Action to stop cargo pillaging

CHRISTCHURCH: The pillaging of overseas cargo, which has been particularly rife during the past two or three years, has now, so far as importations from New York and the Eastern ports of America are concerned, reached an alarming stage. The depredations are on such a wholesale and daring scale as to suggest the work of an organised gang or gangs. Importers, who during the past few months have been facing serious losses (says the Sun) have just formed an importers protection association, and meetings will be held

next week. The experience of Robert Francis, of Christchurch, a firm of music dealers, is illustrative of the wholesale manner in which pillaging is carried out. The manufacturers of gramophones pack the machines in stoutly built and clamped cases about 4 ft 6 in high. A consignment was shipped to Mr Francis from New York of 11 cases of which seven were found to be minus machines. Of another lot of 14, nine were without machines. The loss runs into £175 a consignment. A number of cases were found to contain sacks of sand and shavings. There are traces of the imprint of a machine on the felt packing sacks, and other contents bear inscriptions showing American origin. Other cases were empty, but at least one that has not yet been opened is obviously packed with bricks. A peculiar feature in respect to the empty cases is that the closest scrutiny fails to show they have been opened. The evidence seems clear that the pillaging is done in America.