ALLEGED TIMBER THEFT

Wairarapa Daily Times, 16 March 1933, Page 5

ALLEGED TIMBER THEFT

CONTRACTOR CHARGED. 1 WITNESSES*' EVIDENCE HEARD. Michael John Ford, a -well-known Masterton carrier and contractor, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning before Mr J. Miller, S.M., on a charge .that he did, between Ist July, 1932, and 9th December, 1932, commit the theft of 328 totara posts, 460 totara battens,- 11 totara angle posts and a totara strainer post, of a total, value of £42/12/6, the property of Ralph Fitz Roger Beetham. Ford, who was represented by Mr I. not elect to be dealt with isummarily and the evidence of police 'witnesses was proceeded with. During ■the luncheon adjournment the Magistrate inspected the timber at the police station. Outlining the facts leading to the charge Sergeant Dyer stated that the complainant and his brother had a large quantity of totara fencing timber stacked in a, paddock near the Taueru bridge. Most of it had been split for many years and consisted of approximately 600 angle posts, besides many strainer posts, fencing posts and battens. During last winter Beet-ham Bros, -employed John Pickett and his son to ’ split a quantity of totara posts and battens. About the end of November last in consequence of something he had heard the complainant inspected the timber. After careful counting 328 new totara posts, 460 new totara battens, the new strainer post and also some old angle posts and strainers from the stack of old fencing timber nearby were found missing. On 9th December last Mr Beetliam found that a quantity of posts were to be offered for sale' in Wright, Stephenson and Co’s. yard at Carterton that day. He instructed Mr Pickett to go to Carterton. to examine the posts in the sale yard. Mr Pickett examined these posts and it appeared to him that some -of the posts belonged to Mr Beetham. The. sale of the posts was stopped andthQ, matter reported to the police. It was ascertained that the posts and batfens -were put in the sale by Michael Ford in the name of B. Kelly, Master- , ion. The yards were locked and Ford was notified that the sale of the timber had been stopped. When the posts were put in the saleyard Ford told the agent for Wright, Steplinson and Co, that the posts belonged-to a man named Kelly. Before the- sale was finished on 9th December the agent saw Jack Ford, son of the defendant, and told him the sale of the posts had been stopped. The gates of the saleyards were locked on the finish of the sale. On the morning of 15th December last Wright, Stephenson’s agent, Mr Smith, passed the yards and noticed the posts had been removed. He examined the gate and found it still locked and considered it had been lifted off its hinges. Tracks of a motor vehicle were visible in the yard. This matter was reported to the police. On being interviewed, Alfred Archer, carrier, Carterton, ad>mitted going to ,the saleyards at Carterton on l'oth December at about 5 a.m. on the instructions of the defendant. The gate's were locked and he assisted Ford to take the gate off its hinges so that the lorries could he driven into the yard. Three lorries were loaded- with posts and battens and were-Ttaken to Mr Foreman’s property at Ponatahi. On ,4th January last -290 totara posts, 209 battens, 11 angle posts, 3 totara strainer posts of which one was newly split, were inspected on Mr Foreman’s property by the complainant, John Pickett, and Constable Johnston. Mr Beetham definitely identified 16 posts as having been taken from his property at Brancepeth. .They were identified by certain marks on them. There were other posts there which Mr Beetham considered had been taken from his property but he could not definitely identify them. 'Posts recovered from Mr Foreman’s property had obviously been split from the same log. When examining the paddock where the posts weret split by Pickett Constable Johnston and Pickett found the two ends of a totara log which Pickett considered would fit the ends of a strainer post at the police station. It was later found that they exactly corresponded in shape. The first police witness, Ralph Fitzroger Beetham, said that he and his brother had a stack of timber near the . Taueru bridge on the Weraiti-Brance-fcpetli road. The main portion of the "limber had been there since 1918. Bast winter he had a Mr Pickett and his son splitting fencing timber on contract. This new split timber was stacked near the old timber in two equal stacks for his brother and himself. At the end of November last he inspected this timber and it was found that 328 posts, one strainer and 460 battens were missing from the new contract stack. It was also obvious that timber from the old stack had been taken. Several different marks'were made on_ the posts by the contractor. The - marks were made with various materials. Ford, he understood, had been working near his property' although he had. not actually seen Ford there as he had not known him then. He noticed an advertisement for the sale of timber at Carterton. Hei ranj£*' the agents and ascertained that the; sale was to be made in the name of Ford' oor a man named Kelly. Accompanied by Mr Pickett and Constable Johnston,, witness inspected some timber near Mr J. Foreman’s homestead. Another lot of timber near some pine trees was also inspected. Among the timber near the homestead be recognised as his 3o posts, the new strainer post, 11 old angle posts and 2 old strainer posts. Sixteen of the y.Dew strainers he definitely could say were his and bo-re the marks referred to earlier. Two of the eleven old angle posts had old blade marks on them he himself had put -on some years ago. With Constable Johnston and Mr Guy Williams he went to Ponatahi on 6th January and took possession of some timber from the stack near Mr Foremair|; homestead. The missing posts compered with posts at Brancepeth in every respect, he said. He had not given authority for anyone to take timber from the stack except one man about 18 months aero who had authority to take four strainers. Ford had no authority to- take any timber. Til answer to Mr Hnrt, .witness ndmitted that a tree on painted lorry on one occasion had pulled in and had taken some chips and rubbish last -winter while Pickett and. his son were splitting some of the timber, and on another occasion when Mr Pic.kett cut some firewood for himself which dis- , appeared. Pickett had not complained about nests and timber disappearing. Mr Hart: “Would it surprise you to

know that a lorry load of timber had been removed from your stacks within the last six months.” Witness: '“lt wouldn’t surprise me now. ” 11 Have you sold any timber from the heaps during the last six months.” —- “No.” John Pickett, Senr., gave particulars of the tjmber he had split at Brancepeth. The. of posts were _ 6ft 4ins although some would be an inch or two-longer,'.while' the battens were 4ft 6ins. He used special marking for counting'the split posts. Witness stated that he definitely recognised posts at the saleyard at Carterton he had split for Mr Beetham. There was a lot of timber in the yard which did not belong to Mr Beetham. Ford had been working in the vicinity of the stack of timber. - - In answer to Mr Hart witness denied that he had said to Ford that someone was getting away with the timber. The posts could not have been split from standing timber on Mr Williams’ property where Ford was working, said witness. At the time of going to press the hearing was not completed. There are seven witnesses for the police.