FERTILISERS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1775, 14 March 1906, Page 42

FERTILISERS.

CHARGES OF FRAUD.

AUCKLAND, March 12.

At the Police Court to-day, JohE Schischka, a merchant, Avas charged with having committed breaches of the Fertilisers Act. Hu pleaded guilty to having about October last caused seventeen packages to be filled with a fertiliser materially at variance Avith the particulars registered in connection with the brand upon the packages, and also admitted a charge of having failed to deliver to a purchaser of artificial manure an invoice denoting its quality Schischka pleaded not guilty to an indictable charge that he fraudulently imitated an authorised trade mark of the Gisborne Sheepfarmers Frozen Meat Company upon bags containing fertiliser. Mr. F. E. Baume appeared for defendant. Mr. S. Mays, Avho prosecuted on behalf of the CroAvn Solicitor, stated that the Gisborne Sheepfarmers Freezing Company Avere the proprietors of a certain brand of bone and blood manure. Schischka Avas their agent. About October 4th, a Mr. Smith, an Onehunga farmer, gave an order through a Mr. Cunningham to obtain tAvo tons of this bone and blood manure. Schischka agreed to supply it, and in due course (Seventeen 2cAvt bags of manure Avere delivered. On receipt of it Smith was surprised at the great Aveight of each bag, and came to the conclusion that it Avas not blood and bone manure. The proportion of ammonia in the manure sold b3 r Schischka Avas 2.4 cent., Avhereas the genuine brand contained 9 to 10 per cent.—four times as much as Schischka’s. One of the sacks branded Avith a similar mark to the Gisborne brand Avas. fonvarded to the company Avliicli reported that the brand Avas not theirs, though the Avording avus tlie same.

Evidence Avas given by Mr. Smith as to ordering the Gisborne Company’s manure, and being supplied Avith an inferior article. During a conversation he had Avith defendant the latter at first maintained that it Avas Gisborne manure, but aftenvards admitted that it Avas not that manure.

J. A. Pond, Government analyst, Avho had analysed samples taken from the lot of manure sent to Smith, and also a sample of the Gisborne Company’s manure, stated that the manure supplied by defendant contained 2.4 per cent, ammonia, and the Gisborne Company’s about 10 per cent, of ammonia. The Gisborne Company’s manure contained 10.28, 9.69. and 10.16 per cent, of ammonia in three analyses he had made. Mr. Mays; Hoav much of the sample you received from Mr. Hull Avoukl be required to produce tlie same result as the Gisborne Company’s manure?—About three times as much. To Mr. Baume: Calculating on a reasonable basis, lie (Avitness) estimated the sample of inferior manure to be Avorth £4 9s per ton; on a similar basis, the Gisborne Company’s manure Avas worth -£5 15s Id per ton. Norman Rees Jones, AA-orking manager for the Gisborne Company, stated that the company liad not authorised any person to use their brand. After other evidence had been taken defendant, Avho reserved his defence, Avas committed for trial, He Avas alloAved bail, self in <£4oo, tAvo sureties of £2OO each. The tAvo minor charges to Avhieli defendant pleaded guilty have not yet been dealt Avitli.