DID NOT HAVE 1/-, SO TAMPERED WITH GAS SUPPLY METER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18496, 23 June 1928, Page 12

DID NOT HAVE 1/-, SO TAMPERED WITH GAS SUPPLY METER.

DUNEDIN MAN FACES COURT; “SHYLOCK-LUCE” ACTION IS ALLEGED. (Special to the “Star") DUNEDIN. June 22. The hard struggle of a married man with six children against an adverse fate was told at the Police Court today. when Clarence Lowe was charged with tampering with a gas meter, the property of the Dunedin City Corporation. Accused was represented by Mr White, and pleaded guilty. Mr Barrowclough appeared for the corporation, and said that the contrivance (produced) made tip of lead piping had been used to prevent the meter from recording the gas used. It had been found in defendant’s house by one of the corporation meter readers. When interviewed, the defendant said fre had put it there only the previous night, as he urgently wanted gas. On investigation, it was found that the defendant was in rather an unfortunate position with the Gas Department. He had been in a house in King Street and left without paying the money owed for gas. lie had owed money for gas in his present house, but the department had installed a shilling-in-the-slot meter and regulated it so that he would get slightly less for his shilling than other consumers, so that gradually he would pay off the amount owing. The contrivance must have been installed for at least a month. An information could have been laid charging the defendant with the theft of gas. “There seems to be something radically wrong with the gas system in the house,” said Mr White, who pointed out that the defendant’s gas bill for two months amounted to £4. The defendant was a married man with six children, ranging in age from four months to six years, and the corporation had adopted the somewhat Shy-lock-like system of inserting a meter which gave him only a portion of the gas he was paying for. On the night of the offence the defendant did not have a shilling in the place, and, as he wished to give the children some hot food, he foolishly fixed up an arrangement to get the gas. Mr Barrowclough said it was ridiculous to suggest that the system of collecting the money was a Shylock system when it was adopted all over the world. As a matter of fact, defendant’s wife had been seen boiling clothes in a copper with the use of gas. Mr White said that many strictly honest people seemed to think it legitimate to cheat the corporation in the way suggested in the present case. Defendant was convicted and fined the amount of the costs, £1 Its. A month was allowed for payment.