CARGO PILLAGED.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 April 1923, Page 2

CARGO PILLAGED.

THREE SEAMEN CATGUT. I lIV TEI.KOIt.U’II— t'KR I’ll ESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTY III'RCH, April 11. At ti.c l.yi tcllini Magistrate's Court. Charles Frederick Ingram, Albert Eduard Jenkins, and James Lola Stone, three seamen irom s.s. Horunui, "etc charged with stealing eight rolls of satin, and seven and a halt pairs of slippers of a total value of £2O, the property of the New Zealand Shipping ( ompany. Sergt Mellolin stated the accused were firemen mi the llurumii. Yesterday they were noticed at 1 a.in. in the bold. When asked what they were doing, they replied that they were playing hide and seel;. Captain Davey, master ol tin* Hurmmi, stated that pillaging on the present trip from the 1 nited Kingdom "as tirst discovered before reaching Pannma. The lazaretto was found to have been tampered with, and several oases

wove found to he pillaged. Further eargo-hroaohing. attributable to the crew, was also discovered while laying at Tokomam Bay on March 2‘-b At Wellington oil April 3, on an inspection l.eillg made ol the No •> hold the padlock locking the escape hatch was found to have been torced. and a large quantity of general cargo was missing. At Lyttelton the padlock on No o escape lunch was again found forced. The police were informed, and arrests "ere made. He considered that goods to the value of £20(1 had been stolen.

The accused told the Court that it was the lir-t time that they bad committed the offence, and they had been unlucky enough to be caught. The Magistrate pointed out they were liable to 12 months’ imprisonment, and, in future, he xvould deal more severely than lie intended in the present case. He sentenced each ac. cused to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.