BUYING SACKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17179, 27 May 1916, Page 10

BUYING SACKS.

SECOND-HAND GOODS OR WASTE. A DEALER'S PROBLEM. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr T. A. B. Bailey, . S.M., Richard Sullivan, a second-hand dealer, was charged with buying eighty-four sacks from a lad under sixteen years of age, contrary to the Second-hand Dealers Act. Ho pleaded not guilty, and asked the Bench to let him know tho legal position. He said that he had bought articles from hoys for many years, including bottles, bags, etc If a sack was not a second-hand article; was a bottle? He wished to know just what he could do in his business. Secondhand dealers were purchasing bags daily from boys and others. In tho present case he bought twenty-five sacks only from tho boy, who whs very untruthful, as had been proved in the Magistrate's Court when ho was charged with stealing sacks. Ho always took the precaution of not buying things from boys, but he had not considered that bottles and hags were." " secondhand" articles within the meaning of tho term. Second-hand dealers treated baa;s, bottles, fat, etc., as " waste." ' Sub-Inspector -Mulianey said that if there were not so many facilities for lads to dispose of goods, there would not be so much netty thieving Mr Bailey: The question is, What is n second-hand article? Has the question of bottles been raised before? Sub-Inspector Mulianey: Apparently Mr Bailey said that there seemed to be n misunderstanding. Sacks had better be treated as second-hand articles, however, by dealers. Defendant would be convicted and ordered to pay the costs.