PRISON FOR SEAMAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23087, 12 July 1938, Page 14

PRISON FOR SEAMAN

ASSAULT ON HIGH SEAS ARGUMENT IN STOKEHOLD TWO ENGINEERS KNOCKED DOWN [BY TELEGRAPH —I'KKSS ASSOCIATION J BLENHEIM, Monday A dispute that occurred in the stokehold of the overseas steamer Hororata while she was anchored in the Wanganui roadstead on July (3 resulted in the appearance in tho Police Court at Picton this morning oi Francis Joseph Ferns, a seaman. He was charged with assaulting the second engineer. James Davidson, on the high seas. Tho proceedings were instituted on the information of tho master of tho vessel, Captain T. L. Maltby, who stated that he regarded the incident too seriously to be dealt with aboard. He had placed the matter in the hands of the police on the arrival of tho vessel at Picton on Saturday. Ferns pleaded not guilty.

Tho evidence showed that accused, in tho course of a dispute with tho second engineer in tho stokehold regarding work and overtime, knocked the latter down. Kerns also knocked down the seventh engineer, who intervened, and was only restrained when the chief engineer arrived and picked up a monkey wrench and warned him to desist Accused was convicted and sentenced to 21 days' imprisonment. He was ordered to be returned to England by the first available New Zealand Shipping" Company vessel