OIL FUEL REGULATIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25410, 16 December 1943, Page 3

OIL FUEL REGULATIONS

BREACHES BY COMPANY MANAGER

SUBSTANTIAL FINES IMPOSED

“ The accused apparently led these people to believe that he was in an extensive way in the ‘ black marketing' of petrol,” said Senior Detective T. Y. Hall yesterday, when Thomas Gibson Waters, company manager, pleaded guilty before Mr J. R. Bartholomew. 5. in the City Police Court to three charges of breaches of the Oil Fuel Emergency Regulations, 1939. The actual charges were that he agreed to sell to John Charles White, on or about November 2, and to Clement Robert Bright and Arthur Neel Walker, on or about October 6, 45 gallons of motor spirits, such sales not being authorised by the regulations and being in contravention of them. The accused was represented by Mr O. G. Stevens. Mr Hall said that false pretence charges had been laid, but no evidence would be offered on them, and they were •accordingly withdrawn. Detailing the evidence, the senior detective said that the accused, who was the manager of a firm known as the Timber Preservation Company, had informed Bright and White that he was in a position to supply each of them with a 45.gallon drum of petrol at 4s a gallon, plus the cost of the drum (10s). They each agreed to purchase the petrol for £9 10s, and the money was paid in cash. When the petrol was not delivered Bright and White complained to the accused, who gave each of them a cheque for that amount. When the cheques were presented at the bank, however, there were no funds to meet them. The accused also called on Walker and informed him that he could supply him with petrol on similar terms. He told Walker that the oil companies were given big allowances for the evaporation of petrol, and that he could get some of this petrol. Walker said he did not . intend to pay any money in advance, and later he told the accused he would have nothing to do with the proposition. When he was interviewed by the police the accused denied that he had offered to sell motor spirit to any of the three persons mentioned, and he said that the cheque to White was in respect of a loan and that to Bright concerned a private matter. Mr Hall added that the accused had been interviewed by the police regarding the supply of petrol to other people as far back as June, but apparently he had not taken the warning. Mr Stevens said that the question of fraud did not enter into the case, ft was not admitted for a moment that money was obtained in the manner mentioned by Mr Hall. It was not likely, counsel said, that those who were Willing to deal in petrol in a " black market ’’ would tell the truth to the police. They were just as bad and equally. as much to blame as Waters, who had admitted that he had obtained the money on the understanding that he would supply petrol. He said he knew where “ black market ” petrol could be obtained, and that he had not supplied it because he had become alarmed. There was no evidence, counsel added, of any illegal dealing earlier. The accused was a wellknown business man, and nothing was previously known against him. White had been repaid the amount of the transaction, and arrangements had been made with Bright for repayment-to him. " From whatever point one looks at it, the matter must be regarded as of a serious nature,” said the magistrate. Adding dhat he was constrained to deal with it as a “ black market ” of petrol, his Worship imposed a fine of £lO on each charge, with costs (10s). Senior Detective Hall said that the police had made inquiries from the petrol companies, which revealed that there was no possible chance of persons getting petrol from them for supplies which, it was alleged, were lost by evaporation.