PILFERING OF CARGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17711, 23 August 1919, Page 7

PILFERING OF CARGO

A SENSIBLE DIMINUTION. Pilfering on the waterfront has, according to 6omo importers, showed a sensible diminution during the last few months, consequent upon steps that have been taken to keep a stricter eye on the suspected sources of the trouble in Wellington. In conversation with a Dominion reporter one Wellington merchant stated that prior to the war there was comparatively little Pilfering, yet ho had always taken the preacution to guard against losses by insuring against pilferage, for which he had paid 2s 6d per £100. So slight had been his firm's losses on that account that he had seriously considered the matter of ceasing to insure against such losses, but even whilst he was deliberating as to the course ho would take, serious cases of pilferage came one after the other, and though the rate of insurance had increased by 100 oer cent, it had paid to pay it. instances as to the extent of the depredations suffered he said that one case containing £90_ -worth of goods had been found to contain only 20s worth, and, beyond stuffing the case with brown paper, the thieves had taken no other precaution to make up the weight of the stolen goods. In another instance a case which contained very valuable goods had been despoiled by the pilferer having knocked a hole in the case, and then reaching in with his hand had abstracted the goods. Fortunately he had felt only in the one direction. Had lie changed hands he would havo found some of the most costly goods the firm had ever imported. In ajiother instance the whol© too of the case must have been lifted off. as the goods it contained originally were hermetically sealed in a zinc inner case, and that with all its contents had entirely disappeared—the case was empty. The merchant who afforded th o foregoing information complains about the clause in the bills-of-lading of Home-trad-ing shipping which provides that the shipping companies -were responsible only for lost goods up to £5 per cubic foot and up to £100 for a single package. That might have been a fair provision,' he admitted, previous to the "war, but the companies concerned had taken no cognisance of the fact that the invoiced price of goods had increased by 200 or 300 ner cent., which had increased the value of noarlv every package to_ over the stipulated £100, the loss on which was not recoverable. This was a veov sore point with importers, who could not see why tho shipping companies should take advantage of circumstances brought about by the- war. The only way out of tho clause in cfucstion was to see that when good? were packcd in EngKnd not more than £100 worth (invoice nrice) should be placed in any one package. whtVh was hardly a convenient nractice for the Home people owin<r to the shortage of wood for case-making.