PILLAGING OF CARGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14925, 24 February 1912, Page 8

PILLAGING OF CARGO.

BURDEN OF THE PUBLIC. COMMENTS BY A JUDGE. " A NOTORIOUS SCANDAL." The waterside worker, Kund Edingbrets Bergman, who was recently committed for trial on a charge of stealing a number of hats from the steamer Maheno, was placed in the dock at the Supremo Court, before Mr. Justice- Edwards yesterday. He was indicted on two counts : (1) of stealing 66 hats from the. steamer, and (2) of receiving four hats, knowing them to have been stolen. The Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C., appeared for the Crown, and Mr. J. 11. Heed (instructed by Mr. Hall Skelton), appeared for the accused. Mr. Reed said that not having seen the indictment he had not been aware of the first count in regard to the 66 hats. Ho had advised accused to plead guilty to the theft of the four hats.

..jr. Tole : The inference from the fact that the four hats were found in his possession is that he was concerned in the I theft of the whole of tho hats. ! His Honor : Not necessarily, Mr. Tole. Th© theft of such a large number of hats as 66 would seem to suggest a " Hat Company, Ltd." It was agreed to amend the indictment by substituting four hats for 66 in the first count. Accused then pleaded guilty. Mr. Reed, in asking for tlio consideraI tion of the court, said the prisoner had ! informed him that ho picked up the four hats amongst the coal in the steamer. The case of hats was loose when it arrived, and ho did not know who stole tho remainder. Mr, Tolo Said that the loss occasioned by tho wharf thefts ran into thousands of pounds every year, and it was very difficult to bring the offences home to the perpetrators. It was a remarkable thing that Something had been found to be missing from every vessel on which the prisoner had been employed. His Honor : Of course I have no evidence of it. Mr. Tole: It is a very significant thing, Your Honor. Mr. Reed : This man has been regularly employed by tho Union Company, and about 50 or 60 others aro similarly employed. Probably they were nearly all on tlfo vessels on which this man was employed. Mr. Tole : These thefts are continually going oh. His Honor said that although, according to tho probation officer's report, the offence was the prisoner's first, it was not an offence that could be met by proI bation. If the prisoner had stolen four hats from a (shop ho might or might not have admitted him to probation. "But, J under no circumstances, said His Honor, ! " whilst things remain as they are in Auckland at the present time will any person found guilty of, or admitting theft from a vessel, bo admitted to probation. These scandalous thefts have become notorious throughout the Dominion., They cause a great loss, not only to the owners of the cargo, but also to the ship-owners, i the latter, I believe, being generally the losers. Tho consequence is that the public have to pay indirectly for thiß organised system of pillaging, for of course shipowners and importers in fixing their charges, must take all risks and costs into consideration. _ I feel confident that there is no waterside worker who does not know that if ho commits an offence of thi3 kind ho will be most severely punished, necessarily it must bo so. Tho more offences and tho more convictions there are tho more severe will bo tho penalty. In tho present instance I could impose a sentence of 14 years' imprisonment, but of course I do not propose to do that." A sentence of one year's imprisonment with hard. labour was passed.