THEFT ALLEGATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20474, 28 January 1930, Page 14

THEFT ALLEGATIONS.

METAL FROM F/OUNDRIES, ! THREE MEft IN COURT. ACCUSED ADMIT ONE CHARGE. Charged in the Polico Ccwirt yesterday with breaking and entering the foundry of Masefield and Company, in Chapel Square, about January 11 ?;nd stealing metal valued at £BO, Rudolph Allan, aged 54, dealer, Edward Richard Black, aged 48, labourer, and David Todd, aged 45, labourer, pleaded not guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Mr. Noble appeared for Todd and Black.

Thomas Valentine Masefield said that, following the discovery that a propeller was missing from bis warehouse on January 13, he made investigations and found that a bar was missing from a window and that there were footmarks on the sill. Further search revealed that many articles were missing and a whole shelf had been cleared.

Witness stated that all the articles produced in Court were similar to those he had lost. He had reported to the police that, they were -valued at £BO, but he now estimated that they were worth £2OO. He had not. sold any goods to dealers during the past six months. Detectives Notified. Frederick William Hayes, second hand and marine dealer, of Newmarket, said that, he remembered Black and Todd going to his store on January 15 to sell metal. They brought it in a truck and he thought that he saw a propeller among the articles. It looked "fishy" to him, so he did not buy anything. Edward George Mevnell, dealer, of Edendale, said that on tho afternoon of January 13 Allan went to his place to sell metal. He bought the metal, and gave Allan a cheque for £lO 14s 2d. He post-dated the cheque, as he had a good idea that the metal had been stolen. He followed Allan to the Edendale tram terminus, where he saw a lorry with three other men besides Allan talking by it. Ho rang up the bank to stop the cheque and then rang up the detective office. When he sold the metal Allan had called himself Barny Clark and had given an address in Ponsonby.

Detective-Sergeant Martin said that he went to Meynell's place on January 13 and found practically all the metal produced in Court. Allan had later made a statement in which he said that he had been asked to sell the metal by two men in a motor-lorry, and ho was to have received £1 for doing so. He refused to sign the statement. Witness later interviewed Black and Todd. Black said that he had not been out in his lorry since January 10 and knew nothing of the metal. Todd said that he had not been out on tho lorry with Black since January 9 or 10.

Missing Gun-metal. The three men were also charged with stealing gun-metal, valued at 7s 6d. the property of the "Warren Engineering Company, Limited. They pleaded not guilty. Charles Jackson, of the Engineering Company, said that he saw the gunmetal produced in Court at the foundry on December 23. It had not been sold and he had not seen it again until ho went to the detective office on January 16. The previous witness, Meynell, said that the two pieces of metal produced were among those he had bought from Allan. On this charge the accused were convicted, sentence being deferred until after the Supreme Court hearing. Brass Window Frames. A further charge of stealing six window frames, valued at £3O, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company, was preferred against Black, jvho pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. George Grey Dick said that he had charge of gear kept in the company's store at Freeman's Bay. The store was surrounded by a 6ft. iron fence, and a considerable amount of ships' gear was stored in the yard, including a number of brass window frames from the steamer Marama. There were 22 frames there on January 8, but on January 14 six were missing. None of them had been sold and nobody had any authority to take them away. Witness identified the legs of some window frames produced in Court as being similar to those stored in the yard. Angelina Pell, a, clerk employed by the Province Supply Company, Limited, scrap metal dealers, said that Black sold the firm some brass on January 14, for which he was paid £4 Os 2d. On another occasion she bought some brass frames from Black for £3 8s 9d. The frames had been broken up when she bought them. Alfred Fenn, principal of the company, said that he bought some old brass from Black on January 11. He had since been to the Union Company's store at Freeman's Bay, where he saw frames similar in make to those he had bought.

On the application of Mr. Noble bail was allowed the three men in sureties of £IOO.