A COURT MARTIAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19642, 9 November 1933, Page 2

A COURT MARTIAL

NAVAL OFFICER ON TRIAL FIVE CHARGES PREFERRED By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, November 8. Four charges of knowingly signing false official documents, namely, weekly work and wages sheets in respect of civilian employees at the Devonport Dockyard, and one charge of neglect of duty in that he failed to verify the weekly work and wages sheets in August last, were preferred against temporary Engineer - Commander Charles Marchant, of H.M.S. Philomel, at a court martial which opened at the Devonport Naval Base to-day. The prisoner pleaded not guilty. The president of the Court is Captain W. L. Jackson, D. 5.0., of H.M.S. Veronica, with whom are Captain Cosmo Graham, of H.M.S. Diomede, Commander A. H. Maxwell-Hyslop, of H.M.S. Laburnum, Commander B. C. Barrington Brooke, of H.M.S. Philomel, and Commander J. W. Farquhar, of H.M.S. Diomede. Commander E. Lyon Berthon acted as prosecutor. The prisoner was represented by Mr Julius Hogben. The proceedings were conducted by Paymaster-Commander R. F- Durman (secretary to the New Zealand Naval Board) as deputy-judge advocate. Opening the case for the defence, Mr Hogben said that the substance of the charges was that Marchant employed workmen at the base at his own home on two occasions. The records showed that on the morning of August 5 Ward had time off in lieu of overtime payment. The substance of the allegation therefore was that accused employed the man for four hours on the afternoon of August 4. Marchant, said counsel, had served in the Navy for 37 years of faithful service. He had been brought up at a court martial for the sake of 7/6, four hours’ wages for one man. There was all the pomp and ceremony, time and money and panoply of a court martial over a matter of 7/6. It was necessary for the prosecution to bring proof of a guilty mind. The evidence would show that accused did what counsel thought every naval officer and every business man did, signed without looking at every detail the documents placed before him by his clerk. Counsel contended that what Marchcant had done was customary at the base. He said it was admitted that on August 4 Ward worked at accused’s home and was paid out of public money. Whether that was right or wrong was a matter of the regulations and one counsel would refer to later. Evidence by Accused. Accused, in evidence, said he had been engineer-officer in charge of the base for more than 12 years. He had had complete control of the work at the base. The amounts of money he had been responsible for ran into many thousands of He had always endeavoured to save the Government money and had saved hundreds of pounds. So far as the time sheets were concerned he held his clerk responsible as he was a very trustworthy man. The weekly work and wages sheets were made out by his clerk, who checked the correctness of hours and wages shown. Witness said that the sheets were just signed by himself in a routine manner. He did not read them before signing them. Ward had worked at his house for four hours on August 4 in Government time as witness was unable to get another man to do the work. He wanted it finished as his family and furniture were moving in next day. Ward was paid out of the Government fund. The work Ward did next day was done in his time off in lieu of overtime payment. Bradfleld had worked at witness’s house on three occasions when overtime leave was due, but he had never left the dockyard without witness’s permission. He was not at witness’s on August 17. It had never been questioned that civilian employees should do small jobs for officers at the base such as making packing cases. Commander Berthon had never raised any question. Witness did one fairly big job at Commander Berthon’s instructions for a private person. The work had been done with the approval of the other officers. Witness thought it had been general. Cross-examining accused, Commander Berthon produced a number of sheets and said that they were time sheets for seven men and showed five different errors. Witness said he was not aware of errors. Commander Berthon: Have the relations between you and me been very cordial?—Nothing could have been better until about August 1. Has anyone ever tried to force you to do a private job?—l have never been forced. I have done it willingly. Witness said he should have stopped Ward’s pay for four hours on August 4.