PILLAGED CARGO

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24828, 26 February 1944, Page 8

PILLAGED CARGO

GOODS FROM VESSEL TWO MEN SENT TO GAOL "We all know that, pillaging of cargoes is rife; those who receive pillaged goods are just as bad as those who steal them," said Mr. J- H. Luxford, S.M., yesterday, when two members of the crew of an overseas ship appeared before him. Ait English deckhand, Frederick William Synionds, aged 23, denied a charge of receiving from some unknown person a box of safety pins valued at 10s, the property of the Federal Steam Navigation Company, Limited, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. In a statement to the police accused denied that lie knew the goods had been stolen, but admitted that_ he assumed at the time they were given to him that they had probably been pillaged. "Anyone who receives property of this description, especially in these days, must know that it has not been come by. honestly," said the magistrate. Accused was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labour, _ and _an order was made that if his ship sailed before that time had expired he was to be placed on board. "The cargo on this ship was found to have been considerably pillaged," said Detective-Sergeant Trethewey when outlining the case against James Coyle, ship's fireman, who pleaded not guilty to a, charge of stealing 7i yards of velveteen valued at «'ios 3d. Accused stated that he had bought the cloth from a man in an Auckland hole! on a certain date, said Air. Trethewey, but this could not be true, as the cargo was not pillaged until the ship reached Wellington some days later. "Mis story is an old. old one," said the magistrate. "1 have no doubt that he is guilty, and he will be sent to gaol for six weeks with hard labour." An order was made for him to be placed on board his ship if it sailed in the meantime.