[Editor: This article, regarding a court case, was published in The News (Adelaide, SA), 11 February 1939.]
Charge against manager dismissed
Explosion at freezing works
Mount Gambier, Saturday.
A charge against Ernest Victor Gerloff, factory manager, of having placed in Borthwick’s freezing works a gelignite fuse and detonators with intent to destroy the building was dismissed by Mr. H. G. P. Nesbit, S.M., in the Mount Gambier Court today.
Mr. Nesbit found that there was not sufficient evidence to out Gerloff on his trial.
When the hearing was resumed today, Inspector McDonald applied to recall a witness for the Crown.
Mr. K. Edmunds (for Gerloff) objected, but Mr. Nesbit, S.M., recalled Leo Michael Crowe, who said that while he was working at Attiwill’s quarry McIntyre handed him a letter, and witness read it to him.
As far as he remembered, the letter said, “Come to town on Friday night to do a job early on Saturday morning.” On the bottom was “H. B.”
Witness said he did not know Harry Bulling personally.
George Brown Robertson, works superintendent for Borthwick & Sons, Australasia, Ltd., at Burwood, Victoria, said that the Blue Hill freezing works were chiefly operated for chilling, packing, freezing, and storing rabbits.
He gave technical evidence as to the condition of the works when he inspected them, and the damage caused. He said he was completely satisfied with the gas producer plant. The mechanical side of the plant and the town gas supply to the works were all in order, and he was also satisfied with the ammonia compression side of the works.
Robertson said that the explosions could not have been caused by defective plant or materials on Borthwick’s works. Neither the buildings nor the plant was insured. The estimated damage was £2,000.
In reply to Mr. Edmunds, witness said that relations between Borthwick’s and Bodley’s had always been on a friendly, businesslike basis.
To Mr. Pyne, he said that he knew no reason why any person, from trading relationships, would want to blow up the works.
Source:
The News (Adelaide, SA), 11 February 1939, p. 1
Editor’s notes:
Crown = the governing power of a land operating under a constitutional monarchy, which is said to govern on behalf of the Crown (i.e. on behalf of the ruling monarch); can refer to the government or elements acting on the behalf of government (e.g. a legal prosecuting service operating in the name of “the Crown”); monarchical, regal, or imperial power; a monarch (King or Queen), an emperor
Ltd. = an abbreviation of “Limited”; in a business context, “limited” refers to limited liability, whereby the legal liability of shareholders is limited to the shares they own in that company
See: 1) “Pty & Ltd – what does it actually mean?”, Chamberlains [law firm], 2 December 2019
2) Paul Cooper, “What does Pty Ltd mean?”, LegalVision [legal services provider], updated 20 October 2021
S.M. = Stipendiary Magistrate [see: stipendiary magistracy]
stipendiary magistracy = a system of stipendiary magistrates (magistrates paid with a stipend, i.e. those receiving regular payments, as part of a salary or to defray expenses), distinct from a system of unpaid magistrates (the roles and functions of unpaid magistrates were typically performed by rich men and landowning men)
[Editor: Added a full stop after “was insured” and “businesslike basis”.]
My grandfather was George Brown Robertson. He was an honest man. ….Jean Robertson