AN AMAZING STORY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16671, 26 February 1925, Page 6

AN AMAZING STORY.

RECKLESS- STEWARDS. VALUABLES THROWN OVERBOARD FROM AORANGL (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, last night. 11. would appear that more went, oil aboard ilie Aorangi during the voyage from England than one would dream of. (in amazing story was told in the Police Court this morning about two stewards who wiled away their time by flinging quantities of the ship’s cutlery, crockery, and general gear out of port holes, with such reckless abandon that, had i lie journey lasted a few months, little would have been left. George Scott (29) was charged with the theft of a dust pan and broom (7s), settee cushion (20s), glass tumbler (7d), and a quantity of cutlery, while Joseph Olivier was charged that, on the high seas, he did damage to a wooden drawer valued at 30s and djd steal a cushion valued at 20s. All the goods were lho property of the Union Steam Ship Co. Both accused pleaded not guilty. Jane Kennedy, a third-class passenger, stated that she had seen Scott take a glass and throw' it out of a port hole in the third-class dining room. She had also seen him throw plates into the sea in the same manner. She remarked about it to the accused, who told her that it was all right, because “they got a new crate of dishes in every port.’.’ Another woman stated that she saw Scott fling a broom and dustpan out of a port hole, while on other occasions she had seen plates consigned to the deep. Scott had told this witness that the place was a pig hole, and received the reply that if lie swept it out properly it wouldn’t be. A third-class waiter testified to observing accused get rid of the ship’s gear per medium of a port hole, while another sivorfe to seeing him, put silverware in his pocket. D. N. Miller, steward of the Aorangi, said that on the voyage lie began to miss cutlery and silver. He had trouble with Scott, who was later disrated. Since Scott and Olivier had been removed to the third-class there had been practically no losses. Regarding charges against Olivier, Alexander Munro, a second-class passenger, said accused had asked him for keys for his drawer. Witness told him he did not have any. Later lie heard a noise and next morning found the drawer smashed. Robert As lily, Master -at-Arms, stated that accused had been interviewed regarding the drawer, and had admitted taking a spade to lever it open. In the operation the drawer came apart. “These fellows are guilty of sabotage,” said the Magistrate. “They take a delight in damaging other people’s property, and they think it funny. They are really fanatics. Their mischief really comes back on the heads of the workers. It’s a very bad case. Olivier is sentenced to one month’s imprisonment and ordered to pay costs, and Scott will receive three months on the first two charges, the sentences to be cumulative, and on the others he is convicted and discharged.”