IN 10 minutes in the Police Court yesterday fines totalling £140 were imposed by Mr. P. G. Knyvett, S.M., on six merchant seamen and four railway shunters, all charged with having had goods suspected of being stolen.
"We have learnt our lesson, it will not happen again," said the four shunters, employed by the Railway Department, who pleaded guiltv and were each fined £20, in default two months' imprisonment.
The shunters and the goods concerned in each instance were: Bertram William Cook, 42 (dozen pairs children's overalls, 46 women's handkerchiefs, 20 men's singlets, dozen children's shirts, eight pairs men's socks, two dozen face towels, ham tin coffee, nine tins sardines, four dozen tins salmon, one dozen tins preserved fruit, two tins bacon rashers); William Weir, 38, foreman shunter (four men's shirts, two suits men's pyjamas, one towel, and five electric light globes); Louis. Carpenter Clifford, 38 (four pairs men's pyjamas, six tins salmon, one American Army waterproof coat); William Claude Cree, 25 (five packets chewing gum, three men's shirts, asparagus, pilchards, and reduced cream).
Detective Senior Sergeant Buggy said that most of the property was similar to that reported stolen from railway consignments passing through Roma Street for conveyance to northern towns, and destined for troops.
Search In Ship
The Australian merchant seamen engaged in the American transport services pleaded guilty and each was fined £10, in default a month's imprisonment.
They were Raymond Skeene Jenkins, 19, Lawrence Charles Keith, 27, Howard Leslie Mills, 20, Peter Boy Gerrand, 17, Desmond Harry Setter, 18, and Thomas Joseph Murray. 18.
The goods comprised men's socks, face powder, compacts, a pair of American W.A.C's pantettes, and hammocks.
Detective Senior Sergeant Buguy said that detectives and peace officers searched the seamen's quarters in an American ship, and found the property. The men charged said that while the ship was discharging cargo at a South Pacific port, soldiers pillaged the cargo and handed it to them. They knew that it was American Army Issue and that they should not have had it.
Source: Trove The Courier-Mail Thursday 9 November 1944, Page 3