SUPPLIED SUGAR WITHOUT A PERMIT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 227, 25 September 1945, Page 6

SUPPLIED SUGAR WITHOUT A PERMIT

FIRM FIXED £l5O Wellington, Sept. 21. D. W. Virtue and Co., Ltd., ot Wellington, were charged in the Magistrate’s Court today with supplying 1120 pounds of sugar to Granem Bros., Westland, without a permit, and between December 12, 1944, and April 20, 1945, with supplying sugar to divers persons without permits, and between January 21, 1945, and April 15, 1945, with making untrue statements in written returns to the Food Rationing Controller. They pleaded guilty to all charges. Counsel for the company said it must accept responsibility for the actions of its merchandising manager. There was no suggestion of black marketing , the sugar being supplied to regular customers.

In respect to the first charge, shipping was available when the order was booked and the company sent the sugar on an assurance that a permit would be forthcoming. In respect to tie other cases, the company was beating the pistol by supplying sugar' before a permit was actually received. In regard to untrue returns, counsel said the merchandising manager had got into the habit of delivering sugar before permits arrived. When they did arrive it was found in most cases that customers had been supplied with less sugar than the permits aul horised. The merchandising manager had to remember what quantities of sugar were still owing to customers. When returns were due he found he had an unexplained surplus, but believed it was sugar due to customers and that the matter' would right itself later. The magistrate imposed a fine of£so on each charge.