CARRYING A DESERTER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 334, 4 March 1915, Page 5

CARRYING A DESERTER.

A CAPTAIN FINED. A case of interest to the shipping community came before the Lyttelton Magistrate's Court this morning, when Robert Edward Price, master of the schooner Morning Light> was charged with on or about January 25, 191fv carrying to sea one L. Wilson, a boy, in contravention of section 148, sub-sec-tions 1, 2, and 3 of the Shipping and Seamen Act, 1908, well knowing hira to have been a deserter from the barque* Hazel Craig, then lying at Lyttelton. Captain J. R. Hatchwell and Mr W. G. Cleary, J.P. 's> were on the bench.

Captain J. A. H. Marciel, superintendent of mercantile marine at Lyttelton, who prosecuted, said that when Captain Price had brought Wilson to , the shipping office and sought to have his signature on the articles ratified, he had noticed that the space for filling in the name of the ship from which the last discharge had been granted had been left blank. The masters of veaeels had the power in emergency to sign men on, but it devolved on them to ascertain the bona fides of the men/ they thus On enquiring as to why the spaee for the name of the last ship had been left blank, witness ascertained that a deserter; and had obtained a statement from him to that effect.

[ Defendant, who pleaded not guilty, j stated that Wilson met him outside the I shipping office and asked him for a job. J On being asked what experience he had he said he had been engaged on Tasmanian schooners. The Morning Light was then lying in the stream, about four miles down the harbour, and had been there for a week waiting for men. Witness decided to engage Wilson, and sent him on board by the Purau. The. next day witness came on board himself, and Wilson signed the articles: When it came to filling in the name of the last discharge, Wilson stated that he had deserted from the Hazel Craig. That was the first he knew of Wilson's being on the Hazel Craig. Asked why he did not put the boy ashore, witness said that it would have entailed expense and inconvenience to 'lo so. He had been waiting a week for men and a fair wind,, and he feared that .any further delay might cause him to lose the opportunity of setting sail when, it came, though,. as a matter of fact,, he did not get away until two days after.

Captain Marciel stated that the Department attached great importance to the responsibility of masters in cases of this kind. Men could not be allowed to desert from one vessel to another, otherwise the whole purpose of the Shipping and Seamen Act would be useless. The Bench imposed a fine of 20/and costs.