dean later entered the car and the three drove off, but the gates of the fort were closed and the car was stopped. , . Similar evidence was given by Lieutenant E. L. Mathers, of the 15th. Battery, who said he also kept the three accused under observation and warned Lieutenant Marshall, who was at the main gates, that the car was loaded and about to leave the fort. The guard was subsequently called out and the three men were placed .under arrest. A suitcase and two sugar-bags containing provisions were found in the car. In reply to a question Jrom De-tective-Sergeant McLennan, Mathers said that it would not be likely that the quantity of goods found in the car would be the rations for the three accused for that particular day. The foodstuffs in question consisted of 101 b. of bacon, 161 b. of mutton, 3ilb. and 10 lb. lots of butter, 101 b. of jam, 31b. of honey, and a quantity of vegetables. . The shortage of stores, mostly jam and butter, and in some cases meat, was noticed in the cook-house store directly under the charge of Corbett, said Lieutenant R. De la Cour, act-ing-quartermaster at Fort Dorset. Harris was interviewed at Fort Dorset at 5 a.m. on February 10, said Detective A. Reid, and when questioned said that they were going to Palliser Bay for a day’s fishing, and that the goods found in the car were their rations. He would make no further explanation. Dean . denied any knowledge of the goods in the car, and claimed that a haversack containing four pounds of butter was his property. In a statement which he declined to sign, Dean said he did not know that the haversack contained butter when he took it from a dressing-table in his room. Corbett, when questioned about the goods in the car, remarked: “I packed all the stuff. We were going out to Palliser Bay for the day. It is only our rations.” When Harris's - home at Brooklyn was searched the police found stores alleged to have been taken from the fort, and valued at £2 7s 2d. Harris said he did not know where he had got them. Four six-pound tins of jam were found when Dean’s home was searched, and he admitted that he might have taken three of these tins from Fort Dorset. He previously told the police that this jam was part of rations which were left over. , . •* On behalf of Dean counsel submitted that no evidence had been produced to identify the goods produced in Court as Government property. Dean would say in evidence that he wds a member of the engine-room staff at the fort, and that sometimes his duty was from 7 p.m. to midnight, and from midnight to 5 a.m. There had always been a surplus of rations issued. He frequently went home to sleep, and often returned with cakes and other dainties, which he shared with the other men. The jam issued was not used, and as bean had often brought extras from his home, the men arranged that he should take the surplus jam home. Harris had hardly slept a night at Fort Dorset during the five months and a hplf he had been there, said Mr. Boys. He had taken his car to camp regularly, and often finishing work at midnight had gone to his home, but had always returned in time for thel 1.30 pm. parade. He would say in evidence that he had never been stopped, and that the military authorities were well aware of what he was doing. He also brought extra food from his own home, which he shared with other men. From time to time he obtained tins of jam from the cook. Counsel submitted also that large quantities of surplus rations were dumped at Fort Dorset. Harris believed he was entitled to take surplus rations. The question of the butter was a mystery. Corbett say that he had nothing to do with the issuing of butter. Corbett said in evidence that he had seen 70 loaves of bread thrown out at Fort Dorset and dumped in a pig tin. The bread was the accumulated surplus of a few days, and had gone mouldy. Corbett added that he did not think he had done wrong in handing out the jam. The 16 pounds of mutton concerned in the charge would have been thrown out, and the accused decided to use it as bait. The Magistrate said he could not accept the evidence for the defence, particularly in view of the fact that the three accused were old soldiers and well aware of the regulations. At first he was inclined to treat the case with leniency, but the large quantities of stores taken had caused him to doubt the honesty of the three men charged.