CARGO PILLAGING

Southland Times, Issue 18972, 20 June 1923, Page 6

CARGO PILLAGING

BIG HAUL OF TWEED. CASES FILLED WITH SOAP. (Special to the Times). CHRISTCHURCH, June 19. One of the most expensive instances of pillaged cargo, fcr some years was discovered at the D goodshed, Christchurch Railway Station, on Saturday. W. McLelland, indent agent, imported two cases of tweeds from Liverpool by the Taiaroa. The cases were discharged from the vessel at Lyttelton on Thursday. On Friday evening they were discharged frem the waggons at Christchurch. When C. A. Brunton, an agent from J. M. Heywood and Co., Ltd., through which firm the goods were forwarded, arrived at D shed on Saturday morning, he noticed that one of the cases had been interfered with, the wood being splintered and nails exposed. Then he found that the box had a “rattle” and his suspicions were confirmed. Careful examination of the other case showed that the metal binding had been removed and replaced. It was discovered that the cases had been filled with boxes of extract of soap made in England. The boxes were consigned to “W.M.8.,” “M.W.” and “A.S.P.”, all of Wellington, making it clear that the work was carried out before the cases reached Lyttelton. The weights of the boxes were almost equal to what the tweed would have been. There was one other thing found which indicated that the work had been carried out in darkness. It was a stubby piece of homely candle, affixed to a piece of wood. The cases, each < f 12.3 cubic feet were tongued, and grooved and bound with strips of metal. The work of opening them must have taken some length of time. Even the metal strips had been replaced. The landed cost of the tweed would be £3OO, so that the loss is a substantial one.

A reporter was told that instances of pillage had not been very numerous over the past eighteen months or two years. One official considered that this position was brought about by increased supervision, and the fact that now that the war had been left far behind, the handling of goods was not left to casual workers, as the staffs are more or less permanent.