UNDER FIRE

NZ Truth, Issue 869, 22 July 1922, Page 6

UNDER FIRE

Socking Spuds At a " Slop " "Who thre,w those chicken feathers round ma door?" was not exactly the question asked of Frederick George Taylor when he appeared at the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, charged iwith heaving the homely spud m heavy quantities at Detective Tricklebank, thus constituting a technical assault. George is one of a large body of firemen travelling up and down on the coastal steamers who have the police well and thoroughly "snouted," and who lose no opportunity after acquiring a coign of advantage of hurling defiance and other tangible things at "law an' order." Thus it happened that as the steamer Maori was casting off from the wharf on Monday, George and a select parcel of his associates found it a pleasant form of recreation to make an Aunt Sally of Detective Tricklebank, who was standing on the wharf, and to bombard him with a volley of Blue Derwents, Early Roses, Robin Adairs and other specially-se-lected BRANDS OF MATURE MURPHIES to the imminent danger of his visage, his clothes and his dignity. The supply of ammunition having become exhausted, George retired to the keel or the capstan or the fo'c's'le head or somewhere for a fresh supply. In tho meantime Tricklebank trickled up the bank of the gangway, and as George emerged from the galley with another basketful of spuds, and demanded "where is the b now?" he found that the second letter of the alphabet was. standing at his elbow, and a little interview ensued. " Not wishing to delay the departure of the steamer and inconvenience the owners and the passengers, the detective contented himself with entering George's name m his little pocket book, and awaited the return of the steamer before effecting an arrest. When haled before the Court, George denied having wasted any quite good potatoes on such an insignificant thing as an officer of police, and' declared that it iwas fair impossible for him to have done so as he was on watch at the time. However, the evidence was* conclusive that though George was technically on watch at the time of the offence he (was literally m the firing line, when the assault was committed, and the Bench decided that he had better pay £4- for the potatoes he had wasted, or spend fourteen days m gaol growing some more. According to the police evidence, this vendetta between the police and firemen is of a serious character, as very often COAL AND IRON BOLTS are substituted for the comparatively harmless tuber, and some say if this strenuous method, of farewelling is not combated somebody — not necessarily a mere policeman— is going to be seriously damaged, which prompts ' this. journal to ask if there are no officers, on these steamers capable of controlling their crews as the vessels "leave the wharves, or do they not assume oversight until outside the three-mile limit.. Any further offences of this disgraceful character should be met with the heaviest punishment permissible by law.