STOLE SET OF BAGPIPES

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1933, Page 9

STOLE SET OF BAGPIPES

PIPE CORPORAL IN BLACK WATCH. GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE. “You , have . been offered the chance to rehabilitate<yourself and I am not going to stand in your way,” said Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., at New Plymouth yesterday when- convicting Elijah John' Porte Yardley and ordering him to come up for sentence if. called on within 12 months for the theft of a steel guitar and set of bagpipes at Auckland in January. The case had been adjourned from Saturday in order that the - New Plymouth Pipe Band might decide whether it was prepared to do anything further for Yardley, who had pleaded guilty. R. W. ’D. Robertson, president of the New Plymoutlr Caledonian Society, said Yardley was one of the best pipers in New Zealand —something of a champion. As such he had been a good deal in demand "socially, and that probably unsettled him.' His father, who lived at Dunedin, was also a champion piper, and he would be very upset when he knew of this trouble.

Yardley had been a pipe-corporal in the . Black .Watch for three and. a-half years and had received an Army training. Witness pointed out that his trouble was connected with the theft of musical instruments. He seemed to have something in the nature of a kink in that direction. The gains he made from the thefts were not very substantial, and it appeared that his object in pawning the instruments was to obtain a few shillings to keep him going; he did not commit the offences with the intention of making a material profit. He took a serious-risk apparently without realising . the consequences, and it was suggested under the circumstances that the magistrate might consider granting probation. If probation could be extended the band would do what it could to help Yardley rehabilitate himself. At a meeting of the band committee on Saturday night it had been unanimously decided to reinstate Yard-, ley as tutor to the band at 15s a week if the course adopted by the Court made it possible to put that proposal into effect. He was a young man and the fact that he had been in custody some days would probably be a lesson to him so far as his conduct in the future was concerned. Addressing Yardley Mr. Woodward said it was now over four years since he had been convicted, and as there seemed to be a chance of him rehabilitating himself the Court would not stand in his > way. “I am going to give you a chance,” proceeded Mr. Woodward, “but if you come before a magistrate a third time, I don’t think you will get another chance. You will be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence within 12 months if called upon. In effect you will be on probation, and one of the terms will be that you repay £3 8s at the rate of £1 a month. If you offend again you will be brought up for punishment for the new offence’ and for' this one too.” On Senior-Sergeant Turner mentioning that Yardley had £2 on him when arrested the magistrate ordered that the first payment of £1 should be made forthwith.